New to Exporting

Help for New Exporters

Getting started in international trade can be daunting as there is often a great deal to consider and prepare before investing in an overseas market. The consequences of getting it wrong can be costly and so taking some initial time to prepare and plan will ensure that you have the best chance of making your new overseas investment a long-term success. Your first challenge is to assess whether you and your business is ready to export. Once that commitment is made, there is as much help and advice available to you that you require. You and your staff will need to understand the fundamentals of exporting from handling order enquiries through to ensuring that you get paid on time. You will need to know how to choose the most promising markets for your products, the most effective way to enter each different market, and an understanding of investment risk and competitor activity. This tradeyorkshire website aims to provide you with an outline of the basics that you need to consider before you embark on your new overseas venture.

Are you ready to Export?

Complete the Export Health Check

Before you decide to expand into overseas markets you need to be sure that you and your business are ready to export. This includes an assessment of your company’s financial resources, production capacity, management resources and commitment. You also need to ensure that your product or service is suitable for overseas markets. This on-line Health Check will take you through the first steps to help you decide whether your business is ready to consider investing overseas. You can submit your completed Export Health Check on-line to your local international trade adviser who will then contact you to discuss the next steps to enable your company to become a committed and proactive exporter.

One-to-One Advice with an International Trade Adviser

If you are new to exporting or unsure about any aspect of developing your international business then your local International Trade Adviser can offer you top quality advice and support. International Trade Advisers are provided by UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), the government department dedicated to helping your business export and enter new international markets. UKTI International Trade Advisers are located in your local Business Link or Chamber of Commerce. These specialists can provide one-to-one advice to diagnose your business needs and help you develop your international business plan. International Trade Advisers are experts in doing business overseas and can provide you with essential, impartial advice on all aspects of international trade. Furthermore, if you require specific industry advice, UKTI has a team of international sector specialists who can provide advice tailored specifically to your industry. UKTI also has dedicated commercial teams located in British Embassies and Consulates in most overseas markets. These teams, supported by your International Trade Adviser, can provide your business with direct tailored in-market support.

Preparing your Business: Training & Development

Exporting and investing overseas will affect all your business activities, including your sales, customer services, logistics, finance, production and marketing departments. Part of your commitment to exporting should include investing training and development for your staff. Without the necessary in-house expertise you may risk losing orders, customers and market share and reducing your profits. Visit the tradeyorkshire events calendar to see what training courses are available. In addition, you should discuss your training needs with your international trade adviser who will be able to signpost you to a range of training providers and appropriate courses.

Passport to Export

The Passport to Export programme assists new and inexperienced exporters to develop an international trade strategy and action plan to access overseas markets. Passport is a development programme including training, workshops, master-classes, a market visit, and strategic support by an International Trade Advisor designated to support your business.

Further help available

In addition to support from your local International Trade Adviser you may find it useful to look through the tradeyorkshire.com on-line advice and support in the following Resources for Exporters sections. These provide a general overview of the range of services available to businesses but are not intended to be a comprehensive reference point for exporters. Our objective here is to signpost specialist services within UK Trade & Investment and elsewhere, with particular reference to services available to businesses in the Yorkshire and Humber region:

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