Don't Allow Fear to Limit your Dreams: Archer

By:  Andrew Phillips - Huronia Business Times

There's an entire world beyond Simcoe County.  While that's a given for most, it's an important concept for area companies to keep in mind as they try to expand their sales horizons.

"Canadian companies don't export for two main reasons:  Fear of the unknown and nobody to show them what to do, says Dave Archer, president and lead trainer of Barrie-based International Business Trainers.

Archer, who is a Certified International Trade Professional and won a Global Traders Award in 2005, recently led an export session for area businesses at Simcoe County's offices in Midhurst. 

Over the past 18 years, he has generated millions of dollars of sales in over 38 countries and has delivered export training programs - in both English and Spanish - around the world.  Archer's sessions give would-be exporters the tools they need to tackle foreign markets while also outlining his experiences, including past mistakes to help clients learn.

Hosted by the county, in partnership with local Community Futures Development offices, the two-day, hands-on export training program proved very successful with eight participating companies, according to Wendy Timpano, general manager of the Orillia Area Community Development Corporation.

"We wanted to have a workshop that provided businesses with the ability to create an export action plan," she says, adding that it was important to give participants a plan that they could employ almost immediately.

"This workshop was focussed on companies that may have done a little U.S. exporting or none at all.  The majority of those companies walked away with something.  One of the neat things about the whole experience was the idea of exploration."

She says some attendees were even able to use the seminar, which targeted small-and medium-sized companies, as a networking opportunity to meet other like-minded businesses.

"It was a really neat dynamic and they'll probably end up working together."

Archer says government agencies are wise to sponsor export development opportunities since $150,000 in export sales can often translate into a good-paying Canadian job that, in turn, provides tax revenue.

"It's a win-win situation for them, he says.

Archer's evolution to export guru can be traced back to a voyage following a Grateful Dead concert in Buffalo years ago.

Looking for adventure and with time on his side, he ended up Truckin' to Costa Rica where he stayed for six months.

He learned Spanish and how to thrive in the process.

"Export marketing is really interesting and rewarding," Archer explains.  "It's not one of those jobs where you have a rulebook to follow.  It does depend a lot on your intuition."

Besides the obvious language barriers, exporters need to be aware of how cultural differences can affect potential business transactions.

For those looking to enter the export market, Archer says Mexico is their best bet.  Besides being in NAFTA, Mexico also boasts a strong economy and tends to favour Canadian businesses over their U.S. counterparts and is relatively easy and inexpensive to get to, according to Archer.

"I don't consider selling to the U.S. an export market.  I consider it a domestic market we should be taking advantage of."

And while the U.S. economy is slower these days, Archer says exporters would be wise to target India and China along with other areas of Asia and Latin America.

Besides the initial workshops, Archer also meets companies afterwards to ensure they are making inroads.

"Nobody teaches them how to sell," he says.  "The bottom line is it's all about the orders.  The four companies that attended the second day are fired up."

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