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Unit 4: Export Marketing – Going Global

(d) Twinning arrangements with institutions within the country and abroad for input Notes
on designing and technology market intelligence/output and tie-up with foreign
professional Institutes.
(e) Convening workshops/seminars in India and abroad followed by exhibition/live
demonstration for exploring international market.

(f) Publicity through media abroad to generate export.
(g) Marketing through participation in International exhibition abroad, buyer-seller
meets in India and abroad and other events sponsored by EPCH, CEPC, COHANDS
or agencies approved by office of the DC (H) to eligible agencies involved in
development & marketing of handicrafts.
(h) Deputation of craftspersons abroad under agreed Cultural Exchange Programe
between two countries to create awareness about Indian traditions and heritage
abroad to explore export possibilities and vice-versa.
(i) Improve quality through design innovations and innovation in product and process
technology, improved packaging and export awareness of procedure to young
entrepreneurs/crafts clusters.
Source: www.indianhandicrafts.org.in

4.3 Buying Houses

Foreign buying is a complex task. It requires experts who are able to source reliable vendors of
quality merchandise from various parts of the world. Companies usually have a separate
department or a subsidiary operation to take care of this mammoth task. Buyer is a proper
designation in most foreign companies, who source products from other countries. The buyer
does the job of buying products for his company from various sources including those located in
other countries. These buyers are specialists in their own fields and they travel around the world
to source suppliers. For example, we could have a buyer of leather products and another of
chemicals. For bigger organizations, the buying departments could be organized product wise.
In such cases, we could have a Principal or Chief buyer assisted by several assistant buyers and
other staff. Still bigger companies could station resident buyers at different sourcing locations.
Another version of this could be appointing local experts as buying agents, who normally work
on commission basis. Multinational/global companies go a step further, they set up their own
buying offices in different countries where they buy huge quantities and regularly. Most
companies actually work with multiple such arrangements, that is, they utilize many buying
sources at the same time. This is necessitated because their requirements are mind-boggling.
An exporter, thus, needs to find out such persons/companies who represent any foreign company
as their buying agents in his line of work. To begin with, you will be asked to submit a copy of
your company profile with details about your existing business, production facilities, supplier
base, finances, banker details, list of existing foreign clients, infrastructural support and
manpower, etc. The exporter has to make sure to keep this document to the point, crisp and
compact such that it leaves a certain impression on the reader. However, it should only contain
true information, as the buying companies will invariably crosscheck each detail.

The next stage is the personal meeting that is essentially like a job interview. Explain clearly
what you can do. Never accept whatever is beyond your capabilities.
If your factory is approved they might ask you to make a few samples for them. They could give
you their own designs or leave the designing also to you. At this stage itself, you must also cost
your samples so that you will be able to quote a price for each and also negotiate if required.

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