Despite wide reporting of the general association between the use of government-sponsored export promotion programs (EPPs) and firm export performance, export sales and macro level export performance, very little is know about the real impact of these programs on firm export performance. This paper provides a conceptual framework for understanding the direct and indirect impact of government export promotion programs on export performance of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and entrepreneurial ventures. Using internationalization process theory and resource-based theory, it conceptualizes direct role of EPPs on a number of organisational- and management-related factors that have direct or indirect impact on firm export performance. This provides a new direction for future researchers, managers and policy-makers.