Six ways to prepare for a trade fair
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Six ways to prepare for a trade fair
Experienced exporters will tell you that the success of a trade mission rests largely in how well prepared you are. Here are six key things you can do to make your company’s next trade fair worth the time and money spent.
1. Match your firm’s capabilities with opportunities in the host country. Before you get on a plane, you need to ensure that your company’s strengths are a good match with market opportunities in the destination country. That means you should:
- Ensure the most senior people available (i.e. those with the authority to make decisions) are going to represent your firm;
- Analyse your company’s readiness to export;
- Do some research to ensure that the host country represents a good opportunity for you.
2. How well you prepare ahead of time is critical for making the most efficient use of your time while on the mission. Ensure that every company representative participating in the mission has reviewed all available briefing, training materials and market research well in advance. You should have a sound grasp of who the potential customers are, who your competition is and how you can best compete.
3. Matchmaking: Ask the Trade Commissioner Service to arrange the right meetings in advance. You want to be sure meetings in the host country will provide you with relevant information for your company - with “qualified” business candidates. You can help make this happen by:
- Submitting a profile that details your company’s strengths and capabilities and your expectations for the mission;
- Describing, in detail, who would likely be your best potential customers and contacts;
- Submitting your requests for meetings early, so trade commissioners and/or mission organizers have time to identify the best possible candidates;
- Using the Internet or any on-line communication facility set up by the organizers to connect with your host-country colleagues and target customers in advance.
4. Set appropriate expectations and goals. You need to be realistic about how long it will take to develop the market, what can and cannot be accomplished in an initial meeting, and what the trade mission experience will and will not deliver. Review your goals and expectations with your trade commissioner to ensure that your goals are reasonable, attainable and affordable.
5. Ensure your company’s marketing/promotional materials are appropriate for the host country. Consider whether you need to:
- Adjust the "benefits" messages and style of language. Some benefits may be more or less important to potential customers in the host country, depending on local market conditions and competitive products available. Also, business communication styles in some countries may be more or less formal than they are in Canada.
- Have at least some of your marketing collateral translated.
- Assess whether your promotional material is indeed “world class” - professional, clear, and reflecting an understanding of the local market.
- Ensure that all of your business materials include details vital to international communications, e.g. your business card must include country and area codes for telephone and fax numbers, your e-mail and Web site addresses, and complete addresses for all of your company's offices and representatives.
6. Plan in advance for post-mission follow-up.
Follow-up should be frequent, consistent and should focus on building the business relationship. For example, upon returning home, sending a quick letter to the people you met with during the mission, to provide additional information or just to thank them for meeting with you, will go a long way toward building solid, lasting trade relationships.
For more information, contact the Trade Commissioner Service in your region.
