GlobalTel - an international distributor of telecommunications services with offices in Boca Raton - still receives sales-lead calls from its advertisements two years ago in Commercial News USA.
     That's not so surprising, given that the official Commerce Department export promotion magazine, designed to help American companies connect with prospective buyers outside the United States, reaches more than 400,000 readers worldwide with individual company product photos and descriptions.
     In 2003, the Commerce Department found that more than 850 success stories, $109 million in export sales, and hundreds of business relationships resulted from advertising in the catalog-style publication.
     Steve Williams, GlobalTel's president, said response to the company's advertisements in Commercial News USA has surpassed expectations. "We've closed deals with distributors and made sales as a direct result of our advertising in Commercial News USA,"he said. "We think it has been very cost-effective tool for us, as we've reached tens of thousands of overseas buyers and readers worldwide. Making sales requires a lot of good leads, and this magazine has been tremendously helpful."
     GlobalTel increased its sales abroad by about $2.5 million in the three years since it began advertising in Commercial News USA, said Williams. "We credit the advertising in the magazine as having a lot to do with that. It's the only source we know of that goes to all the countries of Africa - some of the most remote places. Who wouldn't be able to use it?" Now with the relaunch of the magazine fast approaching, the company is looking to boost exports even more.
     GlobalTel is just one of the many Florida companies to enjoy the fruits of having advertised in Commercial News USA. According to John McCartney, director of the U.S. Export Assistance Center in Fort Lauderdale, more and more companies in the state are looking to diversify their portfolios by making new sales abroad in countries such as Canada, The Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, China, Malaysia and others.
     "Florida exporters see the world as a lucrative market," said McCartney. "Last year, the state's exports totaled almost $25 billion. In 2003, our six U.S. Commercial Service Export Assistance Centers helped Florida area companies do business in highly diverse markets worldwide and facilitated more than $1 billion in export sales. Traditionally, Commercial News USA has been one of our greatest tools in getting our clients into multiple new markets in the most cost-effective manner."
     Small and medium-sized businesses can benefit tremendously from a presence in the magazine. "Commercial News USA is distributed by trade specialists whose primary goal is to match American exporters with prospective customers outside the United States," said McCartney.
     The magazine is distributed by U.S. Commercial Service officials at embassies and consulates in 145 countries directly to overseas buyers, representatives, distributors, government sourcing and purchasing agencies, government officials and potential joint-venture partners. The result? Hundreds of export successes and agent/distributor agreements, and thousands of trade leads generated each year from exposure that U.S. companies receive as a result of advertising in the magazine.
     "Ninety-five percent of the world's consumers live outside the United States; the economy is growing; and exports are up," said Rhonda Keenum, Assistant Secretary for Trade Promotion and Director General of the U.S. Commercial Service. "No other magazine in the world provides U.S. companies with the ability to promote their products and services to prescreened foreign buyers in such a cost-effective manner."
     In addition to worldwide exposure, Commercial News USA also offers the potential for significant return on investment. Last year, the average value for each deal that resulted from advertising in Commercial News USA exceeded $120,000.
     Now, after a one-year hiatus, Commercial News USA is being completely redesigned and enhanced by a new publisher to make it an even more effective vehicle for promoting American-made products and services to prospective buyers and partners outside the United States.
     A new edition of the magazine will be published in September under a public-private sector initiative between the U.S. Commerce Department and ThinkGlobal Inc., publisher of the ThinkGlobal Florida International Trade Newsfolio.
     "We have completely redesigned the magazine to make it more user friendly for foreign buyers around the world," said Gregory Sandler, publisher of Commercial News USA. "Moreover, we plan to add special sections to boost visibility for specific industries and regions. We also are developing editorial content such as profiles of successful U.S. exporters and their buying partners."
     Plans for the Commercial News USA Web site include a fully automated insertion order and an online version of the magazine with the option for translation into a dozen different languages.

Companies interested in receiving more information about advertising in the September issue of Commercial News USA should call 1-800-581-8533 or visit the magazine's Web site at www.export.gov/cnusa