This page may answer some of your most pressing questions
about setting up a  Representative Office  in North America

Here is a typical wish:

Your company has a product or service it wants to sell in North America. Your first inclination/wish is that a major player in the industry will recognize just how well designed your product is and beg to distribute it in North America, investing millions into its promotion and distribution. You simply make it and ship it across the ocean. The checks and letters of credit come pouring in.

Here is a typical fact:

Over time, you have had contacts with potential distributors only to find out that they didn’t have the coverage, the resources, or the know-how necessary to promote your products. You’ve discovered, in some cases, that they will try to extract large price concessions from you while generating substantial margins for themselves, rendering your product non-competitive. You’ve wondered what it would be to run your own company here, but you just haven’t had the time to devote to investigate all the ins and outs of doing business in North America.

Axxess Group will act as your office-on-site and begin to develop the market for you; until such time that you are ready to commit fully to North America with an established presence and an established customer base. Axxess Group is a facilitator. Axxess Group is staffed by professionals with years of knowledge and expertise in the field of card personalization, biometrics and related applications. They have run businesses in North America, and know the local business customs, and pitfalls. Axxess Group has contacts at all levels of corporate, government and industrial channels to promote your products effectively. Profiles of the partners are posted here, and professional references are available upon request.

After validating your products’ appeal to the market through a competitive analysis of available products and channels , Axxess Group can:

• Incorporate a business entity for you, in your name (Yourcompany-America)
• Open a bank account, in your name, under your control
• Set up a www.YourcompanyAmerica.com web link to your own site
• Provide you with a US presence, phones, fax…
• Develop reseller, dealer, direct , and major account sales as suitable for your business
• Sell at much more competitive prices, especially if sales are to end-users
• Provide arrangements for technical support or service for your products.
• Handle any regulatory approvals required by North America (UL, CSA, FCC, FDA…)
• Review your patent and trademark rights and obligations
• Propose and implement media and marketing plans, with budgets
• Represent your interests to vendors, supplies, and customers…
• Act as your purchasing agents for items you wish to source from this area.
• Warehousing of any inventory of machines, parts, supplies you wish to keep on this continent
• Arrange for repairs, exchanges, of equipment or parts. Handle warranty claims.

Not necessarily; you can calibrate your involvement to your objectives. Look at it as a test drive, as putting your toes in the water before you dive and make a potentially costly mistake. Once you have your own company set up in the States, it makes it easier to conduct business. It is simple to add activities because the basic infrastructure is in place, and you can confidently pick up the phone and discuss your next steps with Axxess Group. It gives you a presence that is a must for your customers, and it advertises your commitment to doing business on this continent.

The cost is driven by two elements: the types of services you require, and the amount of time you want us to spend on your company’s activities.

Remember that if you want to set up a branch office in North America, the minimum cost between incorporation, office space and equipment, phone/fax, salary and benefits for two persons, outside services for legal and accounting services is a minimum of $400,000 per year. Axxess Group can offer you this presence at a fraction of the cost.

· We can validate your company’s competitive profile and distribution potential for under $5,000

· We can typically set up your legal entity for around $2,500. Yearly upkeep is minimal

· We can offer you professional sales/marketing services starting at $2,500 a month

· We can offer you technical support services starting at $2,500 a month

· All expenses are charged back to you at cost-plus, unless you set up a bank account to conduct business in this country, and to receive revenues from your sales.

· Because our fees are so competitive, we typically collect a small commission on all sales, so our success is tied to your success.

Notwithstanding our own reputation and references in the industry, your interests are protected by a representation contract. Your bank account is in your name, and you may or may not choose to grant Axxess Group signature authority. We use Internet banking and you can view your accounts instantly from your computer in your home or office. Expenditures on your behalf are subject to limits imposed by you, and any expenses/purchases are against purchase orders signed by you. All legal, fiscal, and accounting activities are handled by certified professionals and, if outsourced, charged back to you at cost-plus or at cost if from your bank account. Your tax obligations are dependent upon the type of incorporation you select. They are typically lower than fiscal obligations in Europe or Asia.

The Bottom Line

You can have your own company, selling your own products, with a full-blown market presence, under the supervision of professionals who know your business and your industry, at a fraction of the cost of trying to do it on your own.

Call us   203-858-1684   Fax us   203-345-3513   e-mail us   info@axxessgroup.com

Write us:   The Axxess Group, llc         PO Box 302624      Fairfield, CT 06825     USA