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2. Introduction to Exporting 8
2
Introduction to Exporting
Information
Service Exports:
A Growth Opportunity
Should You Export?
Weighing Your Decision
Government’s Role: Working Together
for Your Exporting Success
SBA Video Clips
Exporting: What’s In It
for Your Business?
Resource List for
Beginning Exporters
In its simplest terms, exporting is the sale and transport of a good or
service to another country. It offers businesses the opportunity to build
upon domestic success. But exporting is crucial to America’s economic
health as a country, too. Increased exports mean business growth, and
business growth means bigger profits for U.S. companies—and results
in more jobs for American workers.
According to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), small
firms represent 99.7% of all employers, generate 60% to 80% of new
jobs annually and account for 97% of all U.S. exporters. Indeed, small
business success in international markets is extremely important to the
overall economy of the United States.
There are many ways to become involved in exporting, from selling to
domestic buyers who then export your product to exporting products
yourself (commonly referred to as “direct exporting”). However you
choose to export, a detailed and thorough strategy is an important part
of planning. This Planner will guide you in an organized and strategic
process.
As you’ll discover when you begin Chapter 4. Getting Started: Creating an Export Business
Plan, the general tasks in developing a strategy include:
• Evaluating your product’s export potential;
• Determining if you are ready to make a commitment to international markets and evaluating
whether your company is “export-ready”;
• Identifying key foreign markets for your products through market research;
• Evaluating distribution and promotional options and establishing an overseas distribution system;
• Determining export prices, payment terms, methods and techniques;
• Familiarizing yourself with shipping methods, export documentation procedures, export financing
and other requirements for exporting.
FACTS
*Based on 2010 statistics
retail stores, etc.
U.S. Exports:
Exporting by the Numbers*
communities through restaurants,
• Sent export revenue to local
land is now exported.
acres of U.S. agricultural
production from one in three
farms—in fact, agricultural
• Strengthened companies and
higher-paying U.S. jobs
• Supported more than 16 million
$543 billion in services
• Totalled $1.2 trillion in goods and
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