Most if not all companies engaged in global trade will be required to establish and manage relationships with overseas entities, be they suppliers, distributers, fulfilment houses, local professional services companies, etc. Forging strong and enduring relationships with these partners is paramount to your success; and it can be challenging due to distance, time zone difference, and language barriers.
Over our years of experience, we have witnessed many healthy, mutually beneficial relationships, and some not so. The strong relationships have shared several commonalities e.g., a sharing of vision, practices, and resource; establishment of trust; similar cultural values; a willingness to help/support each other to succeed, and a desire to work towards mutual benefits. Partnerships have been key to helping our clients effectively overcome language barriers and cultural barriers in their target market, and expediting brand penetration through stockists, resellers and dedicated sales and after sales teams.
Working with Global Trade Department you have peace of mind that you are sourcing established, trustworthy and credible overseas partners, be they suppliers or local market distributors, resellers, and agents. Moreover, in recent years, the increased focus on sustainability, has seen us prioritising global partners who truly share our clients’ values and ethos so they can be sure their brand is protected.
We use a tried and tested approach that starts with volume desktop research, gradually reducing the number of companies based on an extensive vetting framework, before engaging in dialogue and further vetting those remaining that best match our your very specific requirements. In addition to this, we usually:
Are you ready to trade globally? Do you have the requisite skills, knowledge, resource, capacity? Are your product or service ready, can they be adapted to meet the demands of other markets? Are your global supply chains sustainable? These questions and more can be answered via a Global Trade Readiness Review, highlighting your strengths and limitations meaning you jump in optimally prepared.
Which market? When? To what scale? Your expansion overseas or global sourcing strategy should be given at least the same focus, time, and detailed planning as any new business venture, some would argue it warrants even more. Our strategy and planning sessions help you formalise your import/export plans, understanding which international markets to target, how to enter them, and to what scale.
Detailed market research is an essential component of a robust and successful, global strategy and plan. Via Global Trade Department, you have access to and can benefit from a broad range of methods to deliver comprehensive analysis of potential markets and their suitability for your business. We help ensure your decision making is well informed and can truly govern the direction you take.
The UK and overseas markets have bodies, regulations, customs processes, and border controls that place a level of regulatory burden on traders and mandate whether they can legally import or export certain goods. Via our Regulatory and Legal Studies, we investigate applicable regulation and customs clearance requirements and advise what needs to be in place to legally ship them and place them on the target market.
Most companies engaged in global trade will be required to establish and manage relationships with overseas entities, be they suppliers, distributers, fulfilment houses, etc. Global Trade Department has decades of experience sourcing and vetting suitable overseas partners, our clients benefit from this experience as we remove this time-consuming burden and lay the foundations of successful business relationships.
The nature of your product or service and its associated regulation will dictate the level of adaptation it requires before it can be legally placed on a market. However, even products in less regulation-intensive sectors benefit from adaptation to secure early market adoption and revenue growth. Working with Global Trade Department can help optimally prepare your product or service to guarantee quick wins.
An overseas market launch, even executed well, can be stressful and time consuming. There are always several concurrent activities underway, some strategic but many operational; these can quickly overwhelm teams, leaving them feeling like they’re making little progress. Global Trade Department works to boost your in-house efforts, whilst also ensuring we optimise knowledge transfer at every stage in the process.
Knowing your audience is key, as is knowing how they consume and value your product or service; this knowledge informs the kind of global marketing strategy you’ll need to adopt. Global Trade Department works with UK and local market specialists to develop global marketing strategies and in-market activity that best suits our clients’ brands and optimises their success in penetrating their target markets.
Obtain an impartial, outside-in assessment of your current global trading processes and practices, with practical recommendations of how you can incorporate sustainability values and targets to meet future regulatory requirements and drive long-term growth.
Great Britain: Global Trade Department Ltd, Kingston House, Great Western Way, Swindon, Wilshire, SN5 8UB, Great Britain.
Global Trade Department Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales, Company no: 07000152. VAT no: GB994 7629 49
EU/Northern Ireland: Global Trade Department (NI) Ltd, Office 834, Unit 6, 100 Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 6AG, Northern Ireland.
Global Trade Department (NI) Ltd is a company registered in Northern Ireland, Company no: NI724330
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