International market can really open your eyes

Part 1: Innovation

Part 2: Patenting

Part 3: Licensing

Part 5: Partnering

There is no arguing that the global economy is increasingly competitive. Rather than running from the competition, successful companies in Wisconsin are leading the pack.

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One strategy to engage international competition is to sell internationally. Exporting can expand your business, spread your risks and reduce your dependence on the local market. U.S. Department of Commerce research shows that, on average, exporting companies are more profitable than their non-exporting counterparts.

Exporting exposes you to new ideas, management practices, marketing techniques and ways of competing that you wouldn't have experienced by staying at home. All this considerably improves your ability to compete globally and domestically.

Before coming to the Department of Commerce, I spent a good part of my career at Trek Bicycles, building our European distribution network. Today, Europe accounts for a significant portion of the company's sales. As secretary of Commerce, I want to increase the number of Wisconsin firms that are selling in Europe, Asia, Latin America and elsewhere. We are here to help our current small- and medium-sized exporters reach more markets.

We have a strong international trade team at the Department of Commerce, and we cooperate closely with the International Agribusiness Center at the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection on projects affecting food and agricultural exports.

Our consulting staff will come to your facility and help you tackle the export logistics process, understand tariffs and foreign government regulations, develop or review an international business plan, and solve export emergencies.

We can help you identify trade shows at which you can exhibit or just visit in order to test your product's viability in a promising market. Our trade show grant program can also defray some of the costs for small- and medium-sized firms to exhibit at shows in new markets. Our international offices can provide market research and help you find agents and distributors to handle your product.

I know from my own experiences how difficult it is to find just the right candidate with matching business philosophies and complementary capabilities and contacts. Commerce's international offices can be extremely helpful in the process.

Another way to learn about promising markets is to join a trade mission led by Gov. Jim Doyle. The governor's presence gives the mission credibility and opens doors to key contacts and decision-makers. The governor can often intervene and assist in the solution of trade or tariff problems.

Mission participants meet with agents, distributors and potential customers; set expansion strategies; and meet with key government officials. The delegation receives briefings and attends business receptions hosted by the U.S. ambassador. The governor led a trade mission to Poland and the Czech Republic in November. Poland is the largest and the Czech Republic is the second-largest economy among the newest members of the European Union. Both countries represent great potential for Wisconsin firms. For the first quarter of 2005, Wisconsin exports were up 142 percent to Poland and 109 percent to the Czech Republic.