These are challenging times, to say the least. So much we can’t do, so many places we can’t go to, so many people we can’t see. So many plans curtailed, so many projects on hold.

Yet, believe me, there’s a lot we can do. And how we cope through the crisis and prepare ourselves for whatever’s next is critical. Not just for our businesses today and tomorrow (and therefore our jobs and the economy as a whole) but for our sanity right now.

So let me share with you just ten things you can absolutely do from home to support your international business during the coronavirus crisis, once you’ve dealt with the urgent like staff concerns, orders in-progress, accommodating operations to the new situation, and dealing with tax/legal issues.

1. Take stock of your business

Make the most of this time by evaluating where you are at with your international expansion. Gather data, speak to colleagues (remotely), and get a good picture of the situation.

For example, look at your sales history:

• Can you identify any trends?
• Can you identify any markets that are becoming particularly important that you need to maybe look after in a different way?
• Are any markets dwindling?
• Where are those online sales coming from?
• Are any distributors under-performing?

It is a great time to take a step back, look at data, reach conclusions, design measures and start implementing them.

The beauty of this process is that you’ll spot your data gaps, too. When you take a step back and start questioning your data, you will see what you haven’t been measuring so far and start thinking of ways to do it.

2. Check out your competition

You should always be keeping an eye on what your competitors are doing as part of your own market strategies. But now is a great time for a deep dive.

• What markets are your competitors present in?
• What are they (not) doing?
• How are they communicating?
• What are their routes to market?
• What’s their pricing like?

There’s a lot you can find out online.

This links to the point above: if you are selling less to a certain market and a competitor is pursuing an aggressive or rather clever marketing strategy, are you losing out to them? What market intelligence lies beneath all these marketing moves?

3. Revisit your business strategy

It might seem like a difficult time to plan ahead with the current level of uncertainty, but now is actually a good time to plan a strategy (again, having dealt with the urgent before) for when the crisis is over.

• Any new markets you need to target or at least explore?
• Any distributors that need managing differently?
• Any improvements you can make to your international marketing, financing or logistics? For example, can you use social media more efficiently?
• Can your pricing structure be more export-friendly?
• Shall you consider a new logistics provider or look, for example, at a regional hub/warehouse, a free trade zone, maybe?

Think about what you can do to improve your readiness to trade in target markets. Get your team on-board with some in-depth market research. Consultants can help too, either to guide you in an in-house research project, or to help you get the work done – for example, in markets that are totally new or where language is a barrier.

Consultants can help teams conduct research more efficiently by looking at each individual’s skills and preferences, and then matching market research tasks accordingly. For example, someone in your team may have language abilities you didn’t know about, or might have lived in another country and have some contacts or cultural awareness.

By mapping those skills and passions to what needs to be done, you can put together a three-month home-based project to develop a target market strategy. It’s amazing what can be achieved.

4. Identify potential distributors in overseas markets

This is a great time to do some online research and then get in touch with these potential partners, since you are more likely to find them in front of a monitor now (depending on the sector, obviously).

Needless to say, we need to be tactful. But remember that they need business as much as you do. Just be sensitive and ask if this is a good time to engage, be empathetic, and focus on the positive – if you explain that this is part of your crisis exit strategy, they’ll probably understand.

5. Generate content

Is your company blog looking a bit patchy? Website a bit out of date? This might be the time to produce content (blog posts, case studies, press releases) that can be used throughout the whole year.

With a client, my colleagues and I are looking at datasheets and installation instructions now, making sure everything is up-to-date, consistent and correct. We’ve never before had time for such a thorough exercise. With another client we are starting to write articles for a blog that we will launch later in the year. You can also work on press releases.

We’ve seen journalists on Twitter desperately seeking positive, non-virus related content, so you’ll have their attention!

If you have the budget, try engaging others too, like translators, designers, and copywriters to help make your content valuable to your audience. A lot of these creative professionals are self-employed and need the work now. They can do things faster, better, and free you up to focus on what you do best. You can test different vendors and start putting together a great team for years to come!

6. Audit your marketing efforts

When did you last look at your marketing materials for overseas markets? You can do a small audit now and identify areas for improvement, then get started working on it or at least plan for when things go back to normal.

Want to learn more about how to plan and implement marketing strategies that will attract new customers?

Evaluate your marketing efforts:

• Who is engaging with your social media globally?
• What are you doing about it?
• Are there any translations you should be commissioning?
• Any videos that need subtitling in another language?
• Any manuals that could be simplified to make them more export-friendly?

Start with something very simple and go step-by-step. No need to feel overwhelmed. It’s the same as if you were sorting your pantry at home, or your fridge. Grab a piece of paper or open a Word file and write down everything you do for your export marketing – everything.

Ask your team. Work out what you do, why you do it, how often, when was the last time action was taken, who is responsible for what. Just that. Then leave it. Go back to it a few days later. Anything you see that can be done better, added or deleted?

What is extremely important is that this is done in conjunction with revising, or at least understanding, your international business strategy and marketing plan.

For example,

You won’t know if you need Twitter in Spanish unless you understand what you are trying to do about Spanish-speaking markets.

A blog is only useful if your marketing plan indicates it. Your content plan and how you promote it also need to have some well-researched rationale behind them.

7. Connect with your clients

I asked a client recently if we can do a video call to catch up with the export team spread around the world. We communicate daily by email and we have the odd video call normally, but we don’t usually do team-wide calls. I am convinced we need to see each other now more than ever, since we are spending so much time secluded.

We all know that so much communication is non-verbal. Even if you look tired, go for it, you’ll certainly gain my sympathy. I want to see the mess on your desk and hear your kids around. I want to see that picture frame and that plant you love so much. I want to see that you and I are in this together and that we can have a laugh (or a cry). This will be over one day, but we’ll never forget the personal connection from that video call. It’s human nature.

8. Team building

Similarly, this can be a great time to video call your local partners, such as distributors. They will be available, anxious and keen to feel supported. You can just ask how they are, how they are coping, what the street around them looks like. What’s the toilet paper situation? (you laughed? so will they!) Anything you can do for them? Any tips you can share? Stay positive, too, think about what you’re going to do together when this is all over.

Keeping in touch with suppliers (including freight forwarders, customs brokers, translators, consultants, designers, for example) will be hugely valued. Remember that many are either self-employed or working in very small companies and they might be struggling.

9. Ecommerce & delivery

Can you beef up your ecommerce capabilities? If you deliver services, can you deliver more online?

Trade missions, market visits and trade shows are three key services we deliver for clients in Latin America and, even as a microbusiness, we are quickly adapting to deliver all of them online. So can you!

10. Training and capacity building

This might be the time for your team to get some valuable training and upskilling. Identify what capacities you need to build in-house and find online providers, some of whom can deliver bespoke training in the form of webinars or other virtual media.

This is the time to assess your own professional development, too, and identify any relevant gaps. Then you can find online courses, webinars and blogs to learn more. And remember to share your knowledge, too!

As you can see there is a lot to do. So sit down and work out a plan first – you can’t do it all – and the last thing you need is to add stress to yourself and burden your team.

Make sure that whatever you plan is manageable, realistic, and positive. However much or however little you can do under the circumstances is great.

Putting into practice any of the above will keep you busy, motivated, and talking to people. Beyond business results, we all need a bit of that right now, don’t you think?

From a business perspective, and global economic perspective, we are dealing with unprecedented and unpredictable times. It has never been more crucial to ensure we are all staying informed through credible sources. FITT has collected COVID-19 global business resources from world-leading organizations collected in one place. 

The post 10 things you can do from home to boost your export business appeared first on Trade Ready.

Imagine, if you will, a scenario similar to this:

You are working on foreign assignment. Your ability to speak and understand the language of your host country has been improving steadily.

You are an expert in your field and you know how to lead. Your success at home and your subject matter expertise are two of the main reasons why you are here today – working for your company abroad.

But now you are in another culture and sometimes you feel like a fish out of water. Sometimes, during meetings, you wonder if all of the ‘A players’ on your team really hear what you tell them.

You sense that you are not getting through to some of them. And then there is this moment when you are completely honest with yourself and you remember that back home, your results were better.

So now what?

The conundrum of a success stalemate

Welcome to the conundrum of global business leaders. How many of you work outside of your native culture? And how many of you notice that being efficient when working across cultures has its challenges?

In a typical corporate context, your company will have offered you cultural training around the beginning of your expatriate assignment. Most likely, you will have learned about the “Dos & Don’ts” and business etiquette rules of your destination.

Most organizations fully understand the value of preparing expats for the behavioral standards in foreign work environments. After all, the success of overseas business often depends on how well team members are able to cross cultures.

And chances are, you remember many of those “101 rules for XZY Country” and they’ve been helpful to avoid some major faux pas.

And yet you realize that your success rate just isn’t what you expected it to be.

Senior executives, C-suite members, and other business leaders are typically well qualified and talented high performers. However, the challenges of global leadership and change can’t be solved with only knowledge and hard skills.

Harness the power of collaborative problem-solving

Yes, cultural training, in connection with leadership coaching and mentoring, is an effective tool to build and grow cultural savvy. However, in many years of cross-cultural practice, I have found that the most sustainable and dramatic solution for expanding the skills and acumen of global business leaders is being a part of a mastermind group.

Masterminds have become quite the rage in recent years, and ever since I joined my first group I realized how powerful they are as a people development strategy.

In fact, they completely changed the way I work on my business. In his 1937 world bestseller “Think and Grow Rich,” Napoleon Hill describes the nature of a mastermind as:

the coordination of knowledge and effort, in a spirit of harmony, between two or more people, for the attainment of a definite purpose.

Hill didn’t invent this concept. It may be as old as mankind, and Western cultures have been using the power of the mastermind since Plato and Socrates.

In today’s corporate context, masterminds morphed into Boards of Directors and executive teams. Unfortunately, the structure of modern business has robbed the idea of many of its original benefits. That’s why smart global leaders are reviving the pure mastermind concept.

Recruit the right minds

Most of you may be familiar with the phrase:

If you are always the smartest person in the room, it is time to change the room.

Ideally, a mastermind group is what I call the “higher room,” the environment that supports growth – both personally and professionally.

There are three types of purposes for a mastermind group:

1. A group of people come together for the purpose of one outcome or one business

2. A group of people that are all in the same industry trying to overcome or solve a common problem in that industry

3. Or, a group of people from different industries helping individuals with different or similar issues

In order to utilize the power of the mastermind for global leaders, I found that a hybrid of types 1 and 3 is the most productive.

The goal for the group is the development of cultural competence and global business success. Ideally, this will be achieved if the members come from different industries and diverse backgrounds.

Some qualities to look for in a participant include: similar drive and commitment, diverse skill sets, and problem solvers.

Avoid getting sidetracked from your mission

Now, let’s look at what a mastermind is not:

• It’s not a training class. While groups may decide to bring in guest speakers and experts, the main focus of a mastermind is the brainstorming and accountability support among the group members.

• It’s not group coaching. Mastermind groups are about the members sharing with each other, not about the facilitator coaching individuals in a group setting. There should be feedback, advice, and support from everyone.

• It’s not a networking group. While you may share leads and resources with each other, that should not be main focus of the meetings. However, through your connections with other members, you will find plenty of joint venture opportunities, lead sharing, and professional networking.

Make no mistake, effective masterminds aren’t simply social clubs. It takes an experienced facilitator and a strong context or group code of honor to make the group work.

There needs to be mandatory participation by every member. The group will have a clear meeting structure which offers a combination of brainstorming, education, peer accountability and support in a confidential group setting to sharpen the members’ business and personal skills.

Participants challenge each other to set powerful goals, and more importantly, to accomplish them. Members act as catalysts for growth, devil’s advocates and supportive colleagues.

This is the essence and the value of a mastermind. Now find yours!

Have you tried brainstorming with your global business peers? If so, have you found success or challenges in masterminding for your business?

The post How to harness the power of collaboration and mastermind your way to global business success appeared first on Trade Ready.

This analysis should be carried out in all of the company’s main functional areas: production, marketing, logistics and finance.

Each of these areas must consider its tasks in the export process, the associated resource demands upon the company, opportunity costs, and the estimated costs of performing those tasks using external suppliers.

The costs of using external suppliers may be lower or they may be higher (as can happen when using specialist skills).

Find and keep the core of your business

At this point, the analysis is only partially complete. Managers also need to consider costs and benefits in other terms. Improvements (or deterioration) in the performance of tasks need to be identified.

For example, using a foreign market research firm may offer the benefit of greater sensitivity to local market influences. Conversely, use of a trading company would result in a loss of market intelligence.

These benefits and costs are admittedly hard to quantify, but nevertheless need to be taken into account.

The strategic dimension must also enter the analysis. The firm must not lose sight of what business it is in and what tasks are considered core to that business. It may then focus on what tasks may or may not be outsourced, depending on the supply of services and the results of analysis.

For example, if a firm is a leader in the design and marketing of shoes and seeks a global presence, it may want to devote its limited resources to investing in world class designers, tools and advertising.

The logistical infrastructure to deliver product, and the manufacturing capacity required in various parts of the world, can be supplied externally.

Selecting external suppliers

In selecting suppliers, it is always a good idea to develop a short list of potential candidates. Then evaluate their services according to established performance criteria.

The supplier that provides the best added value should be selected. Value provided by the supplier can be measured by a ratio of price and quality. As price increases, quality should increase at a faster rate.

These price and quality criteria should be both qualitative and quantitative and the supplier selected for overall fit and not just for price.

Perform background checks on the company (of credit and reputation) in order to minimize company risk. Then select the supplier that represents the best value package to the firm. However appealing a supplier, the manager should ensure that core competencies remain inside the company.

Use these tips when selecting your external supplier

Some of the desirable qualities to look for in selecting external suppliers include:

• a desire to learn about the factors that affect the exporter’s business, priorities, etc.;
• efforts to improve service, with the goal of creating a seamless relationship between exporter and supplier;
• depth of knowledge in dealing with the industry (e.g. a customs broker experienced in dealing with perishable goods) and the experience to anticipate problems before they occur (e.g. an experienced market researcher would know that respondents in certain countries answer questions in the way that they think the researcher wants, which skews results);
• investment in technologies and personnel to facilitate the transmission of information, whether it be documentation, research results or market reports;
• ability to grow with the client, whether in a large target country, region or globally;
• not dealing with competing products or services: in the case of freight forwarders and logistical firms this may not be such an issue, but it most definitely would be for trading houses, distributors and agents; and
• readiness, interest and ability to feedback information on target countries; without such feedback the firm is isolated from its international business.

Supplier selection is a two-way activity and both parties have to be comfortable to make a collaborative relationship work.

What element of your business could become more efficient if you partnered with an external supplier? What criteria would be most important to you when looking for one?

The post Improve your business efficiency by selecting the right external supplier appeared first on Trade Ready.

This involves gathering information about competitors in order to determine their possible future actions and strategies and gain a competitive advantage.

Competitive intelligence is an ongoing process that involves gathering data about:

• competitors and their strategic intentions;
• technology, especially emerging trends and possible future developments;
• legal and regulatory changes;
• suppliers and changes to supply and distribution systems;
• materials;
• industry and market trends; and
• political and economic changes that affect the competitive environment.

People sometimes confuse competitive intelligence with stealing information from or spying on competitors. Although finding out about competitors is an essential component of competitive intelligence, it does not involve covert gathering of information.

Developing competitive intelligence includes   all factors in the competitive environment, not just competitors.

In competitive intelligence, all information is gathered from publicly available and non-proprietary sources. The information is analyzed constantly to answer the questions raised by a company’s strategic planning and objectives.

Competitive intelligence keeps a company informed about critical issues that might influence its profitability and ability to compete in the marketplace. It also enables decision makers to make more effective planning decisions.

The need for competitive intelligence

Companies need to develop competitive intelligence as well as market intelligence because it enables a company to be more profitable and avoid losses.

For example, market intelligence might indicate that customers in a new market desire a certain new product. A company might invest considerable time and financial resources into developing that product and preparing a marketing plan, only to see a competitor also develop the same product and release it first.

Competitive intelligence enables a company to make better decisions regarding long-term and short-term planning, research and development programs, and marketing focus.

It also enables a company to react quickly to legislative and regulatory changes in the competitive environment.

The intelligence that is developed can be used to aid in decisions about whether entering certain product markets is worthwhile. It can also be used to help decide on the method of market entry and to assess potential profitability.

An important part of your global business success

With international trade, competitive intelligence becomes even more important.

Developing an understanding of the competitive situation prevailing in foreign markets is invaluable for making a decision about whether to enter a market.

For example, market research might show that the target market is dominated by a few large and powerful corporations, which might make securing an initial market foothold prohibitively expensive.

In this situation, a company might decide that it would be a strategic move to develop a partnership with one of the large corporations already in the market.

Competitive intelligence can contribute to a company’s international activities in other ways. A company might be able to find out why competitors have succeeded or failed in a new market and learn from their mistakes.

New product ideas and design considerations might be uncovered, or a company might gain advance warning of new product introductions.

Other monitoring activities might reveal competitors’ prices, which can help in making decisions about cost structure.

The competitive intelligence model

Competitive intelligence works best when a clear, concise question is formulated after a company conducts a needs assessment.

This method will identify knowledge gaps and enable questions to be developed. For an international marketer, the needs assessment might lead to the development of questions such as:

• What is the financial strength of a competing firm in our target market?
• What are the critical success factors in the market leader’s promotional campaigns?
• What are the company’s strategic intentions?
• Who are the company’s partners?
• What markets is the competitor targeting?

There are ten phases in the competitive intelligence model:

• Conduct a needs assessment
• Formulate questions
• Organize the process
• Gather the data
• Organize the data into information
• Assess the accuracy of the information and fill information gaps
• Analyze information to create competitive intelligence
• Disseminate intelligence to decision makers
• Formulate a strategy and implement it
• Evaluate action effectiveness and adjust the needs assessment as required

The model is cyclical and continually builds on and refines the competitive intelligence that has been obtained from earlier projects.

What types of competitive intelligence do you need to gather to increase your international profitability?

The post Gather strong competitive intelligence to maximize your profitability in international markets appeared first on Trade Ready.

A while ago I had the opportunity to lead a seminar about Navigating Global Leadership with my fellow coach Lene Beck Roervig at the Danish American Chamber of Commerce in New York City.

We opened the seminar by describing the following scenarios, and asking the participants to discuss the differences between the two.

Think about a fish in a bowl. Swimming around in the safe and well known waters, perhaps with one or two other fish, fish it knows very well because they have shared this specific fishbowl for quite a while now.  Life is a predictable swim in protective waters.

Now contrast the image with fish in the ocean. What are the differences?

Size is one.  The vast, open ocean compared to the closed-in fishbowl. The diversity of fish and other creatures of the sea, and the opportunity to explore new environments and places as you swim are other big differences.

Swimming in the global ocean

What does this scenario have to do with global leadership? Leading a business in the local market is like swimming in a fishbowl. You know the local culture, your fellow fish (competitors and collaborators), and customers well. You have a shared history and a shared set of core values.

Operating a business in the global    marketplace is comparable to swimming in the ocean. You need a different knowledge base and skill set to navigate this vast new market. What you learned while swimming in the bowl is not enough.

Similarly, global business leadership requires more than simply knowing different languages and having international experience.

A leader with a truly global vision understands how the global economy and climate impacts organizations and societies.

A leader also embodies the cross-cultural awareness and skills that come from knowing oneself, while seeking to understand others’ perspectives and moving towards integrating them.

To have a vision is defined as “the ability to think about or plan the future with imagination or wisdom” and as “the act or power of anticipating that which will or may come to be.”

How can we best anticipate what the future will look like? First we need to understand the past, the current, and our place in the world.

You have to act local to go global

As a local leader, you rely on your shared cultural context, including expectations, assumptions, values, norms, and history, to guide your actions as you manage and motivate your staff.

For example, if you operate a business in a more individualistic culture, you know that to motivate and give feedback to your staff, you need to reward the individual effort and give feedback in private.

Leading people in a culture that accentuates collectivistic values means promoting the accomplishments of the team, and rewarding the team as a whole without singling out individuals, particularly in public.

Research indicates that the reason some companies fail to become global successes is their lack of local understanding and their managers’ inability to adjust and acculturate to local or regional culture.

The way business is conducted in a certain country is influenced by the local culture, so you can’t simply transplant one business model directly into another country.

The ways in which we form and maintain interpersonal relationships, and communicate with each other differ across countries and regions.

Thus, you can’t expect to create new business relationships using the model that worked “back home.”

The curious case of Nokia

This argument is convincingly laid out in the book Fish Can’t See Water – How National Culture can Make or Break Your Corporate Strategy by Kai Hammerich & Richard D. Lewis (2013).

As a Finn, I found the chapter on Nokia’s rise to and fall from global dominance in the mobile phone industry fascinating.

The authors explain how Finnish cultural traits such as hard work, honesty, SISU (determination to overcome adversity) and a reliance on facts, in lieu of emotions and relationships, helped the company develop an agile, yet humble “we-can-do-it-culture” that served the company well as it outgrew its competitors.

However, as the company became global it needed to be open to different points of view, and willing to adjust to the various needs and perspectives of partners and customers in different countries and cultures.

Instead Nokia developed an arrogant “we-are-the-best” corporate culture. The authors suggest that this might have been fueled by another set of local Finnish cultural traits such as emotional distance, a doubting view of outsiders and national pride.

This inability to adjust to local cultural differences and needs around the world, combined with the global recession in 2008-2009 and the rise of the iPhone and other competitors resulted in Nokia losing its global dominance.

Practical lessons in global business leadership

Having a realistic global vision that translates into a successful global business model requires local understanding. Knowing how to communicate with a diverse and multicultural workforce is the backbone of effective management.

Similarly, the ability to manage cultural differences in negotiation, relationship building, decision-making and marketing is vital for global business success.

I once coached an American manager working for a Swedish manufacturing company in the U.S.

He was preparing to relocate to their HQ in Sweden to implement change initiatives and needed to enhance his cross-cultural managerial and leadership skills. We began by exploring such Swedish core values as egalitarianism, work-life balance, conflict-avoidance and modesty.

Swedish corporate structure is traditionally rather flat, while the decision making process is consensus driven and rather slow, from an American perspective. It’s also important to understand the role of trade unions in Swedish society.

Americans value meritocracy, individualism, competitiveness, and tend to prefer to make decisions quickly with an action and results orientation.

Once we had defined the differences, we further explored similarities and his individual preferences. We then developed ways for him to modify his own behavior and communication style when working in Sweden, while staying true to himself. This allowed him to create trusting and collaborative work relationships across cultures, the platform for successful change management and leadership.

It’s a small world – and a big world – after all

You need to understand your own local and culturally specific values, norms, beliefs and biases and how they influence your business strategy and how you lead.  Only then can you move towards a global vision with an understanding of how to integrate local preferences.

Going global can be illustrated with placing a fishbowl in an ocean, according to one of the seminar participants.

Your business is immersed in a new environment with different local and global competitors – different fishbowls, if you will.  With a broader perspective, new skills, and communication styles (learn new swim techniques), you increase your chances to survive and stay competitive.

What leadership skills help you achieve your vision for success? Which new communication styles have you added to your repertoire in the past five years?

The post Leaders will thrive by applying local understanding to global vision appeared first on Trade Ready.

Diana de la Huerta Gaston, CITP®|FIBP®, is a Trade Commissioner Assistant working for the Agri-food Section at the Embassy of Canada in Mexico.

Since starting her career in international trade, Diana has relentlessly pursued opportunities to train and educate herself, and views her new designation as proof that she has all of the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to stand out as a leading professional in her field.

Starting her exciting career in international trade

Diana graduated with a Bachelor’s in International Relations, and her career began at the Mexican Embassy in Canada. Her first position was with Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and then she moved on to work with the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada (DFATD).

Once she took her current position with the Trade Commissioner Service, Diana was placed in charge of assisting Canadian firms in the development of business strategies and corporate planning in their expansion of international business. Her role is to build, promote and expand export markets for these companies as well as to facilitate market intelligence.

She also assists with the planning and co-ordination of relevant projects, events and shows, marketing Canadian agri-food products via social media and promotional events, and with the market access team to facilitate the entry of Canadian agri-food exports into Mexico.

Major career accomplishments

Diana coordinated and supervised the Sabores de Canadá Website project aimed at positioning Canada as a first choice supplier of Agri-Food products in the local market.

This website showcases activities and events promoting Canadian Agri-Food products in Mexico and it also comprises the Catalogue of Mexican Importers and Distributors of Canadian products to help Mexican consumers identify and locate Canadian Agri-Food products currently available in the market.

Diana also helped with the organization and logistics of the visits to Mexico from Minister of Agriculture Gerry Ritz in January 2010, the Canada Mexico Partnership meeting in April 2011, and Agriculture and Agri-food Canada DG Blair Coomber visit in Mexico April and May 2012, to attend 2nd G-20 Vice Minister’s meeting.

Excelling in global trade with FITTskills online training

When Diana started this role, she decided to pursue further education in international trade. She began by working on her Master’s in International Trade and Marketing, which she completed in 2012.

She also pursued related courses and certificates through other organizations for specialized topics like the Mexican customs system, tariff classifications and Incoterms.

Diana started her FITTskills training after she finished her Master’s, and saw it as a natural continuation of her education. She was delighted by the flexibility that the on-line courses offered.

I really liked the idea of having on-line courses which I could take whenever time permitted and at any location (home, work, etc.).

“These courses helped me reinforce what I studied during my Master’s, and also complemented my knowledge with new concepts and information which I can use and apply during my every day work as a Trade Commissioner Assistant.”

Earning her elite CITP®|FIBP® designation

Once she completed her online FITTskills courses, Diana was proud to apply to become a CITP®|FIBP®. She says having the designation provides her with one more tool to effectively approach Canadian companies wanting to do business in Mexico.

Diana hopes that her designation will also help excel in her field and continue to progress in her career.

The post Diana de la Huerta Gaston, CITP|FIBP – Trade Commissioner Assistant appeared first on Trade Ready.