Exporters must ‘prove worthy’

Press, 6 November 1978, Page 4

Exporters must ‘prove worthy’

An Australian myth that some New Zealand exporters were unreliable would remain until the exporters proved otherwise, said th' 1 managing director of Meadow Mushrooms, Liu (Mr P. R. Purdon), Addressing about 70 persons at a seminar on export marketing organised by the; Department of Trade and Industry, he said that total reliability and the ability to supply goods of equal or better quality than the local product were important factors in his company’s exports of horticultural products to Australia. When approaching potential markets it was helpful for exporters to quote the price of their products in! the currency of the country! to which they wanted to! sell. Mr D. .1. Robertson, an export-liaison officer in the Department of Trade and Industry in Christchurch said that anyone entering the export market for the first; time could make mistakes. Success in exporting was not achieved overnight but the time and care taken io select the right product and the right place for an initial

export venture could minimise the risks and make success faster and more certain. Ihe manager of Hampton Studios, Ltd (Mr T. Hampton), said the soundest advice he could give a potential exporter was to visit personally his prospective ■ market. A much neglected area in exporting was that of cooperation between two or more domestic companies or between a domestic company and a company or companies in the exports mar ket. Contacts and relationships were basic to success. They provided a starting point ■ and a continuing liaison i'with the market. ; Many potential exporters ilseemed to regard distance Trom the market as a physii cal hazard but this was not ■ so. “Distance is time and the .; greater price you pay to ■ cover the distance the shorter the time taken,” said Mr Hampton. “it is important that t among other aspects your > client is impressed by the I ease with which you are I able to be in contact.”