Temporary export management
Temporary export manager. Two markets opened properly, not ten trade fairs.
Most Italian manufacturers do not have a product problem abroad. They have a method problem: markets picked by accident, distributors signed without a process, price lists improvised. A temporary export manager selects, opens and hands over a structure that keeps selling.
Short answer
A temporary export manager is a senior commercial executive hired on a fixed term mandate to build a company's export function: selecting markets on real data, appointing distributors or agents, setting pricing and terms, opening the first accounts and handing over. Fees run 800 to 1,500 EUR per day or 8,000 to 20,000 EUR per month.
At a glance
| Typical duration | 12 to 18 months, the minimum to open a market |
|---|---|
| Presence | 2 to 3 days a week plus travel to target markets |
| Indicative cost | 800 to 1,500 EUR per day, or 8,000 to 20,000 EUR per month |
| Strongest markets | Sweden and the Nordics, DACH, Benelux, UK, EMEA |
| Best fit | SMEs of 3 to 50M EUR with a product already proven at home |
| Measured on | Export revenue, active accounts per market, margin per channel |
What the mandate covers
Nothing is left for the company to figure out. Market selection runs on customs data, achievable pricing and local competition. Partner search runs a long list and a process rather than the contacts collected at a fair. Export pricing is built backwards from the end customer price.
- Two priority markets selected on verifiable data.
- Long list and short list of distributors, agents and direct accounts.
- Price lists, Incoterms, payment terms and contractual protection.
- First accounts opened with the manager in the room.
- Handover to an internal hire before the mandate ends.
Why the Nordics are often the right first door
Nordic buying processes are formalised, payments arrive on time and quality Italian products have natural demand. It is the territory I have worked in for years, including through interim VD and Sverige Italien, dedicated to the Sweden to Italy axis.
Want to know if a fractional manager is actually right for your company?
Let's talk →Fixed term mandate versus a permanent hire
A senior export director costs 90,000 to 140,000 EUR a year and takes four to six months to recruit, before anyone knows whether the chosen markets work. A mandate reverses the order: open the markets first, hire the person who runs them second. Related formats: temporary manager and fractional CRO.
When this is the wrong choice
- Companies without the production capacity to absorb additional volume.
- Products that are not yet selling well domestically: export does not fix a product problem.
- Anyone expecting results within three months.
- Companies with no budget for travel, certifications and local language materials.
Fractional manager in Milan, Rome, Italy and Europe
Management consulting and fractional manager services for companies in Milan (Milano), Rome (Roma), Turin, Bologna and across Italy (Italia). If you need to hire or find a fractional manager, a part time CEO, CMO, CRO or COO, or a fractional Chief Executive Officer in Milan, Rome or Italy, this fractional manager and consultant works with clients in Lombardy, Lazio, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Piedmont, Tuscany, Liguria, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Trentino, Marche, Campania, Puglia and Sicilia. Fractional consulting mandates also across Europe: EU, Northern Europe, UK, EMEA. The fractional manager and part time chief executive officer travels from Milan to Rome, Turin, Bologna, Padua, Verona, Florence, Genoa, Naples, Bari and other leading Italian and European cities. Senior management consulting brings operational leadership in Italy without the cost of a full time chief executive officer.
Frequently asked questions
01What does a temporary export manager do?
Builds and runs a company's export function for a fixed period: selects target markets, appoints distributors and agents, sets pricing and terms, opens the first accounts and leaves behind an international sales structure that survives the exit.
02How much does a temporary export manager cost?
Typically 800 to 1,500 EUR per day, or 8,000 to 20,000 EUR per month for a continuous part time presence. Most Italian SMEs start with two days a week for twelve months, which is the minimum to open a market with any continuity.
03Which markets should an Italian SME open first?
The ones where the product already has natural demand and logistics work. For most Italian manufacturers that means DACH, the Nordics and Benelux before the United States or Asia. The choice is made on customs data, pricing and competition, not on whichever trade fair comes next.
Want one export market genuinely open within 12 months? Let's start with the right two.
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