Dynamic checklist for exporters

1. How reliant are you at present on sales from your home country? And how profitable are those sales?

1. How well are you organized to operate outside the home country now, even if the sales have yet to materialize?

1. What are you now able to offer other countries: more of the home product or something different if required? And will the product that you offer be better than what is currently available in your target export market?

Able to offer something different but not superior? Better but not a strong basis in itself for exporting.

Something superior? A clear basis for exporting

1. Are they growing fast with much activity? Or are they growing more slowly?

Slow? Possible to look to export opportunities.

1. Does your company have a high market share in its home market? And is it a market leader? Or is it only one of several companies and not clear leader?

Leadership? Defend.

Fragmented? Not so important to defend

1. How important is marketplace technical innovation? And does this involve high capital expenditure or research and development?

1. How likely are your home customers to change to another company? Are they loyal or would they move at the first opportunity? Are they so tied to you that they cannot move anyway?

Move easily? Maybe still defend by building loyalty and beware overseas competitors coming in to steal your customers!

1. Are they mainly from your home market?

Or are they mainly international competitors either through imports or through manufacturing in your home market?

From outside? Attacking their territory may be a useful form of defence. But depends on what resources and success foreign competitors have in their home markets.

1. What do you know about potential global competitors in your home country? Not very much or a great deal?

A great deal? Act accordingly.

1. Are other international companies now waiting to attack your home market or is this likely to happen soon, e.g. in the next two years?

1. On what basis might an attack on your home market be mounted? Full frontal assault on you or would competitors pick off a niche market? With what strategies?

Niche attack? Can be dangerous, especially if innovative – analyze and defend.

1. Is transport or service a significant part of total costs? Or is it relatively cheap to offer the goods and services in other countries?

Cheap? Expect competition

1. Can you set up internationally without incurring major capital costs, e.g. factories? Or is it necessary to have local facilities?

1. Will it be expensive to meet the different requirements of other national markets? Or will it only involve a few simple product changes?

Cheap and simple? Useful opportunity, especially if economies of scope and scale also available.