Did you know:
- Over 70% of Quebec’s exports go to the United States and the majority, to NY State?
- 4500 Quebec companies do business in the US?
- New York is only a 1 hour flight from Montreal?
This is exactly what Jean-Claude Lauzon, the Delegate General of Quebec in New York, said at a dinner conference entitled “The United States, our largest trading partner in the world”, organized by the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations (MCOFR) on February 22nd . He also added: “A customer this size (the United States) is a major customer. (The US market) is a big part of our bread and butter. ”
So why did Quebec exports decrease by approximately 10 billion dollars a year between 2004 and 2014? Who’s at fault? The value of the Canadian dollar perhaps? The Great Recession? US protectionist policies (the ‘Buy America’ clause)? Competition from emerging economies? Mr.Lauzon is categorical: “These are excuses. The main reason is that Quebec business people have not (given) enough attention to the US market; we’re not present there and don’t put enough effort into it. ”
Still, In 2015, Quebec exported a total of 60 billion dollars worth of goods and services to our southern neighbors, which was 6.2 billion more than in 2014. “This increase represents more than the total of Québec exports to China, the United Kingdom, France and Germany combined “, says Mr. Lauzon.
Exporting to our southern neighbors
Companies located here have amazing benefits. Not only are they North American by culture, but they have done business with the US for a long time and best of all, they are nearby! The rest of the world would love to be neighbors with the world’s largest economy, which forecasts a 2% growth in 2016. What could be better?
Don’t wait until your Canadian competitors, or others from elsewhere in the world, occupy the available space. They are already investing heavily to gain access to the American market. And what about us? We only have to take a 1 hour flight periodically and deliver the goods. Well, maybe it’s not quite as easy as that, but compared to other international competitors, we have a clear advantage.
So then, use your assets, get organized and export!
Start by doing your research and market validation, as part of your strategic planning . Create a good marketing plan, geared at the right targets, be sure to have a CRM in place and, do your monitoring (nurturing), be present at events organized by your prospects and, be prepared, have the appropriate material ready for your different contacts, customize your website; in short, you can reach your american market penetration targets. Ready, set & go!
You have what it takes to get yourself into the adventure of exporting, so what’s keeping you? Take the first step. Come and explore with us and see how we’ve helped local companies in this great exporting venture.
