Sell South Africa exporters told

The winds of change will hopefully be blowing toward Africa for local exporters after an inspiring earful from top exporter and motivational speaker Mark Mead, who gave a Presentation on "Selling into Africa" at the Point yacht Club last week.

Mead grew up in England and emigrated to South Africa where he now runs a successful export business with a client base of only African countries.

"I grew up in England but have lived in South Africa for most of my life; this country is my home. In my opinion there are a lot of people out there who view Africa negatively as a continent torn by war and instability. But I have experienced another Africa that is extremely positive, with immense potential for growth.

'A lot of South African businesses don't like to go into Africa because of negative thinking, but Africa is unique and if you offer a service the potential is unlimited. The bottom line is, this is where business is today. Africa is not for the faint‑hearted, it's competitive and you have to put yourself out there.

"I'd rather do business where the countries are two and three hours away by aeroplane and if something goes wrong you're just around the corner," said Mead.

He said a reason for South African companies' reluctance to export to Africa was the state of the rand.

"In South Africa we've become so accustomed to a currency that is constantly weakened that it is now difficult to escape this comfort zone and adopt a more positive attitude towards the rand. Could it be that exporters are now the losers of the massive appreciation of 2001 and importers and consumers are getting their own back?

"A lot of people say export is tough but it's not. A strong rand is just the same as a weak one, in my opinion. My company is doing more business on a stronger rand. Price is only part of the equation, it's about the bigger picture. In my opinion, 15% of any export market is price related and 85 % is about brand awareness and service.

"Exporters are the future of this country because we generate growth. We must realise that South Africa is striving to be a global free‑market economy," said Mead.

According to the Department of Trade and Industry, South African exports to Africa between January and June this year amounted to R22.6 billion, accounting for 16.2% Or total export trade. Exports to Europe and America in the same period accounted for 46 % of our exports valued at R75 billion.

Mead said that a lot of local companies failed in Africa because they were too greedy and wanted to make quick profits.

"If you want to make a success of your business in Africa you must do business with customers who build on the foundation of social responsibility and ensure that you and your customer share rewards," said Mead.

He also advised companies to use reputable transporters who had a good relationship with clearing/freight agents at border posts and to ensure that they had fully fledged export departments that specialised in export/transport transactions. He said they should be sure to keep copies of all export documents.

 Latoya Newman