International trade documents open the door to new sales opportunities
By Laura D'Alessandro
In an industry that by all accounts seems to be shrinking by the minute, TFP Data Systems, Oxnard, Calif., has discovered a market that is virtually untapped by forms distributors.
The international trade market offers a bevy of new sales opportunities for distributors in search of new products.
International trade documents are forms used to facilitate the function of transporting goods into or out of the United States.
The majority of these forms are government mandated by either the Department of Commerce or the Treasury Department.
According to TFP, billions of dollars worth of products are traded internationally each year. Foreign trade increases are in excess of 25 percent annually. Any company importing or exporting products must use one or more of these forms.
Despite recent economic problems in Asia and government-mandated electronic forms policies, distributors have unlimited potential in this market, according to Jeff Hallstrom, regional sales manager.
Until now, there was no wholesale source for these forms. Distributors had to either custom run or buy from a direct manufacturer.
TFP currently stocks many of the government-compliant forms re-quired for international trade in its six locations--Oxnard; Madison, Fla.; St. Paul, Minn.; Mechanicsburg, Pa.; Waco, Texas; and Tacoma, Wash.
By warehousing the forms regionally, TFP offers 24-hour turnaround on quantities from as few as 500.
Orders placed by 2 p.m. local time are shipped the same day.
In addition, distributors can place orders and access their accounts online at the company's Web site, www.tfpdata.com.
Hallstrom noted that distributors interested in breaking into this market don't need to learn the intricacies of international trade.
"It's just like anything else," he said. "You don't need to be an expert, you just need to ask the customer what he's using."