GTB Frequently Asked Questions
There are routine questions that our team is frequently asked. The more common questions are addressed here:
Are you a broker?
We are not a domestic food broker. We are an outsourced international marketing service. We act as the representing intermediary on behalf of our clients. The domestic producer and Global Trade Base is one entity to our international buyers.
Why do you charge a retainer to market products?
Our team of executive consultants market represented products directly to international buyers by physically meeting at their location. We only represent a few high quality products at a time to these buyers and diligently negotiate to create sales. There are significant expenses involved with these on-site visits in foreign countries and the level of expertise. We only work with companies who partner with us to offset the expenses. Additionally, we are worth it.
Will you provide references?
We will provide any third-party validation on our company (Dunn & Bradstreet, Wand, NEC, etc.) However, due to the nondisclosure agreements we have in place, no domestic client will be used as a reference. Additionally, no company would provide a bad reference if it existed and it would be too easy to provide a fraudulent reference that has no merit or value. In some instances we will announce public press releases with a mutual agreement between GTB and the client company after an amendment to the NDA has been approved.
Do you have a guarantee?
It is illegal to provide a guarantee on any 'future.' This applies to the sales of stocks, commodity futures and marketing. Our guarantee is that we are diligent in marketing for international sales as that is the core of our business. The one sure thing is that a company will not go international if they do not market internationally. We do have one marketing program available to those companies that qualify. This program is limited to a strict set of guidelines including shelf life and unit price. GTB will purchase a container of product if no sales take place within 18 months.
How long will a sale take?
We will know at the end of a trade mission if there is preliminary interest in any represented product. Typically, the foreign buyer will need additional samples, an evaluation and trial marketing period then potentially a small test order to validate the supplier's ability to perform. The average is six weeks for this to take place but, can go much longer depending on the target market, cultural customs and required penetration efforts.
What is your success rate?
Trade missions have had an average of an 80% interest level from the international buyers. We are very selective about the products that we will bring on to represent as our profitability as a company is dependent on actually completing transactions. If we do not deem a product to be viable in a target market, we will not bring them on as a client regardless of how willing they are to retain us. Our continued growth is evidence of our success.