Summary of How Mr. Uday Started His Tiles Export Business to Oman | iiiEM Export Success Story | EXIMPreneur

Summary

The video features Uday, an exporter from Morbi, Gujarat, who shares his journey of starting and growing his tiles export business, Atlas International, focusing on ceramic, vitrified, and project tiles. Uday highlights the strategic approach he and his partner Vinod used to find and secure buyers in international markets like Oman, Qatar, Germany, and Ethiopia.

Main Financial Strategies and Business Trends:

Export Market Potential: Uday emphasizes the advantage of exporting over local sales due to the vast global market (195+ countries) offering greater growth opportunities.
Product Focus: Specializing in tiles from Morbi, the hub of India’s tile industry, leveraging local manufacturing strengths.
Customized Products: Offering digital printing on tiles to meet specific buyer requirements, adding value and differentiation.
Advance Payment: Collecting advance payments before sending samples or shipments to reduce financial risk.
Target Market Selection: Focus on emerging and high-potential markets like the Middle East (large real estate demand), Africa (growing markets), and selective European countries (Germany).

Market Analysis and Buyer Identification Methodology:

Embassy Outreach: Contacted about 40 embassies and their commercial wings to find buyers, receiving limited responses.
Digital Research: Used Google, Google Maps, and social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook) to identify potential buyers such as importers, wholesalers, distributors, and showrooms.
Data Extraction: Employed tools like Google Map Scraper to collect contact details of over 4000 potential buyers across 50 countries, organized in Excel sheets.
Filtering and Follow-up: Sent company profiles and product photos to these contacts over six months, narrowing down to 4-5 serious buyers from about 1300 engaged contacts.
Buyer Segmentation: Divided marketing responsibilities geographically between Uday (Europe, USA, Middle East) and Vinod (Africa).

Step-by-Step Guide to Finding Buyers:

Mail embassies and commercial wings with company profiles.
Use Google Maps and social media to identify and extract contact details of potential buyers.
Organize contacts in an Excel sheet using scraping tools.
Send personalized messages and product catalogs to potential buyers.
Follow up persistently for 6-8 months to build trust and convert leads.
Offer customized digital printing on tiles to meet buyer needs.
Secure advance payments before dispatching samples or shipments.
Participate in trade exhibitions to build face-to-face relationships and trust.
Leverage local exhibitions if international travel is not feasible.

Key Business Insights:

Patience and persistence are critical in building trust with international buyers.
Customized products and good quality are essential to maintain long-term buyer relationships.
Direct communication and follow-up are more effective than relying solely on digital or embassy contacts.
Attending trade exhibitions significantly boosts networking and credibility.
Experience and knowledge about the product and market grow with ongoing interactions and problem-solving.

Presenters and Sources:

Uday Ji – Exporter and founder of Atlas International.
Vinod Bhai – Uday’s business partner handling African markets.
Tripti Shah – Host and representative of iiiEM Coaching Centre.
iiiEM Coaching Centre – Provided export training and ongoing support.