The International Preparedness Programme: an effective way to acquire new export management skills

 

Most successful exporters agree that one of the major challenges to be overcome when breaking into overseas markets is how to acquire the new set of management skills required to identify, assess and capitalise on fresh business opportunities.

 

Even highly experienced managers may have to go back to the basics of market research, for example, or learn how to find suitable overseas partners, agents or distributors.

 

One of the most effective ways for small businesses to acquire these skills is to participate in the International Preparedness Programme (IPP), a hands-on modular training course developed by Scottish Enterprise and run in Aberdeen City and Shire by Business Gateway International (BGI).

 

BGI is recruiting now for its next programme, which will run from September through to March 2007 – for more details contact Karen Irving.  Participants will have to undergo a diagnostic ‘health check’ on their business to ensure they are ready for export, but participation on the course is free of charge.

 

Last year, BGI ran a number of highly successful IPPs in both Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, (see below for participant comments), and BGI Manager Colin Crabbe believes the strength of the programme lies in the fact that it is very much a “live” exercise.

 

“With IPP, the emphasis is on using your new skills – for example in market research – even as you acquire them,” he explains.  “So it’s not a case of coming out at the end of the six months ready to start – by the end of the programme you will be well on your way to actively breaking into new markets.”

 

“As you identify your key markets, we also aim to pull in specific market experts during the programme from within BGI’s wide-ranging partner network - so you can get direct, first-hand access to their market knowledge and expertise for the territories you have targeted.”

 

The IPP programme will include between 12 and 15 participants, all from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).  The programme is wide-ranging in its scope – see the programme modules listed below – and, stresses Colin, is ideal for businesses who have already prepared their export strategy and are now looking to acquire the skills to implement it.

 

“IPP is all about acquiring relevant skills – BGI has other tailored support activities to help businesses develop their export strategies” he observes.  “With IPP, the end deliverable is a practical export action plan, and one which is already well into the ‘work-in-progress’ stage by the end of the programme.”

 

Topics covered

 

The main IPP modules cover the following topics:

 

• Market research
• Market identification
• Support agencies
• Production issues
• Finance and pricing issues
• Advertising/promotion issues
• Distribution channels and method of market entry
• e-business aspects of international trade
• Trading and contractual terms
• Sales negotiation skills
• Producing and presenting an international business plan.

 

For more information on the International Preparedness Programme, and to register your interest for the upcoming IPP, please contact BGI International Trade Adviser Karen Irving on T: 01224 252208, E: Karen.irving@scotent.co.uk

 

 

Straight from the horse’s mouth…

 

One of the IPP participants in 2005 was Beth Duff, a director of the innovative Midmar-based personal and business development specialists Gentle Leadership (www.gentleleadership.com).  One of Gentle Leadership’s most imaginative activities is “experiential learning” where participants improve their leadership, communication and team skills through working with horses – branded “The Red Horse Speaks” programme.

 

Beth and her partner Aidan wanted to explore the South African, Australian and New Zealand markets in particular.  Gentle Leadership already has connections with these countries including links with organisations that will be able to offer horses and venues for their workshops.

 

“IPP turned out to be one of the best programmes I’ve ever taken part in,” says Beth.  “The facilitators prepared a lot of material based on their own experience, and the whole ethos was highly collaborative.

 

“By the end of the course, we had actually carried out enough market research, to confirm the potential for our services in South Africa.  We had forged links with potential partners and, through the British Council’s excellent Scottish Networks International (SNI) post-graduate placement scheme we have even managed to recruit a very keen postgraduate student who is going to head up our drive into South Africa.”

 

 

“More recently we had the opportunity to teach a Spanish coach how to work with the horses and she is interested in the possibility of working under the Red Horse banner in Spain.  The course has enabled us to explore this possibility – which we might not otherwise have considered.”

 

Click here to visit the Gentle Leadership website www.gentleleadership.com

 

Let’s go for it!

 

Another well satisfied participant was Jocelyn Goddard, business development director with Aberdeen-based Grampian Software, the UK leader in employment management systems for the bus industry and a previous winner in the prestigious Deloitte “Technology Fast 50” awards.

 

Grampian Software had already targeted the US bus market for expansion, but wanted both to confirm the validity of their choice and establish a practical implementation plan.

 

In the event, both objectives were achieved.

 

“IPP was invaluable in helping me to set quantifiable financial goals for breaking into the US,” confirms Jocelyn.  “It’s too easy just to look for unspecified ‘progress’, but I managed to work out a strong financial case for internationalising in this way which I then put to our board to make sure we had everyone completely onside.”

 

“The programme also ensured we weren’t overlooking any important details of the implementation plan, and I was pointed towards many valuable sources of support and market information.

 

“One of these was Scottish Development International (SDI), through whom we leased a serviced incubator office in Boston to house our fledgling US operations.  SDI also helped us access a good US accountant and lawyer to keep us right with local practices.

 

“I’m pleased to report we are now well on track to breaking into the east coast bus market.  IPP probably made our market entry preparations more lengthy – although undeniably also more thorough – but at the end of the day we made a real ‘let’s go for it’ decision, which is exactly the impetus you need to get a new operation like this up and running.”

 

Click here to visit the Grampian Software website www.grampian--software.co.uk

 

 

 

 

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