What successful exporters have in common

Research shows that companies that succeed in exporting share the following characteristics:

Exporting companies are larger than non-exporting companies in terms of employee numbers, even before they begin exporting. Economic literature often explains this by noting that larger companies can benefit from economies of scale and therefore reduce their unit costs more than smaller companies can.

Research shows that companies that are already productive are most likely to succeed in exporting. Profitability, equity, sales revenue and growth are good indicators of a company's productivity. Competition in export markets is strong, and entering these markets can involve relatively high start-up costs. Profitable companies with sufficient equity are therefore often best placed to succeed.

Strong networking skills among your company's management and key people are important if you want to succeed in export markets. Having different people in the roles of CEO and chair of the board may indicate a strong network. A professional board whose members also serve on other boards may also indicate professionalisation and strong networking skills.

Foreign-owned companies are more likely to export than Norwegian-owned companies. Research shows this, and we see the same pattern in our customer impact surveys. Networks are a key factor in export success, and foreign owners will naturally have networks and market knowledge in their country of origin.

Having employees with marketing expertise is an indicator of whether a company will be able to export. Norwegian companies are technologically advanced and, for example, consistently perform well in digital competitiveness rankings. However, international business leaders point out that they often fall short when it comes to marketing and raising awareness of their products. Norwegian companies tend to focus more on advanced prototypes than on actual market needs. This strong product focus may be one reason why research in this field rarely finds a link between R&D and export success.

Research shows that businesses with clear growth ambitions are more likely to achieve growth. Similarly, companies do not become exporters by chance: those with clear growth and export targets are more likely to succeed.

Export companies are also more innovative than other businesses. Companies that have changed their products are also much more likely to become exporters. We help reduce the risks associated with innovation, so our portfolio naturally includes many such companies.

Our customer surveys show that one in five companies exports. Exporting companies report that exports account for an average of 40 per cent of their sales. We find the highest export shares in fisheries and aquaculture, and among foreign-owned companies.