Selling to Mexico seminar will be held Aug. 10

The INCubator will host a seminar on the benefits of exporting your company's goods to Mexico on Friday, Aug. 10 from 8:30 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Mexico is one of the strongest buyers of U.S. products and services. In 2011, U.S. exports to Mexico totaled $198 billion, making Mexico the No. 2 export market for U.S. products in the world. International economists estimate that Mexico will become the seventh-largest economy in the world by 2020. Mexico’s close proximity and deep ties to the U.S. economy make it a natural export market, and this seminar will emphasize the language and culture barriers that you will need to overcome to take advantage of these facts.

Deputy Senior Commercial Officer Stephen Alley from the U.S. Embassy in Mexico and the U.S. Department of Commerce and high-caliber trade professionals will speak about the business climate, sectors of opportunity, logistics and financing options when exporting to Mexico at the seminar.  

Officials will also discuss how to find distributors and marketing partners in Mexico; how to manage those distributors and marketing partners for sales success; the best options on how to secure payment from Mexican buyers; international shipping terms and how they apply to Mexico; the best practices in clearing customs and the risks of detention; and an overview of the Mexican economy and the future of the peso.

Any staff involved in international sales, finance, shipping and documentation, and management may benefit from this seminar, organizers said.

Other speakers include John C. Gurney, senior vice president of the International Department at First Tennessee Bank; Martha Taylor Fischer, manager of John S. James Company; and Robert Leach, director of the Knoxville-U.S. Export Assistance Center for the U.S. Department of Commerce.