Growth: ExporTech Program

The ExporTech program leads companies through a facilitated process that prepares them for profitable growth in the global market. Participants work as a group through a process to accelerate the pace and increase the success rate of international sales efforts. Unlike a static classroom environment, this course is customized to the specific learning needs of participants and produces an international growth plan for each company. Participants will also have the opportunity to work with international business experts to refine their international strategies.

This program offers concrete benefits that go beyond most international business and exporting courses:

• The content is customized to the specific learning needs of participants
• The program delivers an “account team” of resources for each company that helps them rapidly move from planning to actual sales and payment
• The international strategies and success factors covered are based on real-world company research
• Speed to market is accelerated, as a robust plan is developed in three months, and actual leads and sales follow soon thereafter
• Quantifiable cost savings are achieved as participants efficiently connect with reputable resources, receiving consultations that would normally cost thousands of dollars to obtain on their own and radically reducing the overhead required to find qualified assistance
• Chances for success are higher, with a vetted international plan and the right resources behind each company

During the three sessions, spanning approximately three months, the participants gain an understanding of how exports can be a major growth driver, identify hurdles to expansion, and work with the facilitators to develop a customized export plan for their company.

The program size is limited to a maximum of eight participants to provide sufficient time and attention to each company’s specific problems. The participants who are accepted for this course are from non-competing organizations. Each participant is encouraged to share strategic information as the international growth plan is developed.

As shown below, the initial session discusses the international imperative, successful export strategies, and planning templates. During this session, the group also begins to define learning priorities for session two. The second session content and expert speakers are customized to the specific needs and composition of the group. The final session is a presentation of each company’s international growth plan for feedback from a panel of experts. In between sessions, work is required to gather information, think strategically, and develop plans – with the aid of experts you meet in the sessions, including both government export assistance providers and private sector resources.

The program is intended for executives of small and mid-size product companies, and is aimed at both new-to-export companies and those that have done some exporting, but have not fully exploited global opportunities.  

Case studies:

• Grand Brands
• intelliTech, Inc.
• Raloid Corporation

Organizations sponsoring the ExporTech workshop include: District Export Council (DEC), US Commercial Service – Export Assistance Center (USEAC),  National Institute of Standards and Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST MEP), the Maryland Technology Extension Service (MTES) a NIST MEP affiliate Center, Robert H. Smith School of Business.  To learn more about this program and next ExporTech workshop, please contact Bob Barazotto at (410) 706.4775, or at bobbar@umd.edu.

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