Welcome to the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Recipe for Export Success, a tool to assist U.S. food, fish, fiber, and forest products companies to create their export marketing plan.

The best way to achieve export success is to formulate an export strategy based on solid information and sound assessments.

By carefully screening target markets or options for market entry, U.S. companies have better export opportunities. Good planning assures successful exporting, which encourages U.S. companies to continue to sell to other countries.

This brief tutorial is designed to guide U.S. food, fish, fiber, and forest product companies, new to exporting, through the information gathering and assessment process that is needed to develop a successful export plan or strategy.

Additional in-depth material is provided on the FAS Exporter Assistance Web site for companies who would like to develop a more complete understanding of developing an export plan.

By completing this tutorial you will have:

• A comprehensive understanding of the export planning process.
• A list of export planning resources that relate specifically to your needs.
• A concrete export plan to guide you and your company through the successful development of export markets.

This tutorial leads you through the process of developing an export plan for your company and the specific product, or products, that you want to export. The tutorial is divided into the following sections.

• Company
• Target Market
• Product
• Pricing
• Market Entry
• Action Plan

For each section, the tutorial provides a series of questions and an explanation of why their answers are important. Some questions you will choose not to answer because they may not relate to your particular situation, and you may need to formulate some questions that are pertinent to your unique situation. The goal is to help you determine the type of information you need to gather.

You will be able to answer many of the questions based on your knowledge of your company and product(s). Others will require you to use the list of resources and links furnished in the site. Want to see how the final export plan might look? The tutorial provides a sample export plan for "Export Cookies" that was created for a fictitious company called "Sweet Success" by using the resources provide in the site. The tutorial also contains a glossary of definitions for technical terms related to exporting.

The information in this tutorial can be valuable to anyone interested in exporting agricultural products. However, the tutorial is designed specifically for companies and individuals new to export marketing. The FAS Exporter Assistance site provides additional resources for more detailed questions or for more experienced exporters.

You will find this tutorial especially valuable if your company has passed FAS's "Are You Ready To Export?" test.

The tutorial will also be especially useful if you have an inquisitive mind, a sincere desire to help your company succeed in its long-range export efforts, and sufficient time to explore thoroughly the resources that the tutorial provides.

You can download an export plan template in Word format at FAS Exporter Assistance Export Basics at http://www.fas.usda.gov/agexport/exporter.html that you can use as a framework for your own plan. The template follows the format presented in this site.

If you load the template into your word processor, you can then switch back and forth between the template and your Web browser, where you will undertake most of your research. This will allow you to type notes and paste information from various Web sites into your template. In fact, you will be developing a skeleton of your company's export plan as you work your way through this tutorial.

An export plan is your "Recipe For Export Success." It is a well developed strategy for preparing your company, your product, and your marketing efforts to succeed in the export business.

As with good recipes, an export plan needs to include a specific, clear set of directions and to identify every step of the process. You may also need to modify your "recipe" a little, as you gain experience and examine your results.

In general, it can be said that an effective export plan:

• Is brief, to the point, and simple.
• Has specific goals and objectives.
• Is based on facts, not assumptions.
• Is developed systematically.
• Considers all options at each decision-making point.
• Has honestly described limitations, as well as strengths, in your business, your product, and your target market.

Effective export plans vary in formality, length, and style. These factors depend on how you use your export plan. Your plan may be a way to organize your own efforts. On the other hand, you may be writing your plan as part of your application for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Market Access Program (MAP) or to get a bank loan. You are the best judge of what you want your final plan to look like.

However, you should keep the first version of your export plan simple. It needs to be only a few pages, since important market data and planning elements may not be available. The initial planning effort itself will gradually generate more information and insight. As you learn more about exporting, and your company’s competitive position, the plan will become more detailed.

There are some general guidelines that can help you get the most out of your export plan:

• Track your actual accomplishments, budgets, and schedules against those you put in your plan.
• Compare the results of your actions with the objectives identified in your plan.
• Revise your plan as you get new information, gain new experience, and see actual results.
• All of these come down to one basic tip: make your export plan a flexible tool that works for you.