Survey Instrument –
Service Exporters
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Introduction:
Hello,
my name is __________ and I’m calling from Pacific Market
Research on behalf of the United States Department of Commerce’s
U.S. Commercial Service.
May
I please speak with Mr./Ms.____________________? Or “Can
you tell me the name of the person who manages or leads your
company’s international business?” (Could be a
director, vice president of international sales or president/CEO.
If you don’t have someone responsible for international,
could you direct me to an executive that is responsible for a
significant portion of your international accounts?)
WHEN
YOU HAVE THE CORRECT CONTACT PERSON ON THE PHONE:
Hello
Mr./Ms.____________________, my name is __________ and I’m
calling from Pacific Market Research on behalf of the United
States Department of Commerce’s U.S. Commercial Service.
The Commercial Service assists U.S. companies to export their
products and services around the world.
We
are speaking with U.S. companies that have exported services in
the past 12 months and would like to include your perspective in
the research. This research will provide the U.S. Commercial
Service with information that will assist them in improving their
services for U.S. exporters. This is your opportunity to
provide input, describe your experiences, and make
recommendations for change, so that the U.S. Commercial Service
can help U.S. companies to grow globally. Your name and company
will remain confidential from the U.S. Commercial Service. This
survey will take approximately 30 minutes to complete. We
recognize your time is valuable and the government appreciates
your participation.
When
would be a convenient time to participate in this research?
________________________
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I.
Information from Database – List
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Company
Name:
Contact:
Address:
Sector:
education, financial services, insurance, telecom, computer/IT
services, management and consulting, R&D/testing, etc.
SIC/NAICS:
Employment:
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II.
Company Information – Screening
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Before
we get started, let me confirm some information with you.
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Exporter?
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Yes
No
(thank and terminate call)
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U.S.-based?
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Yes
No
(thank and terminate call)
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Title/Role
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President,
CEO or Owner
VP/Director
or Manager – International Sales
VP/Director
or Manager – Sales and Marketing or Business Development
Other
VP/Director or Manager
Other:
_________________ (If not executive or management, find another
contact at executive/management level. Avoid shipping department
or export operations managers.)
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Size/Employment
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________
Employees (Record actual number)
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International
Sales
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If
0%, thank and terminate call.
Interviewer: If unsure, suggest: Is it less than 5%? Over 10%? If
they are still unsure, thank and terminate call.
Roughly,
what percentage of this international revenue was from services
delivered by U.S. personnel as opposed to foreign personnel,
subcontractors or partners? Let me clarify that U.S. personnel
may deliver services in foreign countries, but they are based in
the U.S. Foreign personnel may be staff at your own foreign
offices or at foreign subcontractors or partners.
________
Record actual number (If 100%, thank and terminate call)
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International
Growth
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__________%
(Record actual number or enter “DK” for don’t
know)
__________%
(Record actual number or enter “DK” for don’t
know)
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III.
Company Information – Background
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What
business are you in?
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Educational
services
Financial
services
Insurance
Telecom
Computer,
information technology or software development
Management
or consulting services
R&D
/ testing
Other
________ (please specify)
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Ownership
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Subsidiary
of another company
Family-owned
and managed
Management
owned, but non-family
Investor-owned
company
Sole
proprietor
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Revenue
Growth
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__________%
(Record actual number or enter “DK” for don’t
know)
__________%
(Record actual number or enter “DK” for don’t
know)
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IV.
Export/International Business – Overview
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Regions
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Canada
and/or Mexico (NAFTA countries)
Brazil
Other
Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, beyond Mexico,
Brazil
Western
Europe
Eastern
Europe, excluding Russia
Russia
China
India
Other
Asia, beyond China, India
Middle
East
Africa
Australia
and New Zealand
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#
Countries
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1-2
3-4
5-10
10-20
More
than 20
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Years
Exporting
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_________
Years (Record actual number or enter “DK” for don’t
know)
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Time
‘til Expansion
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ASK
ONLY OF COMPANIES ANSWERING 3 OR MORE IN NUMBER OF COUNTRIES
CURRENTLY EXPORTING TO
After
you started exporting, how many years did it take for you to
reach the point where you were selling to 3-4 markets or more?
______ Years
(Record
actual number or enter “DK” for don’t know)
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V.
Export/International Business - Attitude
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Planning
|
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International
Growth Orientation
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We
would like to aggressively grow international sales
We
would like to modestly grow international sales
We
would like to maintain current international sales
We
do not actively solicit international sales and primarily
respond to foreign customer inquiries
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Path
from Moderate to Successful
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ASK
ONLY OF COMPANIES DEFINED AS “SUCCESSFUL” IN SECTION
II
Quality
of your service
Rapid
growth of your market
Low
price of your services versus competitors’ solutions
Unique
process or patented technology
Better
service than competitors
Aggressiveness
in selling and marketing internationally
What
caused you to become more aggressive in pursuing international
sales? Again, I will read a list of factors. For each one,
please tell me if it explains why you became more aggressive
internationally – yes or no.
Arrival
of new top management at our company
Arrival
of an experienced international sales manager
Gradual
shift in mindset as we gained international experience
Serving
overseas locations of U.S. customers jump-started our
international business (and made us more aggressive)
Strong
demand from foreign customers
Government
information and assistance programs
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VI.
Export Business Practices
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Dedicated
Employees
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________
Employees (Record actual number)
(Include
all dedicated employees, not FTEs. Those handling both domestic
and international are not dedicated)
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Sales
Channels/
Go-To-Market
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Foreign
reps or agents
Direct
sales – U.S. based sales people or executives
Foreign
sales offices (company-owned)
U.S.-based
broker or agent
Joint
venture partners
Other
(No need to specify)
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VII.
Top Priority Assistance Areas
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Top
priority Assistance Areas
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Now
we want to zero in on those aspects of the export business where
you face your greatest challenges.
1
2 3 4 5
Ineffective
Extremely
Effective
Developing
an international business plan or strategy
Conducting
market research or identifying the most attractive foreign
markets
Finding,
or conducting due diligence on, foreign representatives and
partners
Obtaining
visas and complying with immigration laws
Marketing
and selling internationally (e.g. tradeshows, sales-calls,
marketing materials)
Managing
payment and financing
Ensuring
sufficient service delivery capacity to support exports
Protecting
intellectual property
Determining
price, factoring in taxes and other foreign market costs
Ensuring
compliance with U.S. or foreign laws, regulations and standards
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Interviewer:
Follow up on the 2 areas that ranked as least effective
(Programming
to select 2 lowest ranked areas may exclude low priority service
areas and may also require some random selections)
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Planning/Strategy
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One
challenging area you identified was “international
planning/strategy.” Let me ask you some follow-up questions
in this area.
Developing
a written plan with clear objectives and strategies
Identifying
key sources of growth – countries, sales channels
Defining
marketing efforts
Determining
pricing
Developing
a budget and/or pro forma P&L
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Market
Research/ Attractive Markets
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One
challenging area you identified was “market research and
identifying attractive markets.” Let me ask you some
follow-up questions in this area.
Intelligence
on competitor services
Lists
of specific customers or prospects
Customer
needs/wants in foreign markets
Pricing
levels
Market
demand, size or growth
Country
business climate
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Partners
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One
of the challenges you identified was “finding and
conducting due diligence on foreign reps and partners.” Let
me ask you some follow-up questions in this area.
Finding
distributors or reps that can sell or deliver your service
Conducting
due diligence and credit/financial checks
Managing
partner relationships
Handling
legal and contractual issues
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Visa
/ Immigration Law
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One
of the challenges you identified was “obtaining visas and
complying with immigration laws.” Let me ask you some
follow-up questions in this area.
Obtaining
business visas for travel to certain countries
Understanding
visa/immigration rules that cover U.S. staff deployed in
foreign markets
Obtaining
U.S. visas for foreign workers (such as H1B and others)
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Marketing
and Selling
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One
of the challenges you identified was “marketing and selling
internationally.” Let me ask you some follow-up questions
in this area.
Tradeshows
Trade
missions
Advertising
Marketing
materials adapted or translated for foreign markets
Website
– your own or a distributor/rep/partner’s
Direct
sales calls by U.S. salespeople or executives
Sales
calls by distributors, reps or partners
Seminars
or other customer events
Gold
Key or other government matchmaking program
Word
of mouth or referrals from existing customers
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Payment
& Financing
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One
of challenges you identified was “payment and financing.”
Let me ask you some follow-up questions in this area.
Advanced
payment, or partial advance payment
Open
account/invoice
Letter
of credit
Other
Advanced
payment, or partial advance payment
Open
account/invoice
Letter
of credit
Other
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Service
Delivery Capacity
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One
of the challenges you identified was “ensuring sufficient
service delivery capacity.” Let me ask you follow-up
questions in this area.
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Protecting
IP
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One
of the challenges you identified was “protecting
intellectual property.” Let me ask you some follow-up
questions in this area.
How
and when to file for patent protection in foreign markets
How
to employ other legal mechanisms, such as designs and trade
secrets
How
and when to file for trademark protection
Building
IP protection into legal agreements and contracts
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Compliance
– US & Foreign (combined)
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One
of the challenges you identified was “compliance with U.S.
and foreign laws.” Let me ask you some follow-up questions
in this area.
Complying
with U.S.
export controls and regulations, administered by the
Departments of State, Commerce, and other agencies
Complying
with foreign
market laws, regulations and certification requirements
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VIII.
Use of Outside Services and Purchasing Behavior
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Use
of Outside Services
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Developing
an international business plan or strategy
Conducting
market research or identifying the most attractive foreign
markets
Finding,
or conducting due diligence on, foreign reps and partners
Obtaining
visas and complying with immigration laws
Marketing
and selling internationally (e.g. tradeshows, sales-calls,
marketing materials)
Managing
payment and financing
Ensuring
sufficient service delivery capacity to support exports
Protecting
intellectual property
Determining
price, factoring in taxes and other foreign market costs
Ensuring
compliance with U.S. or foreign laws, regulations and standards
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Purchasing
Decision-Making
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Consultant
Trade
Association
Bank
Non-profit
Federal
government agency or program
State
government
They
had the best qualifications, expertise, and reputation
They
were low cost compared to the value of services provided
We
were not aware of other organizations that provided this type
of service
They
understood our industry or market
We
had a personal connection, or previous experience with this
organization
We
found them on the Web
We
found them by asking around, getting recommendations/referrals
We
saw them mentioned in a publication – article or
advertising
We
met them at a seminar, conference or tradeshow
We
already knew them
They
found us through a cold call, direct mail or networking
Other
or can’t remember
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Awareness
and Positioning
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Their
qualifications and expertise were impressive
They
had specific services we needed, such as matchmaking or market
research
Their
services were low or no cost
They
understood our industry or market
They
were recommended by a trusted source or another company
We
had a personal connection or previous experience with them
We
were unaware of the U.S. Commercial Service
We
didn’t understand how they could help us
We
don’t need outside assistance in international sales
They
don’t understand our business or industry
They
are too bureaucratic or unresponsive
They
don’t have the required expertise
Their
Web site was not helpful
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Need
for Outside Services
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What
is the most important area where you need outside help to grow
your international business? (Open ended, answers to be coded)
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