SBEA members to have exclusive access to new source of trade leads in Mexico

SBEA members will soon have exclusive access to a new source of trade leads in Mexico. That’s one of the benefits which will flow from a recent agreement between SBEA, the oldest and largest association of smaller exporters in the U.S. and Canacintra, Mexico’s leading business association. Nearly all of Canacintra’s 37,000 members purchase goods and services from the U.S. (At present, U.S. trade with Mexico is about $1 billion a day.) To facilitate sales by SBEA members to Canacintra members, SBEA is developing three initiatives:

a) A system that will e-mail registered SBEA members each time a Canacintra member is seeking the kinds of products that these SBEA members sell. Our system is being developed for us by an Internet services provider with extensive experience in B-to-B marketing. It will be available as an SBEA membership exclusive.

b) A new Working Group on Capitol Hill to help smooth out any legal obstacles to trade and promote the SBEA-Canacintra connection. The Working Group is headed by Rep. Don Manzullo (R-IL), Chairman of the House Small Business Committee and Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-CA). It also includes Rep. Henry Bonilla (R-TX) and Rep. Réuben Hinojosa (D-TX), as well as officials from the Export-Import Bank of the United States, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, the Small Business Administration, SBEA and Canacintra. At present, the Working Group is focusing on strengthening export financing options for SBEA members selling to Mexico and on scheduling events in the Congressional Districts of the group’s leaders.

c) Offering SBEA members new ways to finance their exports to Mexico. Many buyers in Mexico lack access to affordable financing for their purchases of U.S. products. In addition to our work with the Capitol Hill group, SBEA is helping private sector vendors develop new financing packages for sales by U.S. small businesses to Mexico.

For more information on sales to Canacintra members in Mexico, contact the SBEA office.