The
United Arab Emirates is not a market most young exporters
would tackle first. But Amanah Tech Inc president Nezar Freeny
is not your average exporter, young or not. In the competitive
world of Web-based solutions, Freeny has carved out a definite
niche for his company. He's also discovered that the Canadian
and Saskatchewan governments are there to support his exporting
ventures. Freeny could, in fact, be a poster boy for
government export programs and services. The half dozen or so he
used in his first year of business alone paved the way for his
first two major contracts in the Arabian Gulf. And he's only just
begun.
|
Amanah
is...
Amanah is a Web based solutions company that provides a comprehensive range
of Web solutions, in English and Arabic, to clients in North America and
the Arabian Gulf. Amanah serves local start-up companies, Middle eastern-owned
businesses in North America, and companies in the Arabian Gulf for which
it specializes in providing Web hosting and domain name registration.
Service
Tailored for Overseas
How does a small IT company from Saskatchewan win, and keep Arabic speaking
customers on the other side of the world? By offering sales and support 24
hours a day, seven days a week, in their language. As for competition with
the U.S. companies that have traditionally served the Arabian Gulf region,
Amanah can supply the same service at a lower cost because "we're dealing
in Canadian dollars."
The
Strategy:
Making Contacts
Amanah’s first export contract –with the multi-billion-dollar Al Ghurair
Private Company in Dubai, U.A.E. – was the result of a precisely executed
export strategy to build a reputation in a region where “it’s who you know
before what you know." In fall 2001, Amanah Tech attended GITEX, the largest
IT trade show in the Arabian Gulf, not as an exhibitor but as an
observer, to see if the market was a good fit for the company and, more
importantly, to make contacts. The Government of Qatar, with whom Amanah eventually signed
its second major contract, in July 2002, was one of the exhibitors the company
approached at the show.
While they were
in Dubai, a personal friend set up a private meeting with the president
of Al Ghurair Private Company. After six months of negotiations,
Amanah had a contract to provide Web hosting services to the 40 businesses
owned by the company. “That contract essentially established our
reputation in the region, which helped us to get the Government of
Qatar contract. The reference provided by Al Ghurair was also very
important.”
Persistence is
also key to Amanah Tech Inc.’s success: “I kept calling the Government
of Qatar. Something came out of almost nothing. You have to keep
calling.”
The
Challenge:
Building “Amanah”
It’s no mere whim that the company name, Amanah, means “trust”
in Arabic; building trust constitutes his biggest challenge as a young
entrepreneur. “Most of the CEOs we deal with are twice my age, and
most older people are not quick to trust someone much younger, especially
when it comes to signing a large business contract.” Key to winning
the Dubai contract was the fact that the Al Ghurair president trusted
the “middleman,” who in turn trusted Amanah Tech Inc. For other contracts,
Freeny sends prospective clients a list of Amanah Tech’s accomplishments
and credentials before he meets them. “It creates a certain perception
ahead of time, so they’re not as likely to ask for the man in charge
when they first see me.”
Plethora
of Program Assistance
If the number of federal and provincial government programs and services
that Amanah has already used in its exporting ventures is any evidence, it
definitely knows governments are there to help. The company first approached
the International Trade Centre in Saskatoon, which connected it with the
Canadian Consulate in Dubai. The Consulate provided Amanah with helpful market
information and took part in the official signing after Amanah landed the
Dubai contract. “It’s important in the U.A.E. to have your government involved.
We’re a small company from Saskatchewan, so no one really knows who we are.
Having the Consul by our side gave us credibility. The Consulate also arranged
for a lot of media attention while we were there. That has helped establish
our presence in the region.”
Freeny credits
a good part of the company’s success to its location in Saskatoon’s
Innovation Place, a research park developed by the Saskatchewan government.
“We always have other people we can share ideas with, and the Internet
infrastructure is superb. These kinds of things are very difficult
to find if you’re just renting an office somewhere on your own.”
Amanah also
received market research reports from the Saskatchewan Trade and Export
Partnership (STEP), saving it time and effort in leg work.
Amanah Tech
hired its marketing director under Human Resources Development Canada’s
Youth International Internship Program – and also used the program
to send her overseas to sign the Dubai contract.
Patient
Advice
Freeny’s advice to young exporters can be summed up in one word: patience.
“It’s like going to a movie. If you’re not patient enough to wait in line,
you’re not going to get in. “Know ahead of time that when you approach a
potential customer, they are going to say ‘no.’ Take those ‘no’s’ and convert
them into ‘no’s for now.’ Then contact them again in two to three months
when you have more experience under your belt. Keep calling.”
