The Foreign Service Journal, January 2003

exports mean not only jobs, but bet- ter-paying jobs. Workers in jobs sup- ported by exports receive wages 13 to 18 percent higher than the nation- al average. High-tech industry jobs supported by exports pay even more. That’s why increasing U.S. exports is so important. The U.S. Com- mercial Service helps U.S. business- es, particularly small and medium-size companies, sell their products and services globally. We do this through our worldwide network, which includes 108 U.S. Export Assistance Centers and more than 150 international offices. Last year, the U.S. Commercial Service helped U.S businesses generate export sales worth more than $23 billion. During the same period, our international staff met one-on-one with 78,400 companies. How the U.S. Commercial Service Works Exporting is by no means as easy as selling to cus- tomers in your own backyard, however. U.S. busi- ness owners need to carefully target the best markets for their products and then be prepared to deal with cultural differences, unfamiliar labeling standards, customs issues and a host of other challenges. Help navigating the process of making their first interna- tional sale can make a world of difference to a small company. That’s where our worldwide network comes in. I tell businesspeople who are interested in export- ing to make their first stop their local U.S. Export Assistance Center. There, an international trade spe- cialist will assess the company’s export readiness, pin- point the assistance needed, and help the company develop a plan for reaching their export goals. These specialists have access to a vast amount of market research; if more information is needed to answer highly specific questions about particular markets and products, they can request customized research from one of the 1,800 U.S. Commercial Service specialists around the world. That’s how our client Greg Mariscal of Van Nuys, Calif.-based Hirsch Pipe & Supply Company started his export business. Mariscal sus- pected there were good markets for Hirsch’s plumbing fixtures. “People will pay a premium for ‘made in the USA,’” he notes. But he had little practical knowledge of the export process. He began by calling his contacts in the industry for advice. Almost immediately, he was directed to the Los Angeles U.S. Export Assistance Center. “I asked them a lot of questions,” Mariscal recalls. “I was starting from scratch.” Since the key aspects of any transaction are identi- fying a market and a buyer, this is the general focus of much of what we do. Our officers and Foreign Service National specialists in-country — we have offices in 160 cities located in 82 countries — identify distribu- tion channels, promotion practices, key competitors, pricing, market trends, and more. New Directions One of my primary goals for the U.S. Commercial Service has been to raise the agency’s profile so that we can reach even more U.S. businesses. In the last year, we’ve ramped up our marketing efforts and dramati- cally increased our outreach to the media, both in the U.S. and overseas. We’ve also worked extensively with elected officials — mayors, congressional representa- tives, governors, etc. — to help them reach out to their constituencies about the benefits of exporting. I’ve also started a new program, the Export Achievement Certificate, to recognize the accomplish- ments of individual exporters. The certificate recog- nizes companies that have used our services to make their first export sale or make a sale to a new interna- tional market. Another top priority is using technology to make exporting faster and easier for small U.S. businesses. Business is all about relationships — but for small businesses with limited travel budgets, relationship- building isn’t just important, it’s expensive. Technology can help. Of course, neither DSL lines nor videoconferencing equipment, no matter how advanced, can replace face-to-face conversation. Small businesses that want to be successful overseas will always be frequent flyers. But Web- and video- based services can make for a low-cost, high-return F O C U S J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 3 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 35 The number of U.S. businesses that export has tripled in the past seven years. Assistant Secretary Maria Cino is the Director General of the U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service.