Page 104 - Export and Trade

Marketing

Strategy
By Katabolt

Rightproduct,rightmarket,
right customers
Exportingishardwork. Formanybusinessesitisa
blackholeofuncertaintyraisingquestionsaround
wheretostart,whatprocesstofollow,whatstrategies
to adopt and how to implement them.
Thegoodnewsisthereareprovenprocesses
which have been shown by successful exporters to be
repeatable and transferable across any industry.
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investingindevelopinginternationalmarketswhenthe
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Research has highlighted that globally businesses
that struggle with exporting repeat many of the
same mistakes highlighted by New Zealand Trade and
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They include:
1. Lack of effective governance.
2. Focusing on product instead of market.
3. An international strategy that is too broad.
4. Lackofaclear‘goto’market strategy.
5. Looking offshore to solve problems at home.
6. Failuretohireand utilisetherightpeople.

More importantly, what do successful New Zealand
exporters do in common? diverse as the businesses and the people involved in them.
They focus on the market.
Consumer and market insight
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All businesses demonstrating strong growth are focused
arepresentintheactivitiesofsuccessfulexporters,
on continuously generating insight into consumer and
regardless of the industry:
market needs and behaviour in their priority markets.
1. Prioritise markets and go deep.
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2.Adapttheexportmodeltosuitthemarket.
demand for product is, and whether product design is
3. Investigate and understand.
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4. Select well.
key markets.
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Consumer research and market research take time
Export models and resource but long term they save on cost and
New Zealand exporters use multiple engagement LQFUHDVH WKH FKDQFHV RI VXFFHVV DQG SUR¿WDELOLW\ LQ
models depending on the export market. The market new markets. Research and validation provides critical
management model is determined by the priority insights on whether to invest in the market, what
allocated to the market (using factors such as long term channels to target and how to reach consumers with
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DQG SULFH SUHPLXP 0DUNHW PDQDJHPHQW PRGHOV DUH DV Even in established markets processes to generate
102 NZ Export & Trade Handbook 2018