In the late 1970s, Naveed Agha moved from England to the United States to complete his MBA at the University of New Haven in Connecticut. When he arrived, he moved into an international center in New Haven, which was home to people from 14 different countries. It was this experience which first sparked his passion for an international career.

“Living there gave me a new perspective and a respect for all of the different cultures, races and religions worldwide. It was such a rich experience that I thought building an international business career would really work for me.”

Upon completing his program in 1981, he started his first job in international trade with Singer, one of the world’s largest sewing machine manufacturers, as Marketing Manager for Pakistan.

“Working at a large global company like Singer gave me a chance to meet colleagues from all around the world. I attended two company marketing conferences every year, one for the Asia region and one for the global team, which hosted over 200 people.”

Life in 1980s Dubai and the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait

In 1983, Naveed became the Marketing Manager for a food company in Dubai, and handled everything from frozen burgers and vegetables to canned food and chocolate. At the time, Dubai had not yet blossomed into the major tourist destination and global business hub it is today. As a result, there was the occasional moment of confusion when travelling overseas.

“Dubai was not yet as well known, and visiting fancy food shows in places like New York was not something we started doing until the 1990s. In fact, at one of my first visits to a major New York food show, I told another attendee I was from Dubai and he thought it was in India!”

With most major global companies still new to the Dubai market, there were also some notable trials and errors for companies adjusting to local cultural and climate norms.

“Most companies simply saw export markets like Dubai as a place to try to get rid of surplus production, and weren’t planning accordingly. One fridge company ad had a woman looking into her fridge with a giant ham inside – not a smart decision in a culture where you’re not allowed to eat pork. Food companies also didn’t realize that there were specific requirements for labelling dates, which had to be printed directly on the packaging. One company had its shipment rejected because the dates were written in the wrong order in Arabic, and in the end it had to be sent to a different country with different labelling requirements.”

“In another instance, Chrysler and Honda had the same distributor. When Chrysler launched their new New Yorker car, the distributor decided to have a promotion where if you purchased a New Yorker, you received a Honda Civic for free!”

Unfortunately, many cars there were not adopted to the local climate, where it could rise to well into the 40s (Celsius). In one of my cars, it got so hot that the rear view mirror melted off!

Naveed spent most of the next 12 years living and working in Dubai, except for the period from 1989-1991. In January 1989, he began working as General Manager for a local trading company in Kuwait and was there until one fateful day he was literally stopped in his tracks.

“On August 2, 1990 I was at the main airport in Kuwait, ready to leave on a business trip. At 2am, the Iraqi army invaded Kuwait, the event that started the Gulf War. As a result, I was stuck in Kuwait unable to leave until September 25 – almost two months! I had finally had enough, and found a way to drive all the way to Pakistan, a 5500km journey, to leave the country. That experience was a real eye-opener for me, and I decided to return to Dubai after the liberation of Kuwait in 1991.”

For the next four years, he worked for major food companies in Dubai, including Toblerone chocolate and a coffee company.

Moving to Canada to build his career, and then his own business

In 1995, Naveed and his family applied for immigration to Canada, and officially arrived in Canada in 1996. By 1997, Naveed had become Marketing Manager for Robin Hood Multifoods.

He was responsible for leading the company’s exports of Golden Temple flour, which is mainly used to make the types of flatbreads common throughout Middle Eastern and Indian cuisine. He quickly expanded sales in in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar, and developed cake boxes with Arabic labelling to better reach consumers there.

He also worked in the Chinese market, and helped develop a higher-gluten flour that would sell better there.

After a few years, Smucker purchased Robin Hood and by 2004 wanted to start a total corporate culture change. This process involved letting go of their entire salesforce, including Naveed. Mere hours later, he received a call that prompted a major career decision.

“The same day I was let go, I received a call from a customer in Korea who was upset with Robin Hood’s new service and wanted to be treated better.”

I place a strong value on customer relationships, so I wanted to be the one to provide that for him and others. That year I started my own company, Raziq International Inc.

We specialize in sales and marketing for baking and food ingredients, and also serve as representatives for some major companies.”

He has since worked on a wide variety of projects, including helping a Saskatchewan lentil and pulse company develop their entire marketing strategy and distribution to sell across the U.S. and Canada, and serving as a representative for Winnipeg company Richardson International to their Middle Eastern customers.

Why you should take the time to invest into business relationships

As Naveed built his business, he repeatedly emphasized the importance of taking time to build strong relationships and adapt to the cultural norms in other countries.

“Many North American executives get upset in the Middle East or South America about the more laid-back business cultures. These executives are not used to having to build friendships and chat to understand people there before talking business. But in many cultures you need to take them out to lunch, then dinner, and know about each other’s families.”

“To give an example from another market, I was once in Malaysia, visiting a customer I had never met. I was sitting in his office, and saw a nice restaurant and suggested we go there. My customer insisted I come to his house for dinner and meet his family.”

Adding the CITP® designation to his long and impressive list of accomplishments

Naveed first heard about FITT training and certification several years ago, both through online research and from another CITP® designation holder.

“I learned about FITT through Vincent Taddeo, who was with me a very long time ago in Dubai at the Gulf Food Show. I was managing the Robin Hood booth and he was at the Cavendish Farms booth, where he was Vice President, Exports. Sadly, he passed away recently.”

After successfully applying for the CITP® designation, he looks forward to seeing how earning it will positively impact his career.

“The CITP® is such a prestigious certification, which gives me greater credibility for what I do and what I represent. I am very excited to be recognized this way in international trade. The designation is recognized globally and requires meeting certain criteria, so I’m very honoured and humbled.”

It will be most important for my consulting work, as having the designation on my business card means I have greater credibility when dealing with manufacturers or other companies, and fellow professionals will immediately know that I know what I’m doing.

Now that he can add the designation to his list of career accomplishments, we are looking forward to seeing what new exploits and accomplishments await him in the years to come.

The post Naveed Agha, CITP|FIBP – Managing Director appeared first on Trade Ready.

Chengdu is one of China’s largest cities, with a total population of close to 15 million people – that’s more than the entire populations Sweden, Tunisia, Cuba or Bolivia.

Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, on the other hand, has a population of about 20,000 people, and is located over 11,000km away from Chengdu.

So how did Lan Zheng’s career take her from such opposite locales of Chengdu to Glace Bay? It all comes down to opportunities for training, which have had a fascinating impact on her career.

Finding early success in China

After studying foreign trade at Chengdu University, Lan secured a position at China Chengdu International Techno-Economic Cooperation Co., Ltd, a massive company conducting international trade in a wide variety of industries. Since the company was engaged in business across the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East, Europe and Canada, working there offered plentiful opportunities for career growth.

Lan’s first role with the company was a logistics clerk position, where she prepared paperwork for shipping and coordinated the shipments of completed products to customers. After four years, she was promoted to purchasing officer, which included an entirely new set of responsibilities. This included negotiating prices, obtaining quotes, preparing purchase orders, facilitating the accreditation of new suppliers, and monitoring and addressing the performance of their suppliers.

Two years after that, in 2008, Lan moved on to the Hong Kong Economic Development Industrial Co. Ltd to start her new position as a sales representative, still working in Chengdu.

“In that role, I worked with clients in many parts of the world, including Asia and Europe.  Prior to coming to Cape Breton for my studies, my sales volume was $3 million in 2012.”

Along with finding prospective clients and maintaining relationships with existing ones, she also arranged client visits to factories and trade shows, and selected sites for new development and expansion.

Goodbye Chengdu, hello Cape Breton

Interested in continuing her studies in an in-class environment, Lan eventually made the decision to move to the Cape Breton region of Nova Scotia to take the International Business program at Nova Scotia Community College.

“People are always curious to find out why I studied in Canada, and Sydney, Nova Scotia in particular. It’s just because it was my dream when I was 18 years old to study abroad, but at that time, my parents didn’t have enough money to support me to move abroad and study. I had to wait until I was 30 and could afford to live and study abroad.”

I used a broker who introduced the school to me, so I did some research and it seemed like a good place to go. I bought ticket, got the visa, and off I went.

As the seafood and fisheries industry is one of the biggest in the region, it caught her attention during her studies and became a growing focus of her career goals.

“I specifically worked on a number of research projects in seafood. The projects ranged from identifying technical solutions to shipping challenges, or researching and finding new markets for seafood projects. I also worked on a large supply chain project which looked at shipping live seafood to Europe and Asia.”

“I also participated in a travel opportunity for the international trade program with NSCC where we went to London to visit the Billingsgate Seafood Market and learned about potential opportunities for exporting seafood to the UK. We visited the Seafood Global Expo in Brussels, where I made a number of contacts with local companies.”

An action-packed 2016

After graduating from the program, 2016 was a busy year. First, she registered her own consulting company, Abetter Worldwide Marketing Management, in January. Her consulting work focuses on offering market research, translation and interpretation services for businesses, particularly those interested in doing business between Canada and Asia. One of her biggest clients so far is the Sydney Ports Corporation in Nova Scotia.

That spring, she also participated in two exciting projects with NSCC, including paid consulting work.

“In March, 2016, Helen Graham from NSCC hired me as an interpreter and I joined in their “Doing business in China” program. We visited the Jingshen seafood market in Beijing and introduced the Nova Scotia lobster and snow crab to local companies. We also met the trade commissioner at the Canadian embassy in Shanghai, and learned more about the potential business opportunities for Canadian companies.”

“In April, I had another chance to participate in an international trade program with NSCC. We went to Cuba and learned about the culture and potential market there.”

The program wasn’t her only accomplishment that April – she also started her current position as international sales manager with Victoria Co-operative Fisheries Ltd, located in the Cape Breton area. With her experience, she has been able to help the companies make major inroads into Asian markets, with a bright future for continued growth in the sale of snow crabs and lobsters.

We went to the most important tradeshows in China and Hong Kong and met the potential clients. My main job is to promote our products in Asia. We sold three containers to China and four containers to Hong Kong last year. We built good business relationships with Chinese companies.

In April 2017, Lan applied for and earned her CITP®|FIBP® (Certified International Trade Professional) designation, which she says will help her continue to take on new international business opportunities in Asia and around the world.

After such an exciting and productive past couple of years, Lan is ready to take on any new challenge that comes her way.

The post Lan Zheng, CITP|FIBP – International Sales Manager appeared first on Trade Ready.

With decades of business leadership, consulting and teaching experience, Philip Cohen has a wealth of wisdom and knowledge to share with business professionals and students alike.

His long and distinguished career began in 1975. Working at his family company, he began importing ingredients and equipment from the U.S. that were used to make their products. Hitting the ground running, he quickly learned the importance of all the various requirements and limitations involved in importing and exporting.

“Do not take anything for granted regarding customs regulations, documentation requirements, and consumer and corporate affairs, as well as food and drug requirements,” he explains.

To illustrate this advice, Philip provides an example of one summer treat that became far more complicated than expected to ship across the Canada-U.S. border because of a small but important ingredient.

“I imported 8 pallets of cherry popsicles from the U.S. to Canada. Ingredients included water, sugar, flavour/colouring and stabilizer. Canadian government officials in charge of food and drug regulations came to the plant the day after the shipment arrived and said we could not sell the product in Canada because the cherry color included a red dye that would be harmful to Canadians. I returned the shipment to the U.S.”

“The following year, a friend in the U.S. called to ask if he could buy some cherry popsicles from us in Canada. I replied of course, but recommended that he check with U.S. Department of Agriculture to confirm if the red coloring we use in Canada would be acceptable in the U.S. He called me back and said “no… the red food color acceptable in Canada would be extremely harmful to Americans.”

As his skill and experience grew, his responsibilities did as well. In 1986, Philip was promoted to President of the company, a role which he would maintain until 2002. Over the course of those years, Philip was actively involved in importing and exporting a variety of perishable food products and processing equipment to and from Canada and the U.S. Philip’s work also ensured the company held a high standing as a successful processor, distributor/wholesaler and retailer of specialty food products.

Thinking outside the box to solve problems and make customers happy

In one instance, he was able to use his knowledge of food regulations, as well as a little bit of creativity, to increase his business and secure a new American customer.

“The project involved importing 40 foot containers of orange juice concentrate from Brazil, each containing 90 drums weighing 450 pounds, to Windsor, Ontario each week for a year and a half. Our American customer required OJ concentrate to make an orange drink at 1/3 of the full concentration. In order to protect U.S. orange growers, orange juice concentrate was not allowed to be imported directly from Brazil or Mexico into the U.S.”

“However, a diluted version was acceptable, so we reconstituted the frozen concentrate in Canada to a ‘brix’ level whereby U.S. customs classified it as ‘orange drink’. As a result, we were legally able to ship across the border. We sent three tanker loads per week to our customer’s plant outside of Lansing, Michigan. A lucrative contract!”

Over time, the company was growing and required additional freezer warehouse space. Philip found a solution by buying and shipping a complete building from the U.S. into Canada.

“An unusual transaction was our U.S. purchase of a prefabricated 80×100 x22’ high freezer warehouse, complete with a three bay refrigerated loading dock, which was located in Omaha, Nebraska.”

I personally numbered and marked each of the panels and pieces of steel. We then hired riggers to dismantle the building, including all of the structural steel. We loaded all of the building components onto 11 flatbeds and Werner trucking from Omaha hauled all of the trailers to Windsor, Ontario, where we reassembled the building.

“The 11 trailers arrived over a six day period, so we coordinated with our customs broker and Canadian Customs was appraised there would be 11 parts to the shipment arriving over the better part of a week.”

Making the move from doing to consulting and teaching

In the early 2000s, Philip transitioned from running his food company, Twin Pine Foods, to new ventures. In 2000, while still serving as President, he opened and became President of Philip Cohen Consultants Group, which he continues to operate today as Strategic Advantage Consulting LTD. Offering guidance in complex organizational problem solving, market entry research, supply chain management, and developing marketing and business plans, he is able to serve a diverse group of clients with a wide variety of needs.

Philip works with clients in many different industries, including those in the U.S., Canada and Asia. In one of his favourite stories, he reflects on how he was able to return to the food and beverage world.

“I was hired to help a Chinese beverage company to enter the energy drink business worldwide. I guided them through strategic planning, and  helped to develop a business and marketing plan for the venture.”

“Even though they owned their own cola bottling plant, 50 km outside of Beijing, they opted to use co-packers until they were assured that a large investment for specialized processing equipment was warranted.  A co-packer near Beijing was selected to produce for the Asia-Pacific markets, and a canning plant near Boston for the North and South American markets.”

“It was agreed that 2 different formulations were required (carbonated and non- carbonated) to meet the differing needs of North American and Asian tastes and to overcome regulatory issues. Further, it was decided to partner with a company that was currently in the global beverage distribution business, rather than distribute on their own.”

“In August 2013 sample product was run at the Chinese co-packer with limited distribution as a test market. In 2014, distribution increased in Asia and the 1st production run occurred at the U.S. plant. I was pleased to have played a part in this global product launch.”

Since 2002, he has also served as a Professor at St. Clair College in Windsor, teaching subjects as diverse as entrepreneurship, global management, trade research, supply chain management and logistics.

In another example, he was proud to help a Chinese couple with a successful children’s clothing business move to and set up business in Canada.

“Regulations and conditions in China were changing whereby it was no longer lucrative to continue their operation. They asked for help to relocate to Canada. After determining the criteria that would enable them to be successful in Canada, we prepared a 50 page ‘Canada Market Entry Research Report’, complete with pro forma financial statements. Based on the report, they visited Canada in December 2012, and we introduced them to both immigration and foreign tax consultants. In the fall of 2013, they immigrated to Canada and established their new business near the GTA, which is quite successful.”

Earning recognition from his peers and setting an example for his students

Philip has now applied for and earned his elite Certified International Trade Professional (CITP® ǀ FIBP®) designation, both to recognize what he’s accomplished and to demonstrate the importance of lifelong learning.

“I wanted to set an example for my students and to demonstrate that sufficient expertise and knowledge can earn you recognition from your peers. Learning and accomplishment should be life-long goals.”

I look forward to raising awareness about the knowledge and high standards required for the designation, and that individuals with these designations can be counted on to have a high level of expertise within the global trade field.

He also explains that having the designation will offer him greater credibility as a consultant, and makes him feel more connected to FITT as an organization.

We look forward to having Philip serve as an ambassador for FITT and the CITP®ǀFIBP® network, and know he will continue to demonstrate the high standards to which our community aspires.

The post Philip Cohen, CITP|FIBP – President and Professor appeared first on Trade Ready.

When asked what they want to be when they grow up, the average five year old will give you a typical answer like a firefighter, doctor or athlete. Irene Jeremic was no typical five year old – she was already busy planting the seeds that would become her successful business career.

“I was less than six years old when I asked my parents to purchase my first sewing machine for me. I was about 11 when I realized that what seemed to be a little girl’s hobby could be turned into a profitable fashion merchandizing business. As it turned out, fate had it that fashion merchandizing did not become my career, although I have worked with some of the greatest retailers who trade fashion merchandise,” said Jeremic, who today runs a successful market research and consulting business at TheTableau Inc., and teaches law and international business at Vancouver Career College.

On strong academic background, earned at reputable Canadian universities, Jeremic has built a robust career in international business. She spent two years as the VP of Business and Customer Relations for eLearning Solutions Inc., a spin-off company of Simon Fraser University, offering online courses and related customized tools and services. While there, she worked on the eTechnologies project, which was sponsored by Industry Canada and involved over 200 different institutions.

Breaking new ground with an award-winning business revamp

In 2005, Jeremic was hired as a C-level executive by Stork Craft Manufacturing Inc., a baby furniture company, to lead and complete a “Stork Craft makeover.” The company had enjoyed domestic success, but found they wanted to expand their operations and take their company to a new level.

Though the initiative to complete a makeover was ambitious and grand in scope, Jeremic was confident in her abilities to execute it. She offers the following advice to those in a similar position in their careers:

“Clearly, talent must be combined with hard-work, but the only two barriers that we all place before us are fear and complacency. One of these barriers can be enough to block our progress and achievements. When combined, they can be paralyzing.”

Over the next four years, Jeremic spearheaded the revamp of Stork Craft Manufacturing Inc. in exciting directions. She totally transformed the company’s IT, inside sales and e-commerce capabilities. In 2005, Jeremic’s new business architecture project for Stork Craft Manufacturing Inc. won Dell’s ‘Top 10’ award.

Using this new business architecture, along with a new drop-shipping model that Jeremic also developed with her teams, the company shortened their delivery time from 3-4 weeks to 2-3 days. Within a few short years, e-commerce had jumped from about 5% of the company’s total sales to about 50%.

One of the biggest reasons for such exponential increase was the effort to integrate the company’s order processing systems with major retailers like Wal-Mart and Toys R Us, enabling a much higher volume of orders that could be automatically processed. In addition to her turnaround initiatives, that resulted in about 20 new business and technology solutions instituted for Stork Craft, Jeremic also created a novel web-solution for Wal-Mart Canada.

“I was able to innovate by architecting the first eCommerce engine for Wal-Mart Canada, which gave customers an option to purchase Stork Craft products on Wal-Mart Canada’s website and have them shipped directly to customer’s home. In 2008, this was a standard for Wal-Mart in the U.S., but Wal-Mart Canada website was still catalogue-based, with no real eCommerce engine.”

“The innovation was, that my team, working for a furniture manufacturer and distributor, developed the first eCommerce engine for Wal-Mart Canada, to be used by Wal-Mart Canada customers visiting their website, where that engine was actually owned by Stork Craft.”

This innovation was awarded with the CIO 100 Honoree award, as one of the most successful business technology solutions in North America in 2009.

For her efforts, in 2009, Jeremic was named Stork Craft’s honoree. Jeremic admits that among many challenges she had to overcome, some that she will remember included contract negotiations and satisfying the project’s legal requirements.

Going back to school – on both sides of the classroom

After facing the challenge of managing the contract and legal requirements of her project for Wal-Mart Canada and Stork Craft, Jeremic realized that going back to school and earning a law degree would help her improve her expertise in the area of business law. She went on to earn her Master’s degree in law at the esteemed Osgoode Law School in Toronto.

Wanting to see more young people in eCommerce and entrepreneur roles in Canada, Jeremic went on to look for opportunities to pass her knowledge to younger generations. She soon began teaching law and international business at Vancouver Career College—an experience that she continues to find incredibly rewarding.

“There is nothing more gratifying than to be able to touch the lives of young professionals who are building their careers and are eager to learn. Some of my favorite lessons marry business and law, including those about corporate social responsibility, ethical business practices, and lawful professional conduct.”

Jeremic’s work on transferring her knowledge to her students is well recognized within her organization. Notably, she taught one of the 2016 FITT Education Award winners, Russell Leith Yearwood, who just won the International Marketing Plan Award for his work.

Combining business expertise and a desire to give back to her community

In 2010, Jeremic started The Tableau Inc., and continues to serve as the company’s President and CEO. Focusing on international market research, data analytics, digital technology, and business turnarounds, Jeremic and her company help other businesses gather and understand data. This helps businesses with the end goal of customizing their business strategies and building competitive advantages. She also offers customized consulting to improve organizational efficiency and overall business strategies.

Over the course of her work, Jeremic came to know FITT and gained a deep appreciation for the organization and its members.

“I’ve collaborated with FITT for years now. It is clearly a hub for ethical international business, that gathers some of the greatest business minds. When you take the time to get to know people who run the FITT organization, you realize that you are linked with a great bunch of capable professionals, with terrific attitudes, who deliver on their promise!”

Given her valuable years of experience and expertise, Jeremic became a CITP®|FIBP® (Certified International Trade Professional) through the Executive Path option. She feels honoured to have the elite designation and be part of the larger FITT community.

“My career is dedicated to serving international business communities and mentoring young professionals.”

Just recently I realized that my CITP®|FIBP® designation serves as a great motivational tool for the young professionals I work with, to pursue their professional aspirations with FITT. They want nothing short of excellence, and they now know how to get it!

On top of all of this, Jeremic also made time to be involved in several local organizations and programs in the Vancouver area. She established the first co-op program between her alma mater, Simon Fraser University, and Stork Craft Manufacturing Inc., and also served as a mentor for the school’s Young Women in Business (YWiB) program.

She has previously served on the Association of Neighbourhood Houses (ANH) Board of Governors and Kitsilano Neighbourhood House (KNH) Board of Management. Furthermore, she established the Anti-Bully Bureau (ABB) to advocate against workplace harassment and all forms of bullying, and has been twice recognized as the International Women’s Leadership Association’s Woman of Outstanding Leadership.

A brilliant example to her clients and students alike, Jeremic’s expertise shines through everything she does and will no doubt continue to positively influence those around her.

The post Irene Jeremic, CITP|FIBP – President and CEO, College Professor appeared first on Trade Ready.

The independent consultant knows that the first image a potential buyer experiences is vital to the credibility of the pitch that follows. Research shows that trustworthiness is established in the first 8 seconds of a meeting.

In that short time, the potential client makes a subconscious decision: they will either listen politely and then dismiss the proposal, or trust what they have seen in those first seconds. What they feel and hear in those few seconds will be the basis of a future relationship with the consultant.

So how can consultants make sure they create an excellent first impression to potential clients?

Work backwards to understand how to first attract a client’s attention

We all know that a product is used, impersonal and tangible, but a service is experienced, personal and intangible.

So what does it take to sell and get acceptance for an intangible concept in a foreign market?

Ultimately, you need to create an image in a foreign contact’s mind that will appeal to them and lead to being hired to provide that intangible service.

Explaining the first step to selling an intangible idea internationally comes down to how that relationship is built. In the world of relationship-based sales, there is an adage that says one must seduce first and sell afterwards.

You can’t sell until you persuade, you can’t persuade someone until you have their interest, and you can’t have someone’s interest until you’ve attracted their attention.

With so much riding on catching attention early on, the initial visual image is vital to the success of the steps that follow.

When the eye buys an image of credibility, the mind and heart follow

Clients will usually only pay for a consultant’s expertise if others have reported positive experiences with that service. Independent consultants who seek new clients therefore need to first create an image of confidence, competence and success. The next step is then to transmit that perception of their services, promising to fulfill the future client’s needs.

When making a sales pitch, large companies usually calm a potential client’s concerns simply with their size and their brand recognition. A well-established presence in a market creates the professional image that helps large companies obtain new business in their chosen field.

In contrast, the individual consultant who does not have a large corporate identity faces daunting challenges when trying to develop new business. They have to work much harder to create the image that future clients will consider.

What’s important to remember, however, is that before reaching any professional level of notoriety, every large company inevitably grew from one individual who then created a small company, just like an individual running their own consulting company. If successful, this grew into a mid-sized firm and eventually even became a multinational giant. Good examples are Henry Ford and Steve Jobs, whose companies were once simply an idea in their minds. So what can you learn from their examples?

Even large service providers who may serve as your competition all started with the same basic approach.

To compete with other consultants or businesses of any size, you just need to develop a strong, positive image, preferably one that’s original or stands out in some creative manner, and then deliver on the promise of that idea.

Whether it’s expertise, innovation, originality or something else, find your strength, emphasize why it makes you stand out in that market, and go from there.

What qualities will help you adapt your first impression for success in international markets?

The consultant selling their services at home is likely to know the general requirements of potential clients and how best to shape their image for new clients. As a result, they are usually able to adjust to territorial, economic and cultural challenges.

The challenge of selling consulting services overseas is more difficult because the consultant is working in a market whose standards will be different than those of their domestic clients. Whatever they do at home to develop business may not apply to the international market chosen, and you may need to adjust how you project your image accordingly.

Selling and promoting consulting services internationally thus requires a much broader set of transferable skills. These include:

• Understanding the target culture and adjusting to it seamlessly;
• Linguistic talents to learn some basic phrases, if not fluency;
• Adjusting to other cultures’ views on time and punctuality;
• A thick skin to NOT take things personally;
• Tenacity to overcome unexpected hurdles;
• Changing and adjusting one’s presentation to fit into the new market’s parameters;
• The ability to move forward in the face of rejection;
• Flexibility and imagination to overcome preconceived cultural or national ideas or misconceptions;
• Recognition of one’s “foreignness” in the target market and the ability to turn it into an asset;

Canadians can also capitalize on their national brand

There is no doubt that Canadian consultants are as able as others to provide competitive professional services internationally. However, current world events are affecting potential relationships and it is often difficult to establish credibility, trust and professionalism, particularly when one is new to a market.

Fortunately, during those vital first seconds of a pitch, Canadian consultants can rely on Canada’s excellent global reputation to get the initial attention required. While the Canadian brand will not guarantee success, it adds undeniable credibility to a consultant’s promise to deliver a professional service to a prospective client.

The Canadian consultant can then focus on matching that positive initial image with a convincing presentation that will develop the interest needed to successfully move the discussion forward.

For consultants from other countries around the world, find your strength, emphasize it in a unique way that captures attention, and then use that attention to explain how you can deliver on your promises. Once you master these steps, you’ll make a great impression that will get the conversation started and lead to more clients.

The post How can consultants make a strong first impression to win over new international clients? appeared first on Trade Ready.

As a child growing up in Mexico, Alejandro’s interest in learning more about other cultures was already starting to develop.

“I have been interested in international trade since I was very young. I’ve always been fascinated by other cultures, so I thought that studying international trade would help broaden my view of the world. I also thought it would allow me to interact with all different cultures and discover new products and services that I could bring back to my community to make it richer and more diverse.”

To pursue his dream, he decided to move from Mexico to Vancouver, Canada, which appealed to him as a diverse and multicultural city. After arriving in Vancouver, Alejandro discovered the FITTskills program at Anderson National College, which helped him build the knowledge and skills he needed to get his career started.

“My experience taking the FITT courses was great, I found them very practical and easy to comprehend. Even after graduating and starting my career, I often go check my FITTskills textbooks to look for information that could help me make better and more informed decisions at work.”

International Market Entry Strategies was my favourite course as I’m a big fan of evaluating market entry options and developing the strategy for a target market. For me, that’s as exciting as it gets, and is the most fun part of international trade.

He also excelled in his studies, and was proud to earn the FITT Best Business Plan Award in 2007 for the plan he created as a project for the International Trade Management course.

Managing the logistics of railway tracks and athletic wear

Alejandro’s success was not limited to the classroom, and quickly translated to his first job in international trade.

“I was not sure if I would be able to find a job, as I was still fairly new to Canada. However, I soon got my first job in international trade as a logistics coordinator, which was the beginning of my international business career.”

This first position was with voestalpine Nortrak, North America’s leading manufacturer and supplier of railway tracks and materials.

“I remember my time there fondly. It was great to work in the railway industry and help with moving hundreds of tons of cargo across the country.”

After nearly four years, he received a new opportunity with a company locally based in Vancouver but with wide national and international recognition: Lululemon.

“I have great memories of my time at Lululemon working as a logistics specialist on their team, there were so many fun projects I had the opportunity to work on there. That’s what I like about international trade: no matter what industry you’re in, everyone needs a trade professional!”

Staying true to his original vision

While Alejandro enjoyed his time with Lululemon, he still wanted to enact his original goal of bringing more products and services to Mexico, and continue the process of connecting his home community with the rest of the world through international trade.

To do so, he decided to found his own consulting company, Salomon Group Consulting, and co-found his own trading company, Deliro Trading Co.

I’m really proud of co-founding Deliro. It’s a community-oriented trading company that sources spices and other Mexican food products from small suppliers in Mexico and brings them to the Canadian market.

His consulting company plays a crucial role as well, focusing on offering services for companies interested in importing from or exporting to Mexico, or outsourcing production there. He also offers project management services, such as recent project he worked on improving efficiency for Telus.

Amidst the successes of his various business ventures, he’s glad he learned the importance of staying on top of what customers want and recommends those just starting out in international trade do the same.

“Always talk to your customers, and stay flexible and dynamic so you can adapt quickly. We live in a world where consumer trends are changing very fast. People are making more informed decisions every time, and that’s altering the way they consume and what they consume. Be involved with your community – you’ll learn a lot!”

Joining a community of “likeminded trade gurus”

After gaining these years of experience, he applied to become an elite CITP®|FIBP® designation holder and is proud of gaining the recognition of his talents, as well as the potential to open up future business opportunities, now that he has earned the credential.

“I was interested in obtaining a designation that could validate my experience and knowledge in international trade and becoming part of a community of likeminded trade gurus. It’s awesome to be able to validate my thorough experience in international trade and to be part of such a recognized organization. I think it opens up a lot of doors, as I believe that international trade will continue to be the backbone of the economy and certified trade professionals will play an important role in that economy.”

With a strong vision for his future, he is poised to continue to be a successful leader in international trade for many years to come.

The post Alejandro Salomon, CITP|FIBP – Project Manager appeared first on Trade Ready.

Becky DeStigter, CITP|FIBP, is an international business consultant, speaker and author, better known to some as The International Entrepreneur.

She brings her exceptional passion and expertise in international marketing, strategic planning, market research and cross-cultural training to help companies worldwide expand to reach their full global potential.

Starting her career with a “eureka” moment

As an undergraduate student, Becky realized that international trade would be the career for her.

“I remember sitting in a university class on international marketing and having one of those lightbulb moments when I learned what international marketing entailed.”

From that moment on I knew I needed to be involved in some way in the field.

In the years since then, Becky’s understanding of the field has continuously grown, while her enthusiasm for it has lost none of its edge.

Upon graduating with her Bachelor’s of Business Administration, with a major in economics and a minor in German, Becky took a role as Marketing Manager for PACE Health Management Systems, where she gained hands-on experience in B2B technology marketing by writing proposals, designing marketing materials and coordinating trade show exhibits.

Her next role was in sales, for Oacis Healthcare Systems, and gave her a chance to rise quickly within the company. Starting as a proposal writer, Becky soon implemented steps to standardize the process, making it significantly easier for everyone at the company.

Looking at company sales figures, she then noticed a significant dip would be approaching, and the company promoted her to Sales Analyst to find ways to reverse it.

By implementing new lead generation techniques to guide customers through the sales process, introducing a CRM to the company, and teaching employees how to use it, she was able to increase the company’s sales figures back to optimal levels.

Setting off on her own unique path

With several years of experience under her belt, Becky decided to start her own firm, Park Place Marketing, in 1999. Having her own business gave her the chance to put one of the most important lessons she learned over the course of her career into place.

I wished I would have understood the importance of developing international professional relationships right from the start of my career. It took about 10 years to discover this. Now I realize that it’s not advantageous – it’s required.

Combining her marketing knowledge with an emphasis on personal relationships gave Becky the opportunity to help many technology and professional companies develop their marketing strategies, study their ROI and project management services.

Becky grew the firm over the next five years to include several clients and subcontractors, and offered her clients an average ROI of over 100%, a vast increase over the typical average of 3-5%.

Back to school – on both sides of the classroom

To augment her professional experience, Becky decided to simultaneously complete her Master’s in International Business and her MBA at the University of Colorado Denver. She was able to study under one of the world’s top academics in International Entrepreneurship, Manuel Serapio, PhD.

Her in-class results impressed the university so much that she was hired to work part-time as the school’s International Business Project Manager.

Her efforts included revamping the website to become one of Colorado’s top international business resources, and securing a grant from the Canadian government to add more Canadian-centric content to the department’s course curriculums.

After graduating at the top of her class in 2011, the university hired her again in 2013 to teach courses to upper-year undergraduate students.

One my proudest accomplishments was teaching International Operations at my alma mater. It was satisfying to see the passion students had for international business and to follow where their careers have taken them. I like to think I played my small part.

Becoming “The International Entrepreneur”

2009 was an extremely busy year for Becky. Not only was she working on her studies and working part-time for UC Denver, she also started her own consulting firm, The International Entrepreneur.

Since then, she has developed an active blog, spoken at many different regional and national events, and worked with a multitude of companies to improve their global competitiveness.

Becky has particularly enjoyed developing strong relationships with her clients, and working alongside them to maximize potential opportunities.

“I was working on a team of researchers helping a Colorado manufacturing company locate an Asian operations base.”

When the client discovered how large the Asian canned beverage market actually was (much larger than they expected), they were able to divert resources to support the market.

She’s also been able to find the joys of overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles with her clients.

“I have enjoyed working with technology companies who were afraid of having their IP stolen. It’s great to show options that can turn a negative, like stolen IP, into a market opportunity.”

She also recently completed a six-month project with AppointmentPlus to help develop a new product marketing function for the company, and drive advanced outbound growth-hacking techniques.

Standing apart from the crowd as an elite CITP®|FIBP®

Always searching for ways to continue to connect with like-minded professionals, Becky discovered FITT online.

“In international business consulting, there are many charlatans. They pretend to know more than they do. I was looking for a way to connect with those who genuinely represented international business knowledge and skills.

Soon after, she contributed articles to TradeReady.ca and presented a webinar on how to protect your IP in international markets.

Once she heard about the elite CITP®|FIBP® designation for professionals in the international trade industry, she was eager to earn it as well.

I was very pleased to earn my designation. It was a difficult exam and I was relieved that my experience and graduate school classes were enough to meet the standard. As a professional consultant and trainer, it sets me apart from many of my peers.

We’re excited to have Becky join our community of committed international trade experts, to continue to collaborate with her, and to see how her work as The International Entrepreneur continues to grow.

The post Becky DeStigter, CITP|FIBP – The International Entrepreneur appeared first on Trade Ready.