The big mystery in exporting is why so many U.S. companies don't.

Some say it's too complicated and too much trouble - reasons that don't hold up very well in light of all the available help.

The International Trade Association (ITA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce, created this year specifically to run the Government's non-agricultural trade programs, is a major source of assistance. It offers aid-to-trade programs and services through a network that extends from domestic field offices to U.S. Embassies and Consulates around the world.

At home, ITA operates a chain of 47 District Offices that make up the U.S. Commercial Service. Trade specialists in these offices are particularly concerned with assisting small and medium-sized firms - those most likely to be unfamiliar with the exporting process - and providing them with information on finding and developing markets for their products abroad.

They provide export counseling, conduct export conferences and seminars, maintain libraries of trade data, supply information and advice on trade regulations, and offer leads on export sales and financing.

ITA's Foreign Commercial Service came into being with President Carter's reorganization of Government trade functions this year. That included transferring management of U.S. commercial representation abroad from the State Department to Commerce for 65 countries considered to be the most important U.S. bilateral trading partners.

Foreign Commercial Service officers seek out trade opportunities, provide basic data on foreign markets and firms, supply information on U.S. goods and services to foreign buyers and consult with foreign government officials on trade questions. They provide direct support to ITA export promotion activities overseas, including commercial exhibitions, trade missions and procurement conferences.

ITA employs these two services to gather abroad and supply to U.S. companies information on overseas agents and distributors, specific export sales opportunities, construction and engineering projects abroad, licensing and investment opportunities, and marketing prospects. This assistance is available in a variety of forms.

The ITA Foreign Traders Index is a computer file of data on more than 150,000 companies in 146 countries, covering manufacturers, import agents, wholesalers, distributors, retailers and other organizations that import U.S. goods and services. It is used to provide U.S. firms with lists of potential foreign buyers specifically tailored to meet each firm's individual marketing needs.

The Tailored Export Marketing Plan Service, or TEMPS, concentrates on the products of individual companies or, in some cases, individual industries. Each plan assesses a product's export capability, identifies target markets for the product, describes each market in detail and recommends ITA programs that can be tailored for use in promoting and selling the product. The end result is a long-range marketing plan with recommended step-by-step actions by the company to take advantage of specific export opportunities.

The Market Launch Service is designed primarily for small and medium-sized companies hesitant about getting into exporting. Now operating on a pilot basis, it provides administrative and marketing assistance for entering one of the largest U.S. foreign markets, the United Kingdom. It places U.S. products in the U.K. marketplace through the time-tested technique of participation in international trade fairs.

The Trade Opportunities Program, or TOP, is a computer-assisted service that disseminates export leads in three categories - direct sales, foreign government tenders and agent/distributor opportunities. U.S. subscribers specify their product and country interests and the types of leads they want. Leads are cabled to Washington by the ITA Foreign Commercial Service, matched by computer to subscribing companies, and forwarded to appropriate suppliers.

The Agent/Distributor Service identifies foreign firms that are interested in specific proposals from U.S. companies, providing names and addresses, persons to contact, telephone and telex numbers and cable addresses.

The Global Marketing Program focuses on "target industries" with the greatest potential for growth in exports. It produces original market research for each industry in 15 to 25 countries and the findings are published on a country-by-country basis in a series of "Global Market Surveys."

ITA operates nine overseas exhibition facilities or Export Development Offices (EDOs), each staging from six to eight major exhibitions of U.S. products a year. Services to the U.S. exhibitor include market research, pre-show market promotion, exhibit design and construction, housekeeping and related services, and a comprehensive agency-finding service.

Other export-promotion activities here and abroad include trade missions, catalog exhibitions, catalog exhibitions combined with product demonstrations on video tape, technical sales seminars, investment advisory service, major-project bid assistance and business counseling.

Information about ITA trade promotion and information programs and services may be obtained from any ITA district office or from the Assistant Secretary for Trade Development, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, D.C. 20230. MF