World's eye view.

The global marketplace we hear so much about isn't limited to large manufacturers. Brian Gauler should know. He helps companies with as few as 20 employees become "export ready."

The Center for Export Readiness both educates and bridges concerns that can impede manufacturers from reaching new markets and reaping increased profitability. Brian partners with federal and state agencies to ensure access to the widest possible array of resources. He frequently serves as a first contact for those new to exporting, offering seminars, publications and professional consultation to get them started.

Brian's new book, Preparing for Global Marketing, describes steps manufacturers must take to successfully enter the international marketplace, including market research, international marketing plan and proactive strategies. Information on ordering, along with a free article titled "Is Exporting for Me?" is available at the web address below.

What is CERTS?

CERTS is an export training and services company formed by Brian Gauler. It was created in order to continue providing the programs, services and resource materials created by the Export Development Program, which was created in 1994 by University of Missouri Outreach and Extension, and operated cooperatively with the Missouri Small Business Development Centers.

CERTS provides programs, services and materials to assist small businesses in identifying their global market potential and taking initial steps to successfully meet that potential.

CERTS focuses these assistance efforts on developing a firm's export readiness. This helps a firm become qualified for other state and federal agency export services that are generally designed for firms to become export ready.

What are the goals?

The Center's goals are to:

• Create awareness: alerting firms to their potential for marketing;
• Assist networking: helping firms identify where they can obtain specific marketing assistance; and
• Provide facilitating: assisting firms to understand the basics of global marketing and how to get started; identifying specific export services small businesses need and helping them obtain those services.

These goals are accomplished by Center staff who can help a firm become export ready and help them in their export development process.

What is “Export Readiness”?

The U.S. Department of Commerce, Commercial Service is the leading export service provider to American businesses nationwide. However, their programs are designed for firms that are considered export ready. To develop this "export readiness," a firm should:

• Have management commitment,
• Identify primary target markets,
• Select market entry strategies,
• Develop an international market plan, and
• Be prepared to seek, select and serve international distributor prospects.

What does CERTS offer?

CERTS provides separate programs designed to assist in creating export awareness, developing export readiness and facilitating export development.

The Industry/Company Opportunity Report is designed to create export "awareness" and "networking" for a new-to-export firm.

The Preparing for Global Marketing training program focuses on providing a firm with guidelines for establishing overseas distribution and sales.

The Export Ready Certification Training program provides an overview of the four key basic aspects of exporting: global marketing, international finance, export shipping and documentation, and legal aspects.

The Global Market Development Program program provides a step-by-step process to help a firm become export ready.

The Process

There are various ways a firm can get started in using programs and services from CERTS.

Usually they begin by reviewing the article entitled Is Exporting for Me? This four-page article provides pragmatic information regarding reasons for exporting, resources to assist and a six step process for developing export readiness. It introduces the reader to another "tool" offered by CERTS, the Industry/Company Opportunity Report (I/COR). The I/COR Report uses data available from the National Trade Data Bank to obtain information that is company or product specific. It is also provided free, and basically tells a company four key pieces of information. These are:

1. where their type products are being exported;
2. titles of foreign market reports for their industry;
3. an overseas contact example; and
4. local state and federal resources and contacts to help them.

Most firms who receive this information will be interested in learning more.

CERTS offers two training programs to meet these needs. Preparing for Global Marketing is a one-day program that focuses on global marketing. (Some materials from this program are presented elsewhere on this web site.) EXCERT (Export Certification Training) is a two-day program that covers the basics of global marketing, shipping & documentation, finance and legal.

Once a firm has completed the training (especially PGM) they generally are eager to implement the principles they have learned.

Two programs are available from CERTS to help them. The Global Market Development Program is an extensive 4-6 month program that guides a firm through a six task process to become export ready. An edited shorter version of the program called Preparing For Export Potential is also provided.

A firm can make use of these programs at any stage in their export development process. Fees charged for services are nominal, and are based on time and expense cost recovery.

Criteria

The services can be used as soon as a company is willing to make a management commitment to exporting. Since CERTS focuses on export readiness, they may even learn they are not ready and avoid costly mistakes in doing something they are not prepared to do successfully. Once determined export ready, commitment is essential.

Benefits

Firms that export realize many benefits. Some of the most notable are: increased sales and profits (most exporters have a significant portion of their sales from exporting, and generally experience higher profits); seasonality (seasonal products can have extended sales periods); enhanced company image (serving global markets tells others you are accepted world-wide); market diversification (foreign markets can balance U.S. market changes).

CERTS helps to introduce services available from the state and federal agencies by incorporating their services into the company's international marketing plan. In this manner, CERTS aids in the pre-qualification of firms for trade promotion services from Commercial Service and Missouri Department of Economic Development.

Target Audience

Our services are oriented to a manufacturer, but can be used for select service firms and value-added agriculture producers. A "profile" for the firm best suited for CERTS Programs and Services is:

• $1m in sales
• 20 or more employees
• 2 years of profitable domestic experience.

Keys to success are firms who do a good job serving their markets domestically and have someone to "champion" their exporting efforts.

Last modified: January 4, 2001.
Comments or questions? email brian@export-ready.com