5 New Brunswick Businesses Share Their Export Tips
It’s no secret that if you want your business to scale up, you need to get out of your local market.
Exporting products and services outside the country may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s often easier said than done.
Fortunately, there are many New Brunswick companies doing it and doing it well. Huddle reached out to some of them to get their best advice on breaking out:
Mario Thériault, founder and CEO, Shift Central
“I think the single most important thing is to know every aspect of your clients’ activity: their clients, growth strategies, pain points, employee culture, business culture, etc. Even if export, you need to become local from your client’s perspective.”
Kevin Kilbride, President, ThermaRay
“Research your market first, then visit it, then adjust your research to include your new discoveries, develop an export strategy, execute the plan and adjust as you go along.”
Phillip Curley, CEO, HotSpot Merchant Solutions
“The culture difference is real in the U.S. If you think you’re being pushy to a client, trust me that’s just how you need to be to move the needle in the U.S.”
Jean-Claude Savoie, CEO, Group Savoie
“I would think that it is very important to go meet your customer(s) and understand exactly what the need is.”
Bob Lennon, International Marketing and Sales Director, ThermalWood
“For some reason many businesses shy away from export because it is a big unknown and there is a sense of complication. I guess the biggest pieces of advice would be to build a relationship with a freight forwarder that has a good track record. I deal with a company called Cyberfreight Systems Maritimes Inc. out of Saint John and when we first started exporting they took the time to help educate us (on everything we needed to know). All of this assistance has no cost to your organization, they get paid by the transporters. You can do it yourself but using a good freight forwarder removes a substantial amount of work and reduces your exposure.”