Many companies are reluctant to export because of all the hurdles they feel they have to overcome. Others, while trying, do not succeed because they don’t understand the different cultures and their unique ways of doing business.
Success is to 80% a mental attitude and to 20% a matter of skills and the right products.
It’s imperative for you to realize that you are the foreigner. When you do business with another country, you’re the one who needs to adapt to new customs, tastes, cultures, management philosophies and ways of doing business. The day you understand and adapt to your new market, you will succeed. If you try to do business the same way as at home, using the same techniques, the same arguments, the same price lists, etc., you will fail. Ultimately, all business is local!
When you understand the local culture, the local way of doing business and adapt to this, you’ve achieved more than 80% of the prerequisites for being successful in that market.
In our book “Export & Import – Winning in the Global Marketplace” ISBN 978-0-9681148-1-0 we’ve identified five keys for your success in the export field.
- Communication
- Commitment
- Thorough preparation
- Well tested products
- The importance of relationships
Of these, communication and the importance of relationships certainly play a primary role in your success.
To work in a global market means, among other things, adaptation to environments, time zones, management philosophies, currencies, methods of payment and ethics, climate, language, religions and, often, altogether different business terms and values.
You have to take these keys into consideration when doing business abroad. They apply not only to you as an individual but to all your staff, whether it’s the receptionist, the person packing the goods, design staff or the finance department. They will be affected by the export policies you put in place. Their attitudes ad competence can also influence your success. Make sure to involve them all.
Leif Holmvall
Export Pro Inc. Canada, www.exportpro.com
