Exporting is a long-term and stable process and consists of seven important stages.

1- Establishment of Foreign Trade Department:

The foreign trade department of the company is one of the most challenging departments in terms of acquiring costly and qualified manpower. For a new export company, the foreign trade department should be organized as follows:

Foreign Trade Manager: Has responsibilities such as determining department targets, developing strategies, and managing and supervising the lower level. Foreign Trade Sales and Marketing Specialist: Focuses on basic tasks such as developing relations with customers abroad and finding new customers. Foreign Trade Operations Specialist: Undertakes duties such as providing the necessary documents for export and ensuring coordination between logistics and production. This structure is sufficient for small and medium-sized companies. However, as the export volume increases, a separate “Foreign Trade Officer” should be assigned for each region, and operations should be separated in areas such as logistics, customs and order tracking.

2- Feasibility Analysis:

Following are the things to be done after the establishment of the foreign trade department:

Completing the corporate identity of the company: Making transactions such as web page arrangements, logo and brand studies. Analysis of the firm’s capacity situation: Analyzing resources such as production amount, financial structure, cash flow, raw material supply. Determining the company’s short, medium and long-term expectations and determining whether it needs financing and other resources other than existing resources.

3- Target Market Selection and Preparation:

One of the most important mistakes is not identifying the target markets that should be focused on instead of trying to sell to the whole world.

Selection of target markets. Analyzing target markets in terms of demographic, social, political and economic factors.

4- Determination of Foreign Trade Strategy:

Determining short, medium and long-term strategies according to the determined target markets. Ensuring the compliance of licenses, standards, quality certificates and certifications in the target market. Making regulations on patents, trademarks and copyrights. Setting taxes, duties, fees, quotas and other trade barriers. Creating a price list. Finding financial resources. Organizing fairs. Analyzing the market structure by determining distribution channels.

5- Finding Customers:

Identifying potential buyers and communicating with customers. Submission of price offers. Realization of the sale.

6- Actual Export Stage:

Depending on the payment method, finalizing the payment, making the production, performing the loading and preparing the loading documents. Carrying out the insurance related to the shipment covering the risks of the exporter.

7- After Export:

Maintaining customer relations, performing routine fair and customer visits. Although these stages usually represent a sequence that is followed, in some cases they may overlap or differ. A company that wants to export should take steps by considering these stages and achieve long-term success and profitability.