Page 29 - Export and Trade

Export Management

What makes for a
successful exporter?

By Dr Romuald Rudzki

After working with hundreds of exporters over the certainly not appropriate in developed economies where
¿UVW WHQ \HDUV RI WKH 1HZ =HDODQG 6FKRRO RI ([SRUW¶V you will not be taken seriously. Again, think about what
existence, it has become obvious to me as to what LQVWLOV FRQ¿GHQFH LQ \RX DERXW \RXU RZQ VXSSOLHUV
PDNHV D .LZL H[SRUWHU VXFFHVVIXO 6R ZLWK WKH EHQH¿W they know their product, they can make decisions, they
of an awful lot of hindsight, I present the following list deliver on-time and to budget, and they never cause you
so that you may have an idea of what kind of mindset SUREOHPV RU PDNH H[FXVHV 1RW WRR GLI¿FXOW ZKHQ \RX
makes for success in exporting. think about it is it?
How much of those same characteristics do you have?
1. World-class attitude. Make up your own three-column list of what you look for
As with success in other walks of life – from athletics in others, and how you show that yourself. Then think
to music-making, from rugby to rug-making – it is about what your customers are looking for from you,
not the most naturally talented who succeed, but the such as ease of communication in their own language
ones who have the attitude to succeed and raise their VHOO LQ WKHLU ODQJXDJH DQG EX\ LQ \RXU RZQ
game to world-class. With the right attitude comes the
commitment to be the best, which means a commitment 4. Cultural intelligence.
to put in the long hours of training, to learn new and The ability to understand and to adapt to local
better ways of doing stuff, to understand what works, circumstances is a further extension of the previous
and to constantly look for ways to improve your characteristic of professionalism. Adaptation includes
performance (through, for example, using a Continuous what you wear, what you are prepared to eat and drink,
Improvement Process and a programme of Professional your working hours and even your very body language
'HYHORSPHQW WKDW PHHWV \RXU QHHGV ,I \RX WKLQN and non-verbal communication. History gives us various
training is expensive, you should try the alternative. accounts of people who ‘went native’ such as Lawrence
Make a list of what you need to do to become world-class. of Arabia, and those who never really understood or
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2. Doing your homework. army you care to think of. Similarly, tourists and
7KH PRVW VXFFHVVIXO H[SRUWHUV DUH WKH RQHV ZKR ¿QG migrants coming to New Zealand need to understand
out about their target market, global and in-market the values we like to think we have in terms of religious
competitors, in-country distribution and customer and other tolerance; trust, honesty and equality by
preferences, and other essential things before they ever giving everybody a fair go. It is not like that in other
venture forth. Which means that when they do enter countries which may judge people on the colour of their
a country, they know the right questions to ask, the skin; that distrust everybody so that a minimum of trust
right information to gather (such as wholesale margins, has to be established before any sale can occur; and
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wasting their own and other people’s time with a ‘let’s So before you head to that overseas market, ask
just go and have a look’ approach. Athletes don’t get to yourself: what do you need to know about their culture,
the Olympics with that kind of attitude, so why do some including the way they think?
exporters still think it will work?
What do you need to know about your potential 5. Physical and mental strength.
customers? Travelling overseas and the experiences of culture shock
take their toll. Travel agents never seem to mention the
3. Being professional. fact that you are going to somewhere with a completely
Research by NZTE has shown that Kiwi exporters are different microfauna from where you live – which means
perceived as not being professional because of their WKDW \RXU ERG\ ZLOO EH FRQVWDQWO\ ¿JKWLQJ GLIIHUHQW
laid-back and easy-going open-necked approach. While bacteria and viruses to those you usually encounter.
this may be appropriate behaviour in Auckland, it is 0HQWDOO\ LW LV YLWDO WR JLYH \RXUVHOI D ¿JKWLQJ FKDQFH RI

NZ Export & Trade Handbook 2018 27