Export, considered as one of the major building blocks of economic development, also plays a very strategic role for our country. Companies that want to take part in global arena have started export-oriented activities by focusing on globalization and innovation. Ozdisan Elektronik, the leading electronic component distributor in Türkiye, has exported products to about 80 countries in the last year. We talked about the company’s export activities and goals with Filiz Baycan, Ozdisan Elektronik Export Manager, who underlined that Ozdisan.com is actually a “window” that allows them to reach all countries.
Could you tell us a bit about yourself?
I was born in Istanbul in 1976. I am a graduate of Istanbul University Faculty of Economics. After graduating, I started my professional life at Samsung Electro-Mechanics company. I have worked mainly in passive component sales in electro-mechanics material group for about 15 years. Concurrently, I completed my MBA in business administration at Yildiz Technical University.
How long have you been working at Ozdisan Elektronik? How did you join the company?
I have been working at Ozdisan Elektronik since February 2014. Actually, Ozdisan Elektronik is not an ordinary company that I have been working for five years, because I was already managing the company's distribution channel when I was working at Samsung. I tried to lay the necessary foundations during the selection process of Ozdisan as a distributor.
Can you tell us about the business processes that you are responsible for?
Currently, I am working as an export manager at Ozdisan Elektronik. We have a team of 7 people. We promote and sell Ozdisan products to foreign markets. We also undertake business development activities in new markets. Europe, Middle East and North Africa are our main target markets.
“Our ability to immediately resolve any technical or commercial issues that may arise after sales creates trust in our customers.”
What would you like to say about your management approach?
I adopt a communication-oriented management approach. I believe in a “team leadership” approach rather than an “authoritarian” approach. Because, I believe that success and participation are two major aspects that support each other. I also believe that “team” performance is based on “individual” performance. At the decision-making stage, I try to get the opinion of my team members as much as possible and ensure a mutual agreement based on these opinions. This not only increases the moral motivation of the team but also gives a positive momentum to sales activities. I feel lucky that we have a young and eager to learn team at our department.
What kind of a way Ozdisan Elektronik follows in marketing and sales processes in terms of brand awareness?
Ozdisan, having a long-established history of 40 years, has a very high brand awareness in Türkiye. The task of our export department is to increase this brand awareness also in foreign countries and create customer trust. This, in fact, is made in an organized manner with the cooperation of both the export and e-commerce departments. We not only stand behind Ozdisan’s own products but also the products of more than 100 brands we are a distributor of. Our ability to immediately resolve any technical or commercial issues that may arise after sales creates trust in our customers.
What would you like to say about the contribution of Ozdisan.com to exports?
Ozdisan.com is actually a “window” that allows us to reach all the countries in the world. On ozdisan.com, the users are able to find the features, datasheets and inventory information of any product that they are looking for. Moreover, they can easily access our stocks, products and brands 24/7 without any time restriction. With Ozdisan.com, we are able to export our products to the whole world. Currently, about 20% of registered ozdisan.com customers are foreign users. We have received requests from about 165 countries in the last year. And we have exported to about 80 countries. This momentum is further strengthening every day.
Is there an area that you will specifically focus on in 2020?
One of the most important goals of many companies in Türkiye is to open up to the world through export. However, export brings several processes and challenges with it. There is no room for error in any way. In this sense, we are trying to open up to new markets with firm steps. At Ozdisan, we reach the right markets with the right products. In February 2018, we opened an office in Greece. We want to continue doing the same also in different European countries. We aim to increase our export figures, which are currently around 10% of total turnover, to 15-20% in the short term. For this purpose, we are trying to choose target markets and operate in those markets with the right products and right brands. We are also continuing to increase our activities in North Africa, especially in Egypt.
“We aim to increase our export rate to 15-20% in the medium term.”
Which are the markets you are targeting for export in the coming years?
As Ozdisan Elekronik export department, we consider all the markets as our target markets. We are receiving demand from all over the world with our strong e-commerce infrastructure. Therefore, today our export team responds to requests from all over the world, from Croatia to Chile. In the coming years, on the other hand, we will try to be more active in Central and Southern Europe. We plan to do this with the support of some of our brands and through fair participations. As is known, the Electronica Fair, held every two years in Munich, is the largest fair in the sector. We will also strengthen our brand awareness by participating this fair for the fourth time this year.
At this fair, we will be able to reach many people from many different countries and find a platform to meet our existing global customers.
Can you tell us about your customer relations approach after sales?
We believe that selling a product is an ongoing process. We do not divide it into pre-sale or post-sale stages.
After all, sales is a process that extends from the moment you reach the customer to the product warranty process. We always stand behind our products and brands. We do not consider any order as a one-off transaction. Therefore, every customer is of the same value to us, regardless of the price of the product they buy. Regardless of the amount of product they buy, we see every company and every person as equal, and provide any kind of support required to solve even the smallest issues they encounter.
