When Fortune 500 companies compete for international projects, they rarely win on product alone. They win because they offer a complete solution: the equipment and the repayment terms that make the project possible.
Think Caterpillar, John Deere, or GE. They do not just ship equipment. They also provide financing, which makes it easier for customers to move forward.
For small and mid-sized exporters, building that kind of financing arm is out of reach. It requires capital, systems, and staff that most SMEs cannot justify. The result is a structural disadvantage: even when your product is the better fit, you may lose the deal because the terms are not competitive.
The good news is you do not need Fortune 500 infrastructure to compete globally. With support from the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) and its network of authorized brokers and lenders, you can equip your sales process with financing, working capital, and credit protection that turn opportunities into signed contracts.
Here is how these tools shift the playing field.
Put Financing on the Table
For many buyers, the barrier to moving forward is not whether they want the product, but whether they can finance it on terms that fit their budget. Large manufacturers solve that problem with in-house lending.
Through EXIM’s medium- and long-term guarantee programs, an authorized lender such as American Trade Finance can step in and finance your buyer while paying you on shipment. The buyer receives affordable repayment terms, and you receive payment certainty.
For a smaller exporter, this can make the difference between walking away and closing the deal. You are no longer restricted to buyers who can pay upfront. You can negotiate with financing in hand, the same way a Fortune 500 company would.
Keep Growth Manageable
Winning the order is only the beginning. Delivering it creates a different challenge: cash flow.
The costs of raw materials, labor, and production all come due before payment is received, and the strain is often enough to discourage SMEs from pursuing larger contracts.
With EXIM’s Working Capital Guarantee, lenders gain the backing to extend credit that covers those upfront costs. Instead of stretching your liquidity or turning down the order, you can move forward knowing production is financed.
This allows you to treat growth as a matter of planning, not a gamble with cash flow.
Build Stronger Long-Term Customer Relationships
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.The healthiest margins for many exporters come not from the initial equipment sale but from spare parts, consumables, and after-sales service. These sales often hinge on extending credit terms, which makes it easier for customers to reorder but also exposes you to nonpayment risk.
EXIM’s Export Credit Insurance addresses that risk. By insuring your receivables, you can extend open account terms with confidence. Customers gain flexibility. You strengthen the relationship.
Over time, this makes repeat sales more reliable and customer relationships more durable.
Competing Beyond Your Balance Sheet
Smaller exporters do not need to build the infrastructure of a Fortune 500 company to compete like one.
EXIM programs provide that foundation. And partners such as American Trade Finance and ExportEdge can serve as strategic allies who help exporters apply those programs effectively, so they can compete for contracts on equal footing with larger players.