Government Relations in Export Success | Weekly Insight #2

Longstanding relationships

Shane had been trying to get a meeting with a key buyer in Hong Kong for months. The company's sales manager had become a gatekeeper and blocked the arrangement of a meeting.

One morning while visiting Hong Kong, he arranged a coffee meeting with Francis, the local Austrade representative. Austrade is Australia's trade commission, whose staff are posted around the world to champion and support Australian businesses in export markets. Francis had been in her Hong Kong role for over 20 years. She was trusted, deeply connected, and respected across the whole supply chain.

Shane explained the situation. By the time Francis's coffee was made, she had picked up her phone and called someone in Cantonese. She came back to the table and said simply, "I've called the owner of the company you were talking about. He'll meet with you now. His flight leaves in three hours. You need to leave immediately."

She walked outside, hailed a taxi, and explained to the driver in Cantonese exactly where to go and why it was urgent.

Shane got the meeting. He got the sale. And it happened because a relationship opened the door for him.

Francis has since retired. She was phenomenal at her job. We've worked with hundreds of trade advisors — from Austrade, TIQ, Invest NSW, NZTE, Global Victoria, State Growth Tas, Invest SA, and Invest Trade WA — and the pattern repeats. The right government relationship, built over time, can become one of the most powerful assets in your export strategy.

What it looks like in practice

During a conversation with a Senior Trade Commissioner, we were discussing cultural competency and what it actually costs businesses when they get it wrong.

He told us about an Indian buyer and investment delegation visiting Australia to find new partners and products. As they travelled across the country, they kept being served cold sandwiches for lunch. For most Australians, that's unremarkable. For the delegation, it was a signal. They found themselves asking: Are we not important enough for a hot meal?

A cold lunch signalled disrespect. Whereas a hot cooked meal is a sign of respect, care, and hospitality that is recognised across all of India. Cold sandwiches signalled that the business delegation was not of any importance.

At one location, the business had done its homework. They served a proper hot lunch. The meal communicated that this business understood who they were hosting. The investors made the deal with them.

Markets are made of people. Cultural competency is how you earn their trust. Relationships with the government can give you an opening to the window of cultural competency and what you should pay attention to.

The relationship worth building — and how to do it well

Government trade staff look after enormous portfolios. They have demanding and competing priorities and portfolios. But they are there to support you — and when your business is exporting, you are valuable to them too. Export sales create jobs, bring money into the community, and increase trade output for your region. These are outcomes the government at every level is accountable for.

The gap that frustrates most businesses is a mismatch of expectations. Businesses expect the government to make the sale for them. But the government trade staff are not your sales representatives. Understanding that trade staff open doors but don’t do the business for you is what separates businesses that use these relationships well from those that don't.

Three things we'd recommend:

Understand what your trade representative is actually responsible for. Every trade advisor has clear reporting lines, KPIs, and a defined scope. If you can show how your business supports their goals, not just your own, you stand out.

Don't mistake an introduction for a sale. Government trade staff can educate, introduce, and champion your business in the market. They are not your sales representative. Use what they offer well, and don't expect more than what the role allows.

Treat their relationships with care. What looks like a simple introduction to you is a matter of reputation for them. Relationships that took years to build are being extended on your behalf. Communicate clearly, follow through on what you say, and honour them in the introduction that they make for you.

The businesses we've seen build the most successful export pathways aren't always the biggest or best-resourced. They're the ones who showed up, invested in the right relationships, and understood that government, at its best, can open a door that no one else can.

The Global Business Playbook is brought to you by Palaudin Consulting. We bring analysis, relationships, and discernment to support your business in developing international clients — guiding you from domestic player to global expansion.

Sincerely, Palaudin Consulting