Deciding who to target is key to success in exporting. In this course I discover what you need to know about your consumers, shoppers and trade customers; the basis of ‘who to target.’ I introduce key tools to segment and prioritise customers; not all are equal. Finally I cover 5 important needs that consumers, shoppers, trade customers and distributors have. Understand and act on these needs to build a powerful commercial proposition!

Many exporters assume the only way to grow their business internationally is with a distributor. Certainly, a good distributor is one powerful way to enter a new market or category, however finding and concluding an agreement with a distributor isn’t easy. Distributors prefer large brands with existing sales, rather than supporting new businesses with no sales. Fortunately signing a distributor isn’t the only way to grow internationally. In this course I cover 9 different export business models. Find out what other options you have to penetrate new markets!

Many exporters, especially new ones, prefer to ship domestic product rather than create new formulas and packaging. Change entails cost and complexity and it is not always necessary to alter for export. However, sometimes there are strong reasons to change brand, product design, formulation or claims. Find out when and how to make changes to your brand and product portfolio in this course.

Your export team and operating structure also determine whether you succeed or fail internationally. In this module I’ll take you through several different export organisational structures and the key roles and responsibilities of the team members. This course also covers export pricing, logistics and risk management.

This course starts by looking at basic sales materials - not all companies have them! The module then moves on to understanding customer needs, critical for effective selling. Then how to manage a sales negotiation, and finally what to aim for in concluding a sales partner agreement.

In this course I focus on the key drivers of growth, consumer penetration (trial) and building repeat sale (loyalty). Whilst you may expect your sales partner to execute these strategies, partners need to be guided and taught, especially if they are unfamiliar with the category. This module includes the key tactics to drive trial and repeat sale in the consumer products industry.

Exporting is a strategic choice and you will have to dedicate time, people and other resources to making it work. Therefore a good plan is essential. One reason is to ensure alignment internally and with key stakeholders like investors, another is that a good plan is a check list, it will corroborate all your bases are covered. In this course I’ll take you through the key planning components and share an export business planning template to use in your business.