As Chris Machut explained in this report for NorfolkTV, Netarus develops wireless camera systems for heavy equipment. This allows heavy equipment operators and managers to be able to see areas that they normally couldn’t due to obstructions, distance, blind spots, or other issues. Chris is the Chief Technology Officer for Netarus, who recently attended the ExporTech national export program in Norfolk, Virginia. This program helps manufacturers build their international sales and develop a strategy for export growth within 90 days. They do this by working with a team of universities and economic development organizations.
When asked how Netarus developed and built their overseas client base, Chris shared that it was mainly created through demand from the Netarus website. Companies that had a need for products such as Netarus’ HoistCam camera system would usually conduct a Google search and be lead to Netarus. For example, someone may type in “wireless camera system for my tower crane,” and be lead right to the Netarus site. Often, the Netarus site would be at the top of the results list, driving customers from such places as Peru, the UK, Israel, Singapore. Chris admits that at this point, Netarus knew nothing about international business, and often experienced language issues in the beginning.
Chris also shares that one of the biggest challenges Netarus faced when dealing with overseas customers was payment terms. “Here in the US common in business is to get Net10, Net 30, Net60 payment terms. You deliver something to somebody and then they cut you a check back…. When you’re selling internationally, there’s not a lot of recourse. If you send something internationally, and your customer doesn’t want to pay, how are you going to find an attorney to do collections?” Chris shares how he learned about federal assistance in setting up international payment systems. When asked if he would go through ExporTech again, Chris nodded and said, “Absolutely. Good program.”
You can watch this interview here: