With
our background and experience Access to Export is uniquely
positioned to offer services covering the total export process (please
refer to the typical sales process flowchart). The services can be in
the form of consultancy such as training and coaching if you need to acquire
and develop the key skills to ensure you undertake export activities confidently,
correctly and profitably. Alternatively, if you do not wish to invest
in the acquisition and development of these skills but you need someone
to undertake activities on your behalf, then we are equally well suited
to provide the appropriate services – on site if required.
Either way, you are assured of receiving high quality professional services,
tailored to your specific needs, resulting in a highly cost-effective
solution.
Detailed below are the services we are currently able to provide
Exporter Healthcheck
International trade offers substantial opportunities to grow your business
but unless you are properly prepared, there are many pitfalls that can
hamper and damage your export initiative. We have developed a 53 point
“health-check” specifically for companies new to export to
ensure you are properly prepared and therefore maximise the benefits offered
by international trade.
We also offer a similar tailored service for established exporters to
ensure optimum performance and to keep you up to date with procedural
and legislative changes.
Export Development Program
We have a 12-stage, comprehensive export development program, which is
designed to take a company with no international trade experience through
all the key steps to become a highly competent exporter. The program covers
every aspect of the export process from initial evaluation of your company
right though to establishing after sales service support with associated
policies and procedures to ensure you effectively and profitably support
your customers. This program is tailored to your specific business needs
with the appropriate level of “hands-on” help and support
from Access to Export at every step of the process.
Market
Research
Before investing in entry and development of a new market, appropriate
research is essential. Not only do you need to know the size and potential
of the market but who and where are the customers. How is the market currently
served? Who is the competition both domestic and international? How do
the competitors operate? What are the pricing structures? What are the
costs of sales involved? Are there any restrictions or embargoes? These
are just some of the questions you need to have comprehensively answered
before you attempt entry to a new market. When you have the answers you
have the basis to develop the correct entry strategy. Access to
Export can undertake both desk and local research so you approach
new markets in the appropriate way.
Funding in the form of grants is often available to help pay for market
research. Access to Export is able to conduct market
research on your behalf and help you to secure funding towards the cost.
International
Marketing
A pivotal part of the process to develop international business is the
preparation of a sound marketing plan. The plan will need to be implemented
in conjunction with the appointed distribution partner, and as such, will
require the partner’s approval and commitment. However the marketing
plan will need to be controlled by the principal (exporter or manufacturer).
Some of the key elements of a successful marketing plan as follows: -
• Market entry and launch platform
• Target mailings
• Exhibitions, trade shows and other such major events
• Sales collateral
• Internet opportunities and threats
• Market visits for training, sales support, service support, seminars
and exhibitions
• Demonstration requirements
• Product pricing including discounts and commissions
• Local inventory of finished goods and spares
• Service and technical support
It is essential that all of the necessary activities within the plan are
correctly costed and included in your overall budgeting and business planning
process. The marketing plan should project forward for a minimum of two
years and be regularly reviewed and monitored.
Access to Export can not only help you to develop sound
marketing plans but also assist you with successful implementation through
on-going hands-on support as required.
Finding International Distribution Partners
Working with the right distribution partner is absolutely fundamental
to your export success whilst working with the wrong partner can be very
detrimental. We can show you how to find the right partners – what
works and what doesn’t work. Alternatively, we can find the right
partners for you whilst you concentrate on the other core activities within
your business. We have many years experience of working with most types
of distribution partners from agents to wholly owned subsidiary companies
and just about everything in between.
Either way, you benefit from our experience and avoid selecting and working
with the wrong distribution partner.
Managing and Developing Your Distribution Network
Most companies, particularly SME’s, find that a network of independent
distributors is the most appropriate route to sell their products and
support their customers. If this is true for you, are you getting the
most from your distribution network?
With a network of independent distributors comes inherent competition
as most distributors have other products to sell and support as well as
yours! A key part of distribution management is keeping your distributors
focused on your products and more importantly investing in them. We have
many years’ experience of working with and managing distributors
so we are well qualified to help you get the best from your distribution
network.
We can also manage your network for you if you do not have the resource
to effectively undertake this.
Quotations and Tenders
This is one of the most important parts of any sales process and especially
so with export sales. The quotation will be the foundation for each sales
order or contract so by getting it right in every aspect will enable customers
to place their orders easily, make the execution of the order proceed
smoothly and maximise your profits. We can help to ensure your quotations
are accurate, complete (with an appropriate set of terms and conditions)
and well presented so that you and your customers both benefit.
Order Processing
Effective systems and procedures are vitally important to enable smooth
execution of export orders and to provide your customers with high quality
service. You must be able to identify all documentary and procedural requirements
for each order. If your systems and procedures are currently lacking then
Access to Export can help you eliminate the problem areas.
Export Control Compliance
Every exporter has a duty to ensure full compliance with current export
control regulations. The penalties for non-compliance can be severe. We
can help you to ensure you develop and use a code of compliance that is
right for your trading environment whilst ensuring full compliance with
the latest regulations.
Current UK Export Control Regulations are now wider reaching than ever
before and include “intangible” exports such as transfer of
technology, trade (trafficking and brokering) in certain goods between
countries outside the UK as well as the physical export of goods. Are
you fully conversant with these latest Regulations?
Access to Export can guide you through the latest Controls
to ensure you are fully compliant.
Export Documentation
With international trade, the documentation is as important as the goods
themselves. Accurate and correct documentation will optimise your export
performance by ensuring your customers receive their goods in a timely
manner and you receive payment promptly. We can help you understand and
therefore produce correct and accurate documentation.
Alternatively, Access to Export will happily prepare
export documents on your behalf.
Logistics
Getting your products to your customers in a timely and cost effective
manner is another key part of the export sales process. Working with the
right partner in this part of the process will ensure on time, cost-effective
delivery and most importantly, customer satisfaction. We can help you
ensure you work with the right partner whether you just need someone to
book and document the transportation of your products or execute the majority
of the process on your behalf.
Again, Access to Export can handle all or part of the
process on your behalf by working as your “Shipping Department”.
This is particularly beneficial to companies that do not have their own
trained and dedicated personnel.
A sale is not a sale until it is paid for!
We can help you to ensure that all your export sales are paid promptly
by using the appropriate methods of payment for your international business.
If this involves Documentary Letters of Credit, we can help ensure that
you achieve the “strict doctrine of compliance” with your
documentation.
Alternatively, Access to Export can negotiate Documentary
Letters of Credit on your behalf. We have an impeccable record for presenting
“right first time” L/C documentation so we are well equipped
to manage your Letters of Credit so relieving you of this burden and instantly
improving your cashflow.
Please contact us for more details of our Letter of Credit management
service.
Training
Awareness and understanding of procedures and documentation associated
with international trade are vital to your success. We are able to offer
training in most areas of export activity. Some examples are: -
• Incoterms 2000
• Export Control Compliance
• Methods of Payment
• Export Documentation
If you have a specific training need that is not mentioned here, please
contact us. We will always be happy to put a specific package or program
together to meet your requirements.
All training is carried out on your site and is tailored to address your
particular business needs.
After Sales Service
Having secured customers, the next challenge is to keep them! High quality
customer service, whether this is in the form of training, equipment maintenance
or timely supply of spare parts will go a long way to develop loyal customers.
In addition to all the above services applicable to the normal export
sale process Access to Export is able to provide the
following additional services
Imports
If you import goods to the UK then Access to Export can
help you to do this correctly by ensuring you use and follow the correct
import procedures in particular by utilising the various duty relief schemes
that are available. This helps to reduce your costs and yield significant
benefits to cashflow.
Finance
Access to Export is staffed with highly experienced and
skilled practitioners in the various forms of finance relating to international
trade. This means we are able to take a holistic approach to the task
of offering deliverable financing solutions for our clients.
Finding Funding Solutions for Your Procurement
Having fought long and hard to win that elusive order the last thing you
want is to get into a protracted negotiation about terms of payment with
your suppliers.
Access to Export would in these circumstances facilitate
a financing structure where the financier would become the “buyer
of the goods” and ensure that he is secured by directly accessing
the payment obligation from the buyer. The sale is established through
a secure payment mechanism and that mechanism can be used as the risk
base for the procurement security.
Thus the financier funds the procurement including any import tax and
VAT and takes a “charge” over the proceeds from the buyer,
remitting the balance back to the exporter having repaid the “procurement
account”.
Finding
Funding Solutions for Your Buyer
How often do you find that your buyer has a budget constraint or wants
up to 180 days to pay for the goods and services you wish to supply to
him? It might be that he even requires rolling finance or perhaps a fixed
term 3 year facility. In situations such as these, Access to Export
will work with you (the client) to facilitate the most effective financial
structure that suits you, the exporter and your buyer.
A particular strength of Access to Export is export finance.
We can arrange non-recourse funding for your buyer with say up to 3 years
re-payment that allows you, the exporter to get paid when the
delivery is made and the customer time to re-pay once the equipment
is installed or the product “on sold” by the buyer, to his
particular market place.
Offering this type of financing often leads to an increased order value
or an accelerated sale.
There are many forms of buyer financing and Access to Export
prides itself in being able to establish facilities that you, the seller
understand, whilst being on hand to support you in negotiations with your
buyer if required.
If you wish to discuss your financing requirements please do not hesitate
to contact us. We will be delighted to discuss your requirements and then
give a written brief of the potential solutions with full costings of
the service to be provided.
Contact
Us Today!
Access to Export can help with any aspect of your international
business so if you need assistance with any area of your business that
is not mentioned here then please call us - we are here to help!
We are confident that we can help you improve your international business
– so why not contact us today for more information on our services
or to arrange an initial exploratory meeting, which will be entirely free
of cost and obligation.
