GOING GLOBAL KLAUS HUSCHKE | INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

IS YOUR COMPANY INDEED READY TO GO GLOBAL? GOING GLOBAL

DOES YOUR COMPANY HAVE THE FINANCIAL STRENGTH/THE RIGHT MIX OF PRODUCTS TO ADDRESS THE GLOBAL MARKET? IT IS A BATTLEFIELD AND IT WILL NOT BE EASY! BEFORE YOU TAKE STEP NUMBER ONE, BE AWARE OF THE FINANCIAL COMMITMENT IT WILL TAKE TO FACE NOT ONLY A FOREIGN MARKET, BUT ALSO FOREIGN COMPETITION. DO NOT IGNORE THE DETAILS! DOES YOUR COMPANY OFFER THE RIGHT PRODUCTS/SERVICES TO COMPETE SUCCESSFULLY INTERNATIONALLY? PLEASE, THINK TWICE! HAVE YOU UNDERTAKEN THE NECESSARY RESEARCH WORK IN MARKETS/REGIONS YOU PLAN TO ENTER? DO ‘YOU’ REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT IT TAKES TO GO GLOBAL? DO YOU HAVE THE PERSONNEL THAT KNOWS THE MARKETS/REGIONS YOU PLAN TO CONQUER? INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS WITHIN YOUR COMPANY NEEDS TO BE INCHARGE OF ALL INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES. GOING GLOBAL

BE TRULY PREPARED. GOING GLOBAL

CORPORATE SUPPORT IS A MUST IF YOU WANT TO SUCCEED INTERNATIONALLY. INTERNATIONAL PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT. MUST HAVE THE AUTHORITY, NOT JUST THE RESPONSIBILITY, TO HELP DETERMINE PRODUCT DESIGN AND PRODUCTION FOR THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET. TERMS AND CONDITIONS, INCLUDING ENVIRONMENTAL ONES, DO DIFFER FROM COUNTRY TO COUNTRY. IT IS HOTTER IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA THAN IN JAPAN. INVEST HEAVILY IN MARKET/PRODUCT RESEARCH BEFORE DECIDING WHICH COUNTRIES/REGIONS YOU PLAN TO COVER. SELECT INDIVIDUAL MARKETS, NOT IMMEDIATELY THE ENTIRE WORLD. SELECT MARKETS THAT DO HAVE THE NEEDED BUYING POWER. GOING GLOBAL

WHO/WHICH DOMESTIC OR INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION/INSTITUTION CAN ASSIST IN THE EVALUATION WHETHER TO GO GLOBAL? GOING GLOBAL

US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE INTERNATIONAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY LOCAL US EMBASSIES / THE COMMERCIAL ATTACHE FOR JAPAN: FORMER AMBASSADOR TO JAPAN AND SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE MR. TOM FOLEY

DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL /NETWORK OPTIONS GOING GLOBAL

CORPORATE SUBSIDIARIES /MORE EXPENSIVE, BUT ALSO MORE CONTROL. REPRESENTATIVES /LESS COSTLY, LESS CONTROL. DISTRIBUTORS /LESS CONTROL. EXPLAIN NOT ONLY YOUR PRODUCT(S) TO THE DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL, BUT ALSO WHAT YOU DO EXPECT FROM IT, REGARDLESS OF WHICH TYPE OF DISTRIBUTION NETWORK YOU SELECT. GOING GLOBAL

CORPORATE /INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS SUPPORT FOR YOUR INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL /ITS PERSONNEL GOING GLOBAL

OFFER DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL REFERENCES. OFFER GOOD SUPPORT MATERIAL /BROCHURES IN LOCAL LANGUAGES. PROVIDE SUFFICIENT AND PROFESSIONAL TRAINING FOR LOCAL PERSONNEL (BE IT FOR THE PERSONNEL WITHIN THE COMPANY’S OWN SUBSIDIARIES, REPRESENTATIVES, OR DISTRIBUTORS). UNDERSTAND WHAT IT TAKES TO SHIP YOUR PRODUCT, TO IMPLEMENT IT, TO TRAIN YOUR CLIENT(S), TO MAINTAIN THE PRODUCT ON LOCATION. TRY ALWAYS TO UNDERSTAND THE CLIENT’S NEEDS BEFORE OFFERING SOLUTIONS. SELL YOURSELF FIRST! VERY IMPORTANT IN JAPAN, THE FAR EAST IN GENERAL, IN THE MIDDLE EAST. RESPECT LOCAL CULTURAL ASPECTS AND LAWS. BUILD ON LOCAL CONTACTS. IF YOU DO NEED LOCAL APPROVALS FOR YOUR PRODUCTS, GET THOSE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. ESTABLISH KEY ACCOUNTS IN ALL SELECTED MARKETS /REGIONS. GOING GLOBAL

OTHER IMPORTANT RULES YOU SHOULD RESPECT AT ALL TIMES. GOING GLOBAL

TRY TO SPEAK THE LOCAL LANGUAGE, AND IF YOU ARE UNABLE, HAVE SOMEONE WITHIN YOUR ORGANIZATION WHO CAN. BE HONEST. SHOW CONSISTENCY. KEEP YOUR PROMISES, EVEN SMALL ONES. BE PATIENT! BE ALWAYS PREPARED ALSO FOR THE GREATEST SURPRISES! NEVER PANIC! BE POLITE, NEVER ARROGANT! DO ADMIRE LOCAL ACHIEVEMENTS WHEN WITH PROSPECTIVE CLIENTS AND/OR YOUR OWN LOCAL PERSONNEL, THE PERSONNEL OF YOUR DISTRIBUTORS. YOU WILL COLLECT IMPORTANT POINTS. GOING GLOBAL

POSITIVELY, DO KNOW YOUR PRODUCT(S). ALWAYS DO KNOW LOCAL TERMS AND CONDIDTIONS. BE EXTREMELY CLEAR WHEN EXPLAINING YOUR PRODUCT, ITS BENEFITS, ITS COST. DON’T BE AFRAID OF PRICING. YOU ARE IN THE BUSINESS OF GENERATING PROFITS FOR YOUR COMPANY. IF YOU CAN NOT ACHIEVE THIS IN ONE MARKET, SELECT ANOTHER ONE. HENCE INITIAL RESEARCH IS VITALLY IMPORTANT. BE RESPONSIVE IN ALL RESPECTS! FOLLOW UP ON EVERY SINGLE CALL /VISIT. DON’T LEAVE A SINGLE QUESTION UNANSWERED! AND AGAIN, DO HELP YOUR LOCAL DISTRIBUTORS /REPRESENTATIVES / THE PERSONNEL OF YOUR SUBSIDIARIES. REPRESENTATIVES AND DISTRIBUTORS WILL ALWAYS TAKE THE WAY OF LEAST RESISTANCE. YOU ARE FIGHTING FOR TIME WITH THEM. ARRANGE FOR CUSTOMER VISITS OF YOUR HOME OFFICE. GOING GLOBAL

ONE WORLD…AND YET SO DIFFERENT. JAPAN | CHINA | MIDDLE EAST | EUROPE | LATIN AMERICA GOING GLOBAL