Company profile for export: format, sample and what to leave out

Key takeaways

• It answers one question: is this a real company that can supply me?
• Use numbers. Capacity per year means more than "large capacity".
• Attach proof. Back each claim with a certificate, a spec sheet or a link.
• Embassy formats are a useful test. They show what an official reader expects [1].
• Keep bank details out. Share those at order stage, through a channel you trust.

When does a buyer ask for it?

Usually before money or effort is involved. Common moments are:

• before a buyer requests samples;
• when a purchasing team adds you as a new supplier;
• when you apply through an Indian Mission's trade wing;
• at a fair, when you hand it over or send it the same evening.

A buyer may never say why they want it. Often it goes straight to a colleague who has never heard of you, so it has to work without you there to explain.

What goes in it?

Use these six sections, in this order:

One page on the company is usually enough. Spend the rest on products and capacity, because that is what the buyer is reading for.

What does an official format ask for?

The Embassy of India in The Hague publishes a company profile form. It is a good test of completeness [1]. It asks for:

• legal status, paid-up capital, year of establishment and number of employees;
• parent company, subsidiaries and branches;
• turnover for the last three years;
• products for export, with production and export capacity per year;
• exports during the past three years, by product, year, country and value;
• registrations with export promotion organisations and chambers of commerce;
• bank relations, and product names with HS or CN codes.

It also tells you what to attach. The form says to include company and product brochures, a CIF or FOB price list and your terms of business, and says prices are not required for bulk commodities. It asks exporters not to send samples [1].

This is one mission's 2020 form. Other missions and buyers ask for different things, so always check what the reader wants. If your profile can answer these questions, though, it can answer most buyers.

A short sample

This sample uses a fictional company. Replace every detail with your own, and leave out anything you can't back up.

Example Agro Exports
Partnership firm, established 2014. Gujarat, India.

What we supply: Dehydrated onion flakes and powder, dehydrated garlic flakes and powder.

Capacity: Production 1,200 tonnes a year. Available for export 800 tonnes a year.

Quality: In-house moisture and foreign matter checks on every lot. Outside lab testing for microbiology and pesticide residues. FSSAI licence and ISO 22000 certificate attached.

Markets, last three years: United Kingdom, Germany, United Arab Emirates.

Contact: Priya Example, Export Manager. priya@example.com. WhatsApp +91 00000 00000.

Notice what isn't there: no slogans, no mission statement and no claims that can't be checked.

What should you leave out?

Leave these out of the general profile:

• Superlatives. "Leading", "best" and "world-class" add nothing.
• Buyer names, unless each buyer has agreed in writing.
• Certificates you don't hold, or ones that have expired.
• Bank details. Share them at order stage only.
• Long histories. Three lines about your family's start in the trade is plenty.
• Stock photos. Use your own facility, stock and packing.

How should you format and send it?

Make it easy to forward:

• Save it as a PDF, with your company name and the date in the file name.
• Use A4, with a version date in the footer.
• Add your website and a named contact on each page.
• Keep the file small enough to send by email.

Keep three documents separate. The profile introduces the company. A spec sheet gives a product's technical details. A product catalogue shows your range. Sending all three together, with a clear note, helps a buyer pass them to the right people.

Update it once a year, and each time a certificate changes. Then check that your website says the same things. Buyers compare, as our guide to what foreign buyers check explains.

Next step. A profile is only as strong as what a buyer finds when they check it. Our free Buyer Check is a 1-page report on your Google listing, website and spec gaps, with the 3 fixes that matter most, within 24 hours.