Local export assistance remedies international headaches

Considering all that can go wrong when exporting to international markets, businesses can find it very reassuring to have someone on their side when tackling new exporting challenges. Local export and import assistance proves to be a great resource when trade challenges arise.

In the 1980s, the Iranian government encouraged a razor manufacturer to begin exporting after it attained considerable domestic success using the brand name ‘Tiz,’ which conveniently means "sharp" in the local Farsi language.

With the help of a local importer, the manufacturer first targeted the wealthy Arabic-speaking country of Qatar. However, according to Professor Tevfik Dalgic and Dr. Ruud Heijblom in the “Journal of International Marketing,” success in Iran did not instantly translate into success in Qatar.

“Soon after the product launch in Qatar,” write Daljic and Heijblom, “the distributor realized the Persian brand name ‘Tiz’ was creating some serious problems with customers. It was discovered that the brand name's connotation in Arabic slang referred to ‘passing wind.’"

The writers continue, "Following numerous frantic telephone calls between the manufacturer and the distributor, all razors with the ‘Tiz’ brand name were recalled and reshipped to Iran. The company then chose a different brand name, ‘Muqdam,’ meaning ‘hero’ in Arabic. This new brand name received a much more favorable reception in Qatar.”

The manufacturer of Tiz razors could have prevented this mess with an international brand check, but its recovery was fortunately aided by quick action from a local partner and distributor. Trade challenges will surface even in the best of situations, but local assistance can help exporters overcome these challenges much more efficiently than they otherwise could alone, as in the Tiz example.

Utah’s U.S. Export Assistance Center, which is operated by the U.S. Commercial Service, is one organization that helps provide assistance to U.S. exporters using its extensive network of offices in more than 80 countries worldwide. USEAC assistance to U.S. exporters comes in many forms, including pre-screening of potential trade partners in local target markets.

One biotechnology firm in Logan, Utah, approached the Utah USEAC when it decided to enter the Indian market. As related by David Fiscus, Utah USEAC director, the company participated in a trade mission to India and selected an Indian distributor after only six months and two trips overseas.