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The New Market Exporter Initiative

What is it?

During his 2010 State of the Union Address, President Obama called for a National Export Initiative (NEI), a broad federal strategy to increase American exports.  The White House is looking to the Department of Commerce, particularly the International Trade Administration (ITA), to help lead the NEI.  Under this initiative, ITA will strengthen its efforts to promote exports from SMEs, help monitor countries’ compliance with U.S. free trade agreements and other international trade agreements, fight to eliminate barriers to sales of U.S. products, and improve the international competitiveness of U.S. firms.  In addition, the President’s FY11 budget request includes an increase in funding for the U.S. Commercial Service (CS) to help implement NEI activities. 

Specifically, President Obama called on the country to double the number of U.S. exports in 5 years in order to support 2 million new jobs as part of the NEI.  One of ITA’s strategies to achieve this is through the New Market Exporter Initiative (NMEI), which targets Strategic Partners’ current customers who are exporting goods and services abroad in order to help them expand their reach to additional international markets.

Purpose?

To leverage Strategic Partners of the International Trade Administration’s U.S. Commercial Service – such as FedEx, UPS, and the U.S. Postal Service – to identify their customers who sell to at least one international market and help those customers expand to additional markets.

Why?

On average, approximately fifty-eight percent (58%) of all U.S. exporters only sell to one market overseas.  By focusing resources on these U.S. small- and medium-sized companies who already have knowledge of exporting, we increase the opportunity to have the largest impact. 

How?

In partnership with the International Trade Administration’s U.S. Commercial Service, participating strategic partners have a customized plan to:

  1. Analyze their sales data to identify which of their customers already export to at least one market.  
  2. Train their sales staff on government resources for exporting including the U.S. Commercial Service.
  3. Create a marketing campaign to attract target companies and promote trade.
  4. Develop strategies, with the U.S. Commercial Service, on how to assist these companies in entering new markets.
  5. Track Results including the aggregate number of companies marketed to and who sell to additional markets.

Visit Export.gov for more information on the Strategic Partnership Program.

Download this document in PDF format.

National Export Initaitive Information

Special Edition of International Trade Update on the Second Anniversary of the National Export Initiative

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