The North Dakota Trade Office encourages all businesses that want to go global or expand their sales in the international marketplace to first prepare with valuable export training.
The Export Institute of the United States offers a comprehensive online curriculum that covers the basics of exporting.
The Export Management Certificate Program is free to North Dakota Trade Office members. Non-members pay $840.
Following is an overview of the six-course program:
1.Identifying your export markets – This course includes teaching businesses how to select their most profitable export markets; how to conduct international market research and how to avoid common mistakes in entering the global marketplace. The course will show you how to evaluate your export readiness; how specific trade agreements impact your business opportunities and it explains the key indicators for products’ export potential.
2. Locating your export sales representatives – The program’s second course will help you determine how much control you should retain over the sale of your products in foreign markets. The course will introduce you to the different types of foreign sales agents, the services they provide and how to identify sales representatives that best suit your needs.
3. Pricing your product and budgeting for export – This course will walk you through five basic export pricing methods; seven market-entry pricing strategies and three flow charts that detail costs to move goods to foreign market. It will show you how to determine profit margins and five-year export budget and sales projections.
4. Major provisions of an export marketing agreement – The program’s fourth course will show you how to write a thorough export marketing agreement. The course covers distributorship, warranty and inventory requirements, pricing agreements, confidentiality agreements, sales territories and payment terms.
5. Shipping your products overseas – This course will show you how to evaluate and select a foreign freight forwarder. It provides you with all the important questions to ask about credit terms, logistics and the types of services freight forwarders will offer. You will learn how to secure an export license how to calculate landed costs including import duties and taxes.
5. Shipping your products overseas – This course will show you how to evaluate and select a foreign freight forwarder. It provides you with all the important questions to ask about credit terms, logistics and the types of services freight forwarders will offer. You will learn how to secure an export license how to calculate landed costs including import duties and taxes.
The Export Institute estimates that each of the six courses takes between four and eight hours to complete. A final exam for export management certification typically takes about two hours to complete.
For more information about the Export Management Certificate Program, visit Export Institute of the United States at www.exportclasses.com or call North Dakota Trade Office Communications Director Jeff Zent at: (701) 371-5553.