Avoiding A Wild Goose Chase with Trusted Intermediaries

Based in Minot, North Dakota, Gooseneck Implement Company is a John Deere dealer for both new and used agricultural equipment. On May 20, 2021, a company in Thailand contacted the U.S. Commercial Service office based at the US Embassy in Bangkok, regarding a potential purchase of agricultural equipment from Gooseneck. The Thai company wanted to confirm that the US company was in good standing, as they had been asked to send funds for the order, and they needed to confirm the seller was legitimate.

On the same day, the U.S. Commercial Service (CS) in-country specialist in Thailand contacted the U.S. Commercial Service offices in Minneapolis and Fargo. CS North Dakota Office Director Heather Ranck immediately confirmed that Gooseneck Implement is a legitimate John Deere dealer, and she also reached out to Gooseneck’s sales representative, to speak about the deal. In addition to confirming the buyer’s legitimacy, Heather sent information about available alternative payment tools for potential future sales. Gooseneck appreciated learning about additional resources as the company is a regular exporter of previously owned equipment to international markets. The Thai buyer was surprised and impressed with the prompt and supportive action of the CS offices in Thailand, Minneapolis and Fargo, and the purchase was finalized and farm machinery valued over $100,000 was received in Thailand.

“Having timely and thorough support from both Fargo and Thailand sped up and helped secure this sale,” said Ron Anderson, Sales Representative for Gooseneck Implement. “This was the first time we had worked with this buyer, so it was very helpful to have trusted parties to minimize questions on both sides of the deal.”

With its worldwide network of offices, the U.S. Commercial is available to support both US exporters and foreign importers of US products. Connecting the dots and building confidence is very helpful especially for first-time or new partnerships. In this case, having trusted parties on both ends of the business deal facilitated a deal that created value both in Asia and the USA, also paving the way for future interactions and export sales for Gooseneck.