What you need to know about the new direct marketing guidance note
Nadine Mather and Chloë Loubser
Research essential for succesful exporting
Win Webber, Administrator of the Institute of Export, a division of the Institute of Marketing Management, was speaking at the opening of the 2002 Trade and Export Finance Conference in Johannesburg recently.
"While many South African companies have forged ahead successfully, gaining ground internationally, a significant number of SA producers and manufacturers have allowed the grass to grow under their feet in establishing a presence in the global arena. Had they entered the global arena fifteen years ago, their international markets would have been well established and they would now be enjoying the fruit of their commitment," said Webber.
However, she added that many companies make the decision to go into an export market without having adequately researched whether the market is worth pursuing.
"So often companies make the decision to export and rush off into a particular market, which they assume will be suitable and profitable for their products, only to find at the end of the day that money and time spent has been wasted," Ms Webber said.
The key to successful exporting included:
Speaking at the same conference, an independent consultant on compliance and diversity, Roger Ballard-Tremeer, said companies operating abroad needed to be as fully compliant with the guidelines of the King II report as they would be in South Africa.
He added that exporters often assume that business in foreign countries is conducted in terms of their own rules and values, whereas there are also unwritten guidelines and expectations in other countries. Such a situation can create an unpredictable and uncertain environment in which to operate, and businesses should exercise extreme caution in such cases.
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