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on creating a website and locating a potentialdistributor in Germany.The SolutionThe U.S. Commercial Service in Birmingham,Alabama, heard about Alignment Simple Solutionsthrough the Alabama Alliance—a collaborationof the local U.S. Commercial Service, State ofAlabama Commerce Department, large cityChambers of Commerce through the state, and theSmall Business Development Center.U.S. Commercial Service Trade Specialist NeldaSegars and the Small Business DevelopmentCenter provided export counseling and guidanceon globalizing the company’s website. Tess wasalso encouraged to join an Alabama Departmentof Commerce trade mission to Bremen, Germany.During the mission, she met several prospectivedistributors through prescreened meetingsarranged by the U.S. Commercial Service at theU.S. Embassy, as well as introductions made by theAlabama Department of Commerce.“As a result of this overall assistance andnew resources and contacts, we developedan enhanced export strategy and within afew months had made sales to more than 30countries,” Tess reports. “We also established afoothold in Germany from where we made newsales to the United Kingdom, Finland, and Norway.”Tess says Europe is a particularly good marketbecause they love cars and keep them forever,and that consumer spending tends to be tighterin Europe than the United States, which bodeswell for the company’s product because it’sso inexpensive.Alignment Simple Solutions now exports to morethan 75 countries, including Panama, Costa Rica,Japan, South Korea, and Thailand, with exportsaccounting for about 10 percent of total sales.Lessons Learned“Without risk, there is no reward. The majority ofbuyers are outside of the United States. Take thatleap of faith and establish relationships with folksearly on to mitigate risk.“Know the consumer market you are selling to, asit may be different than in the United States. Forexample, in the United States, our major marketare males age 40–65 years who don’t use a lot ofsocial media. But in Japan, our target audienceis much younger, and they use social media andenjoy modifying their cars.“Consumers in many parts of Europe have highlevels of disposable income, so there’s lots ofdifferent opportunities for different industries.‘Made-in-the-USA’ name brands sell well, evenin Germany. The population of Europe is lesshomogeneous than in the United States, andpeople don’t carry as much debt.“Find out what overseas regulations might applyto your product. For example, since our producthas electronics, the European Union regulationsrequire that we have an end-user game plan fordisposal at the end-of-product life cycle.“Early on, talk with your local U.S. CommercialService office and other contacts at the federaland state level.“Take advantage of the many trade showsavailable through the U.S. Department ofCommerce, including those in Germany. There’ssomething for just about every business.“Germany is an excellent springboard for makingsales throughout the region, but before you sell toany country, go over there and talk to people.“Get on board with trade missions and explorethe possibility of grants; that’s how I was able toparticipate in the trade mission to Germany.”Success Story: Alignment Simple Solutions155