World TradeWinds

MBITA and the California Trade Partners (CTP) grovesite.com/page.asp?o=tradeport&s=collaborator&p=welcome six months ago launched the TradePort Collaborator, a statewide intranet for California's trade promotion and economic development community. Please see article at www.mbita.org/news/n_131/index.html

Discussions are now being held on how the TradePort Collaborator can be replicated as a communication and administration tool for the unique trade promotion culture of another country. This concept would then provide the basis for virtual trade offices for the State of California where standard online tools could be shared between business communities in California and other countries.

Stay tuned for further developments on this innovative initiative!

MBITA New Member:

The California-based Manufacturers' Agents National Association (MANA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping develop mutually profitable relationships and ethical standards of behavior among multi-line professional sales representatives, the manufacturers they represent and their joint customers. They do this, primarily through a major emphasis on education, by providing a number of resources that are very helpful to both agents and manufacturers, such as seminar programs, contract guidelines, periodicals, business counseling and many others. They also help manufacturers find agents through an on-line directory of their 4,000 member agencies or through a classified ad program in Agency Sales magazine or on their website at www.manaonline.org.

While originally an American association, it now has members from all over the globe. About 60% of their manufacturers' agent members represent at least one foreign principal. International trade is very much a part of MANA's current strategic plan.

Outsourcing the sales function to a professional sales company is
an alternative to having direct salespeople on the payroll and offers a number of advantages. By representing multiple, complementary product lines that do not compete, professional sales companies can offer multiple solutions to customers' problems, thus becoming more valuable to the customer who deals with a single trusted source for many of their needs. These outsourced sales companies are paid a commission on the orders they bring in to the companies they represent and cover all their own business expenses. Although they are independent businesses, they are very much an interdependent part of the sales process.

Education is a major part of MANA's mission because working with a professional sales company is very different than working with direct sales people. Without the proper knowledge, the business relationship does not develop as expected, resulting in lost opportunity costs for both parties and an incorrect belief about the validity of the outsourced sales process. When done correctly in a 'Partners in Profits' mode, the results will far exceed expectations.

MANA's management is made up of former manufacturers' agents and manufacturing executives. Joe Miller, CEO/President is a former general manager of a Fortune 500 division and professional sales company owner, Helen Degli-Angeli, Vice-President is a Certified Professional Manufacturers' Representative (CPMR), Jay Ownby, Manager of Strategic Alliances and Jerry Leth, Manager of Membership both also owned their own professional sales companies. George Hayward of United Sales Agents, a MANA member is the volunteer Manager of International Relations.

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MBITA welcomes its strategic partner Colbell International, Inc. as new member. Headquartered in the Silicon Valley, Colbell International is an US based offshore outsourcing company, with Offshore Development Centers and Labs in Asia. Colbell International was founded by a group of elite IT and networking professionals previously working in the Silicon Valley and East Coast of the United States and with Asian origin.

For Colbell, offshore outsourcing is a strategic business partnership.It is about offshore outsourcing strategy, business process improvement, good planning, quality software development, customer satisfaction and ongoing partnership.

Therefore, Colbell International is more than just an offshore outsourcing services provider. We want to help you improve your business processes and meet your critical business objectives. With our unique US-managed Global Delivery Model, strong technical expertise and domain knowledge, world-class software professional teams, and strategic alliances with industry experts, we are well positioned to exceptionally focus on our customers to meet their growth and strategic business objectives.

To read more about the MBITA/Colbell strategic partnership visit the MBITA Newsletter Issue 132

Contact:

Frank Zeng
Colbell International, Inc.
10302 Terry Way
Cupertino, CA 95014
Phone: (408) 203-8210
Fax: (408) 252-1919
Web: www.colbell.com
E-Mail: info@colbell.com

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MBITA and TradePort will participate in the ‘Building Competitive Advantage In the Global Market - U.S.A. and Spain’ conference at Harvard University.

May 14-17, 2006
Cambridge, Boston, MA

By Marisa del Pozo
Executive Program Director

It is my pleasure to introduce you to the 'BUILDING COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IN THE GLOBAL MARKET: USA & SPAIN' conference. This annual Executive Development Program for Spanish and American entrepreneurs and managers interested in promoting business opportunities between Spain and the United States will be held at the Harvard Faculty Club , (Cambridge, MA) from May 14-17, 2006.

The Program targets American and Spanish managers currently working in both markets or who would like to explore opportunities in either country. It is specifically designed to help an elite group of business executives to understand the privileges of doing business in either market, building and sustaining competitive advantage and managing the innovation process in the global market.

The Program offers a unique setting on the campus of Harvard University to exchange ideas on global management techniques, research, business and marketing networking opportunities, cross-cultural understanding, partnership development and joint academic projects. This structure is beneficial not only for the participants but also provides valuable feedback and resources for invited guests in their business and/or academic fields.

Companies looking to expand in the American and Spanish market will have a unique opportunity to network with others companies which in turn will encourage and promote unique cross-cultural business relationships. Participants will be a step ahead of the competition. They will discover areas of difference in concepts and practices for communicating effectively in both markets and they will be enabled to outperform for their organizations through superior problem-solving, decision-making and leadership skills.

This Executive Program will provide a framework for effective conflict resolution between the American and Spanish market.

Background Information

The U.S. and Spain have several things in common. The U.S. and Spain have almost a similar size Spanish-speaking population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau the Spanish-speaking population in U.S. is 40 million (www.activefilings.com )( www.sagarpa.gob.mx/sdr/evets/expobc.htm) . The population of Spain is currently 44 million. Together, we share cultural values and educational values, political issues and economic growth.

Historically, the U.S. and Spain have been closely linked and we should take advantage of this relationship.

The presence of American and Spanish businesses in both countries has positively impacted their companies' growth and enhanced their leadership ability in the industrialized world during the past few years. The entrepreneurship of American and Spanish business people has opened these two markets to international business opportunities.

The Spanish market is attractive to foreign investment. The country has well-developed infrastructure. Spain is a modern nation comparable to any other European country, but it has the advantage of being less expensive. From a company's perspective, investing in Spain offers both economic and political stability, as well as strategic positioning for entry into the E.U. marketplace.

For further information about this event and a SPECIAL MBITA DISCOUNT FOR THIS CONFERENCE please contact the MBITA office at 831-335-4780.

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Global California - Doorstep to the World conference

Jim Faith, Program Director of GlobalCalifornia.org speaking at the podium.

Over 28 presenters from all facets of global trade and investment addressed opportunities, challenges proposin solutions to the serious challenges facing California businesses in the global marketplace.

You can view all of the PowerPoint presentations from the ‘Global California – Doorstep to the World’ conference at www.tradeport.org/news/index.html. Please contact the MBITA office for details about ‘Global California – Summer Edition’ to be held this summer in Southern California.

MBITA Luncheon
Exporting to China (Standards and Sustainable Development)

Trade with China was the focus of the latest MBITA luncheon 'The Challenges of Exporting to China: Standards and Sustainable Development', held in Monterey on February 21 and co-sponsored by the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS).

Several industry sectors and public sector representatives, including the Vice Mayor of the Government of Changsha City and his delegates, enjoyed the presentations.

Randy Kritkausky, President of ECOLOGIA, an international nonprofit organization promoting sustainable development, discussed the role that standards play in trade and sustainability with China and outlined opportunities to develop new markets with the creative use of standards.

Grace Chen, International Compliance Manager for EMC Compliance Management Group (ECMG), spoke about the China Compulsory Certification (CCC) mark, which is mandatory for the Chinese marketplace.

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Please go to MBITA newsletter archives to see other MBITA Members profiles and visit MBITA's Export Promotion Services.