Northern Feather tickled by Middle East sales success
EMC’s Simon Partridge has confounded all expectations by opening up a lucrative export market to the Middle East for Ireland’s leading producer of natural and synthetic duvets and pillows, Northern Feather.
Sales of the company’s high quality products in the Middle East are expected to be close to 200,000 Euros in Simon’s first year of operations with the County Mayo business.
The results have delighted Northern Feather sales director Neil Mooney who said: “I would gladly recommend this service to any company looking to enter new markets or build existing turnover. “We have received substantial orders from a trip to the Middle East. Turnover from these customers will be between 150,000 and 200,000 Euros in the first year, and we would hope to double these figures in the second year.”
Simon was contracted by Northern Feather in September to develop its export markets in Europe and the Middle East.
He has recently started work in France and Holland, with both markets “looking extremely promising for next year” according to Neil Mooney. Simon, who joined EMC last year to offer additional strategic sales and marketing direction to companies wanting top-level sales skills on an interim or part-time basis, is not surprised by his Middle East success with Northern Feather.
All it needs, he said, is a willingness by companies to be more outward looking.
He added: “The world is getting smaller. The internet’s global communications and ever-increasing travel brings us all closer together. And yet a lot of companies resist international trade, missing out on considerable turnover and profit. As a nation we are far too UK-focused. Look up, look out; there is a world full of potential customers.”
Simon has extensive experience of selling in the Middle East whose booming and cash-rich markets provide the perfect antidote to the west’s current oil problems.But he warned that it’s imperative that you know what you’re doing.
“You can’t just dip your toe in the water hoping things will work out. There will be sharks waiting to bite lumps out of your business,” he said. “Perhaps the most important issue to consider is actually being certain that you will get paid.
“With a wealth of experience in this area, EMC will eliminate most of those risks. For example, we will use secure methods of payment and experts will be there to manage the project from beginning to end.”
Simon added: “Even if you’re not looking to conquer the world right now, we can help on a project basis. For companies already exporting, we can offer a review of performance and recommend improvements if necessary. Critically, we can help you achieve your goals.
“For the new exporter, we can deal with a given number of defined markets. Or we can assess the potential of your business and help you decide which markets to penetrate first. We don’t just write reports, we act upon them and bring in lucrative business.”