Gold key: a custom fit for a business traveler - Gold Key export service of the United States Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration

Business America, July 1, 1991

Do you want a custom fit when you go overseas looking for customers, agents, or business partners? Look into the Gold Key Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce, which provides representatives of U.S. small- and medium-sized firms traveling abroad with individual attention to make their visits as profitable as possible. It is offered by the Department's U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service (US&FCS) in more than 20 overseas posts. The service customizes a personal single-company "trade mission" at a reasonable price. Trade specialists design an agenda of meetings, screen and select the right companies, arrange meetings with key people, and go with U.S. representatives to ensure that no unforeseen difficulties occur.

The service offers U.S. firms two major advantages which make it an outstanding investment: business contacts and time saving. It guarantees a U.S. firm four pre-screened appointments per day at foreign companies with key decision-makers-people who have already indicated an interest in its products.

A U.S. firm using the Gold Key Service is able to make the most efficient use of its time in a foreign country. A company representative won't have to worry about sitting in a hotel room trying to guess who are the right people to contact, or talking to a secretary who doesn't speak English, or determining if the person he or she has finally contacted is really the decision-maker, or spending a great deal of time on an activity that is very active but has no substance. The Gold Key Service takes all the guesswork and anxiety out of doing business in the country.

The service takes care of other important details as well. A trade specialist from the U.S. Embassy accompanies the U.S. company representative to the meeting to provide translation services. The embassy provides transportation and can make hotel reservations at a reduced rate for the client.

At the beginning of the Gold Key Service relationship, a trade specialist at the embassy conducts telephone consultations with the company to determine its objectives. The company sends the trade specialist literature on its products. The trade specialist then identifies local buyers, agents, distributors, or potential partners.

After doing this research, the trade specialist contacts the local firms to make appointments appropriate to the U.S. company's interests. The trade specialist briefs the firm on the best sales methods to use; sits with the U.S. businesspersons at meetings, helping them avoid problems with the language or cultural miscommunications; and offers advice, as requested. After the meeting, he helps devise the most effective follow-up strategy.

The U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service post in Paris reports: "We have found the Gold Key to be an excellent vehicle for virtually any American firm that intends to visit France to meet potential French agents, distributors, joint-venture partners, or even customers or clients. We have handled all kinds of products and a variety of services."

US&FCS Paris continues: "The object of the program is to ensure the American firm has access to the right people before actually making the trip to France. It eliminates the downtime that would result if the American firm arrived here and then tried to start making appointments from cold calls. "

US&FCS Madrid calls the Gold Key Service "an ideal means for entering the Spanish market ... It is highly effective for direct export sales, agent/distributor search, selection of licensees, and/or familiarization with the intricacies of the Spanish market." US&FCS/ Spain has averaged 40 Gold Keys a year and claims 100 percent effectiveness in meeting the objectives of the U.S. businesspersons who have used the service.

US&FCS Warsaw, which began offering the service in July 1990, reports that the program makes it much easier for U.S. firms to get started in Poland.

The Gold Key Service is priced economically. It ranges from $150 to $500 the first day. After the first day, the cost varies with the post.

The Gold Key Service is available at the U.S. embassies in Athens, Bangkok, Brussels, Buenos Aires, Casablanca, Guatemala, Helsinki, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Lisbon, London, Madrid, Mexico, Nairobi, New Delhi, Oslo, Paris, Rome, San Jose, Seoul, Sydney (and all Australian posts) and Warsaw. Some of these embassies offer similar services under a different name; for example, it is called the "Crossed Flags" program in Italy and "Rep-Find" in Mexico.

For more information on the Gold Key Service, contact a district office of the Commerce Department's US&FCS (see inside back cover for a listing), or the commercial officers at the embassies mentioned above.