Exporting: The Definitive Guide to Selling Abroad Profitably

Book cover courtesy Apress

A sneak peak at my NEW book on exporting! Please sign up below to be notified of publication date (December 18, 2013) and to pre-order book at a guaranteed price!  Can't wait for you to read!

Exporting: The Definitive Guide to Selling Abroad Profitably

Pretty Pittsburgh!

©2013 Laurel Delaney.  All rights reserved.

I had the great honor of giving a presentation on "Go Global!" to Seton Hill University's E-Magnify's women business center on September 26th.  What a magnificent city Pittsburgh is.  I took this photo en route from the airport to the university.  I'll definitely be returning soon.  It's a gem of a place.

Meanwhile, watch for the announcement of my new exporting book on Monday, September 30th!  And don't forget to sign up for tips (email address) and pre-order through Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Apress!  Thanks!

Have a good weekend!

Hiring Freelancers to Expand Internationally

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It is a fact:  Small businesses are hiring freelancers to fill skill gaps around the globe (source:  Global Online Employment Report from Elance).

Part of the data shows:

• 45% of businesses look to freelancers to expand into new markets

Read the entire article here.  Related article: "Working with Others ..."

News:  Related to hiring freelancers to take your business global, get ready for the biggest launch of the year ... my new exporting book coming soon, which will allow all small businesses and entrepreneurs to take their businesses to the next level of growth through exports. Watch for more information so you can sign up for tips related to exporting and pre-order with a price guarantee to secure your copy!  I devote an entire chapter to "The Human Side of an Export Enterprise," which includes finding the best places to outsource work.

Places to Avoid When Exporting?

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During the 50th National Small Business Week earlier in the year, many topics were discussed during the “Growing and Going Global” panels, such as, how can you take your business to the next level by selling overseas? What do you need to be successful in exporting? What resources are available to help your small business export endeavors?

Find out what was suggested during the discussions here: Small Business Exporting

One of the excellent points made was:

"Another way you can gain insight about where there may be success – or where you should maybe avoid exporting – is by checking out industry association meetings ..."

Note:  Coming soon ... my new Exporting book, which will equip you with the knowledge you need to market, sell, and fulfill orders internationally, taking full advantage of the Internet and the opportunities it creates. Watch for news shortly!

Opting for Halal on a Global Basis

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Look out organic (Whole Foods listen up) for halal is making its way mainstream, even global.  Much like quinoa, which I eat about every other day, halal is taking off as the new better-for-you food.  According to About.com, "halal foods are foods that are allowed under Islamic dietary guidelines (refer here to what cannot be consumed).

This week an estimated 20,000 Haloodies will congregate in east London at the Halal Food Festival, the world's first gastronomic celebration of halal produce. All of the UK's major supermarket chains are sending scouts to help them find ways to exploit the trend. Attendees can browse food stalls offering anything from hot dogs and sushi to French and Moroccan dishes without worrying how the meat was killed or even transported.

Think it's a trend? Find out more here.

Do You Need to Hire a Customs Broker on Your Import?

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I get asked time and time again by readers - do I need to hire a customs broker or what documentation is required to ensure a smooth and seamless importation on products?

In the article below, I address what is required in the import entry process, who can make the entry, what documentation is required and what happens if no person files for entry of goods (you'd be surprised at how often this happens).

Major takeaway: Importing goods without researching entry requirements in advance can be a costly experience. Take a look at what's important.

Read the entire article:  Importing:  Entry of Goods

Smallness Makes Success More Exciting on the World Stage

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Charles Fishman weaves an amazing story (all true) about Marlin Steel for Fast Company (below).  There are so many lessons in it for a small business owner - from thinking of your product not as it is but rather, what it could be - to how to sell to customers who are price insensitive!  You must read this article - every word.  And even more amazing and exciting is that Marlin Steel will be in my new exporting book (chapter 30 on real life accounts of successful export businesses).

Read the entire article:  The Road to Resilience:  How Unscientific Innovation Saved Marlin Steel

Moral of the story?  Do something new!  Reinvent your company from both the products you sell and how you create them!  Stretch your capabilities and good things will follow.

A Tribute to Chicago Firefighters

©2013 Laurel Delaney. All rights reserved.

My hometown city of Chicago has a public art installation featuring oversized replicas of Chicago's iconic standard fire hydrants designed, painted, decorated and/or dressed by noted artists. It is a tribute to the work and heroism of our beloved Chicago Firefighters.

To learn more visit:  Great Chicago Fire Hydrants

Learn How to Sell in Foreign Markets

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Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce and Madison International Trade Association are co-sponsoring a program aimed at helping local companies expand their customer base in foreign markets, with examples of companies of different types and sizes that successfully have exploited those markets.

Challenges involved in exporting also will be covered, such as the need to understand the market, culture and regulatory climate while establishing personal relationships abroad ...

The first program begins September 25th from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.  To learn more and to register go here (members free/nonmembers $20).

Learn more: Going Global Program to help local companies sell more products in foreign markets

News: Related to entering foreign markets, get ready for the biggest launch of the year ... my new exporting book coming soon, which will allow all small businesses and entrepreneurs to take their businesses to the next level of growth through exports. Watch for more information so you can sign up for tips related to the book and pre-order with a price guarantee to secure your copy!

Global Online Content

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When you develop content for online marketing purposes, be sure to keep it fresh and consider a global reach.  After all, people from all over the world have access to your material provided they have a digital device that connects to the Internet.  In the article below, the author offers six ways to make content marketing sustainable.

As the article says:

Content marketing works well when it’s done consistently, but without a long-term strategy and a commitment to producing content, many brands simply get frustrated and give up. Just look at the staggering number of corporate blogs that contain a handful blog posts and haven’t been updated in months!

Read the entire article:  6 Ways to Make Content Marketing Sustainable

Boost the Value of Your Business Through Exports

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For a small business owner who plans to sell their business at some point, exporting can only be a value-booster because it diversifies your customer and geographic market base.

Take Quebec, Montreal-based Toony Boom Animation:

Exporting raised the profile of tiny Quebec company Toon Boom Animation Inc. enough that in 2011, HSBC awarded it an International Business of the Year for Small Enterprise prize. In 2012, the exporter of software for creating animation caught the attention of Corus Entertainment Inc., and it was acquired.

Learn more here, including three tips from entrepreneurs who have succeeded in exporting.

News:  I've been working the entire year on a new book on exporting to be published December 2013 by Apress.  Watch for more news coming soon on where you can sign up to be notified when the book is published!  I'm on chapter 29 out of 32 chapters!  It will be the best exporting book ever and I can't wait for you to read it.    

Conducting Global Market Research

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Let's say you've just discussed with your team members that you want the firm to export but don't know where to begin.  How do you get started and learn everything there is to know about a market, including how to ship internationally? It's easier than you think.

In the following article, I provide six places to visit that will give you more information than you'll probably ever need when researching for your export. The best news: It's absolutely no cost to you.

I suggest you visit all of the resources mentioned to compare facts for accuracy, learn as much as you can and ensure you are on the right path with your overseas market destination of choice.

Six Places to Look for Country-specific Information

Related article:  Three Competitive Global Business Intelligence Tools

Is Going Global a Marketing Requirement?

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Has going global as a brand become a marketing requirement?   I think it has provided you have the production capabilities to produce enough product to satisfy world demand and globally-savvy people on board to execute on your strategy. What you can't do is market globally and then not deliver on consumer's hunger (pardon the pun) for a product worldwide.

In the following article, Doritos, a Frito-Lay brand, opens up its consumer-generated Super Bowl ad contest to the world. Consumers will pick two winning spots — via online voting — from videos created from any of the 46 countries where Doritos are sold.

Doritos Going Global With Super Bowl Ad Promo

Even then, there will be some boundaries, since the Super Bowl game itself will be broadcast to some 1 billion viewers in 230 countries. That's 184 countries that don't qualify for contest entries. "Our hope is that consumers that might not be eligible this year could have a chance in the future," says Ram Krishnan, vice president of marketing at Frito-Lay, who notes the ad must be in English.

It's a good case study on what is involved in taking a product marketing message global in a big, expensive way.  It would be even more educational to find out why the message must be in English.

America the Beautiful

©2013 Laurel Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"My dream is of a place and a time where America will once again be seen as the last best hope of earth." - Abraham Lincoln

Using Technology To Go Global

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Technology - the Internet, social media platforms, digital devices, for example - allows small businesses to crack open new markets at a much faster speed.  Doing your homework is still key though because you must know what you are doing before you take action.

Fact (as noted in article below/source unknown):

In July, US businesses generated $189.4 billion in consumer and capital goods exports. Services sold internationally brought in another $56.7 billion in services, a record setting number.

In the following article, it talks about how technology is making it easier than ever to do business internationally.

SMBs Expand Global Reach With Technology

Related articles:

•  Technology Helps Businesses Go Global

•  Go Global Now! (where Rieva Lesonsky first wrote about the Couch Guitar Straps going global in June 2010)

•  Factors to Consider When Choosing a Payment Method

•  Pitney Bowes Global Ecommerce Solutions (blog posts on shipping internationally)

•  The Knowledge Center (American Express) - 3-part series on International Expansion

Go Global Webinars!

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Are you just getting started in exporting and trying to understand the rules and regulations?  Then you might want to consider the Go Global Webinar series put on by Export.gov - and the best part?  It's free.  The series provides the tools and resources you need to expand into new markets. 

The next one scheduled is September 24th:  Understanding Export Regulations - Export Administration Regulations

Description: An essential part of exporting is determining which U.S. export regulation applies to you. While a freight forwarder or delivery service can point you in the right direction, you are ultimately responsible. This is your opportunity to learn directly from the experts.

Note:  All webinars start at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Standard time and last an hour.

Go here (http://www.census.gov/mso/www/training/) to register.  Successful exporting to you!

Is It Possible to Oppose Exports?

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Here's the story. Cliffs Natural Resources and Caterpillar are in a battle.

Cliffs is opposed to a proposal for the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im) to provide $650 million in long-term financing for Australia’s Roy Hill iron ore mine to purchase mining trucks, bulldozers, and shovels made by Caterpillar at its plants in Illinois and Wisconsin. Cliffs says the loan threatens U.S. mining jobs, and it is seeking support for its views in Congress.

The article goes on to say "boosting exports is vital to reigniting U.S. economic growth and job creation."

So, is it possible to oppose exports?  Read the entire article to understand the arguments:

Man Bites Dog:  Exports and Jobs at Stake in Ex-Im Bank Decision

9 Reasons Why Research Universities Are Going Global

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Why are research universities going global?  It's not simple.   

As part of our larger effort to generate a taxonomy of different kinds of international engagement by universities, and reflecting a recent research paper published as part of a larger project based at the University of California, Berkeley, we offer here (below) an exploration of possible institutional logics and rationales used to justify what are sometimes significant financial and institutional commitments.

Take a look at the nine reasons (logics) on why research universities are going global here.

For related article(s), visit here.

Jim Beam Making History With the World

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Premium spirits maker Beam Inc. is launching its first-ever global marketing campaign, which will be entitled "Make History" and rolled out to more than 100 markets around the world over the next nine months.  Beam Inc. produces the flapship Jim Beam Bourbon brand.

Why so long to go global with a marketing message? That's a question only Beam Inc. can answer.  Unfortunately, it's not addressed in the article below.

Beam to 'make history' with first global marketing campaign

Wonder Theatre of the World

The Chicago Theatre Lobby by Laurel Delaney

An inside look at the magnificent Chicago Theatre.

The grandeur of The Chicago Theatre often leaves its visitors breathless. The elegant lobby, majestic staircase and beautiful auditorium complete with murals above the stage and on the ceiling, are components of an amazing building called "the Wonder Theatre of the World" when it opened on October 26, 1921.

Learn more here.

Photo credit:  ©Laurel Delaney.  All rights reserved. 

Can Startups In Emerging Markets Go Global?

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Yes, startups are going global and that holds true for new companies in India too.

By encouraging innovation through seed and angel investment, the Indian accelerator GSF is attempting to mold startups through intensity of mentorship, deep collaboration with the ecosystem and the creation of an international spring-board. So while these startups are being built up, GSF is also putting its money on taking them to international markets.

What a grandious idea.  We should all be establishing GSFs.  Why just take a look at their slogan:

"Transforming Thinkers Into Creators."

Read the entire article:  Can These 12 Indian Tech Startups Expand to International Markets?

Leading the World in Education

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The UK government has established a strategy to work closely with the entire education sector to take advantage of new opportunities around the globe.

Some of the things it aims to accomplish:

•  Build on their strengths in higher and further education.

•  Welcome more international students.

•  Support transnational education.

•  Lead the world in education technology.

Learn more and access all the available reports:

International Education Strategy:  Global Growth and Prosperity

Be sure to visit some of the sites that are referenced.  In particular,  the HEGlobal (link was not working at the site when I tested it - but it works here).

Classifying Products for Export

Global Marketing Budgets Are Cautiously Improving in 2013

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According the latest Global Marketing Index (GMI), global marketing budgets are staying strong - showing a recorded index value of 51.1.  Note:  A score above 50 indicates a generally improving environment, while a score below 50 indicates a generally declining environment.

The GMI was established in 2011 with the purpose of providing a unique monthly indicator of expenditure and business conditions for marketers worldwide.

Looking at the budget component breakdown by region, the data reveals that marketers in the Americas are still the most bullish, with a reading of 55.8.

To learn what the global marketing spend outlook is for Europe and Asia, read:  Global Marketing Budgets Staying Strong

Cross Borders For Business Growth

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Salt Lake City-based Connor Sport Court International (CSCI), makers of hardwood gym and synthetic sports floors, is the 2013 recipient of Zions Bank’s Global Pacesetter award — a distinction given annually to a Utah company demonstrating international success.   Congratulations to CSCI for having its products found in 145 countries and territories on all seven continents.

The article below goes on to share tips for expanding internationally, such as, gathering information, securing financing and understanding letters of credit.

Read the entire article:  Look Beyond U.S. Borders for Growth Opportunities