Construction Industry Offers Training Programme to Build International Business

Winning construction contracts abroad

The Construction Employers Federation has teamed up with Suzanne Hill of Handel Export Consulting to deliver a training programme on conducting business overseas.  The course which starts on the 29 September 2010 will provide 15 individuals from the construction industry, with an opportunity to explore how business principles should be applied in different markets.

Mark Browne from the Construction Employer’s Federation explains the importance of building skills in this area:

 “The local construction industry has been severely affected by the recession, and has experienced a greater fall than at any time since the early 1980s.   In order for construction companies to maintain their cash flow and sustain employment, they are looking to markets that are experiencing growth and investigating opportunities that exist.”

However, this can be a daunting challenge.  Mark Browne adds:

 “Having conducted informal research with our members we recognised that they feel this is a daunting task.  So, with support funding provided by CITB ConstructionSkills and the assistance of Suzanne Hill of Handel Export, we sought to develop a programme that would take participants through the practical steps of conducting business overseas.

“Suzanne has over 16 year’s international sales, marketing and business development experience and has worked on the ground in 55 world markets. She has assisted some 60 companies from Northern Ireland and beyond to successfully build business in international markets. Suzanne has a strong record in the construction sector and formerly worked as International Business Manager for Brett Martin Ltd.”

The eight day programme which runs over a four month period, kicks off with a session themed around ‘Getting Ready for Export’. This is followed by insights into ‘Researching Your Market’, ‘Planning Your Campaign’, ‘Selling Overseas’, ‘Communications and PR’, ‘Finalising Your Plan’ and ‘Selling in different world regions’.  Depending on companies’ geographical areas of interest the last session may focus on Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Middle East or Asia.

Commenting on the content of the programme Suzanne Hill said:

“Companies can often assume that if the quality of their product or service is of a sufficiently high calibre, the value of it will be recognised, and therefore the need for any supporting activity is minimised.  However, in my experience, if due attention has not been given to the nuances of the market within which you intend to operate, you will encounter problems that can prove to be extremely expensive. When beginning to look at building business overseas, many companies can fail to dedicate enough time to preparation and finding out as much about their target market as possible before investing time and effort on the ground. They also often fail to recognise that once they take their business international, it requires them to really step up a gear throughout every business process in order to be able to compete effectively at a global level.

“At the end of this programme participants will be able to understand and apply the steps required to prepare for exporting; apply skills in an international context; understand client requirements in various overseas markets and compete at an international level.”

For further information on the business improvement programme log onto www.cefni.co.uk or contact Handel Export on 028 9092 3378.