The Opportunities NB (ONB) Export Development team is, under normal circumstances, busy preparing for in-market activities such as trade missions, trade shows, accelerator programs, and conferences. With COVID-19 altering everything about the way we do business, however, we have altered the way we support our many exporting companies.
Just like New Brunswick businesses, we recognize that in the face of this global pandemic, it is essential to remain agile and pivot to new business models when possible. We like to call it Export Development 2.0.
We have already outlined the broad strokes of the ONB Export Development team’s response to helping companies in a post-COVID-19 world. Today, we look at how to deal with the new reality of a business world with far less in-person interaction.
Recognizing the value of face-to-face interactions when doing business, how is ONB helping New Brunswick companies adapt to a more digital/virtual environment?
COVID-19 has changed the way we all do business, both in the short and long-terms. However, we do not feel that trade shows are going away permanently. In fact, we believe face-to-face connections will always be made and always be valuable for business development and for networking purposes. What we are doing now is building our tool kit to complement traditional in-person activities once they inevitably resume. We are now looking for new and innovative digital tools that are best suited for our companies and their B2B interactions, and we will facilitate those interactions as much as possible.
We have a vested interest in making sure our companies are prepared to undertake sales in a virtual manner. Coaching, training, and support will ensure our participating companies have professional digital media assets like great websites, short videos, product shoots, social media, etc.
We are building out training programs with our many partners to make companies aware of virtual selling strategies, presentation skills they need, innovative virtual technologies they can deploy, various e-commerce channels and operational changes they will need to make, and how to effectively market themselves in a virtual world.
Finally, along with our New Brunswick trade partners at ACOA and DAAF, we are enhancing our financial support to provide an incentive for eligible companies to develop their digital strategies and to start doing more business online.
We are really gearing up to help companies in every sector acquire the skills and tools needed to do business in an increasingly online world and facilitate business development opportunities with buyers from around the world.
For more information contact our Export Development Team directly.
Be sure to visit ONB’s COVID-19 resource page for more information on how our team can help.