Ask the experts

International Marketing Partners often receives questions from visitors to our site, business clients and individuals attending our workshops and presentations. In this section, top international marketing specialists answer questions across a range of topics, from cultural intelligence to corporate diplomacy. Here are our most recent questions that you’ll hopefully find insightful.

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Jump to a question:

• Should we second one of our team to the overseas country so they can get to be expert on it, or should we just hire a local(s)?
• How good are trade shows for getting us in front of potential international customers?
• What localisation will we need to think about before we sell overseas?
• What’s the best way for us to research an international market?

Should we second one of our team to the overseas country so they can get to be expert on it, or should we just hire a local(s)?

The best strategy is to do both. That way, the local hire can train your secondee who then can pass on their knowledge when they return to your office. Make sure when you hire the local person they understand how to do business the British way as otherwise this can be a source of friction for a very key relationship.

How good are trade shows for getting us in front of potential international customers?

Trade shows can be fantastically productive and cost-effective ways for meeting your customers, researching your competition, and learning about the trends in your sector. Get hold of the exhibitors catalog in advance to plan your route as some venues are super-size and potentially will have you spending your entire time walking several miles/kilometers.

What localisation will we need to think about before we sell overseas?

The most urgent things to think about are 1) your packaging as some colours are unwelcome in other places (a well-known fertilizer brand kept its green-white-black colours on the box in Malaysia where green conveys fungal rot!); 2) your pricing must be quoted in the local currencies and not GBP; 3) the sizes are important. Only recently Starbucks learned this the hard way by offering their 20-ounce “Venti” coffee in the UK and quickly retreated when consumers where left aghast by the super-size coffee – a bit TOO American.

What’s the best way for us to research an international market?

It depends on how much time, money and management talent you have. The first step in any case is to do your homework. Spend time in the target country(ies), soak up the local habits and customs, talk to other UK businesses there and find out what some of the lessons are they’ve learned. Talk to your potential customers in those markets and make sure you know what they value and how that’s the same or different to what your UK customers value. If you do this, then all the other steps will fall into place and you’ve raised your chances of being very successful and profitable. Having the right mindset – assuming you’ll succeed in that overseas market – is a definite requirement!