{"id":25195,"date":"2016-12-05T17:49:21","date_gmt":"2016-12-05T21:49:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/?p=25195"},"modified":"2023-03-15T22:07:22","modified_gmt":"2023-03-16T02:07:22","slug":"doing-business-globally-hard-won-advice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2016\/doing-business-globally-hard-won-advice\/","title":{"rendered":"Doing Business Globally: Some Hard Won Advice From Those That Did It"},"content":{"rendered":"

Going global is one of the most challenging things that a business can do, and it\u2019s why we so rarely see it happen in practice. International companies have to contend with geographical barriers, language issues, culture clashes, regulations and unfriendly governments to mention just a few.<\/p>\n

So the question is, how can a business work internationally and generate the large returns that a truly global operation brings? Let\u2019s take a look at what some of those that did it have to say.<\/p>\n

Get An Early Start<\/h3>\n

Allen Adamson is the managing director of a marketing<\/a> firm called Landor and the author of a book entitled BrandSimple. His advice to young upstarts is to think globally as early as possible. The quicker you start doing business internationally, he says, the faster you\u2019ll be able to work out what is working on the international scene and what isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\"5-tips-for-starting-a-business-abroad\"<\/a>
\n5 Tips for Starting a Business Abroad<\/em><\/p>\n

Study The Market<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s also a good idea, according to Adamson, to study the market before moving abroad. Who are the big players? What are they getting right? What are they doing wrong? What products are missing in your target market? How easy is it for foreign companies to set up? Are there options for a high risk merchant account to make international payments? According to Adamson, the Department of Commerce website is a good place to start for those who want to find out more about a particular target country.<\/p>\n

\"cultural-understanding-and-global-thinking_b_4913212\"<\/a>
\nCultural Understanding and Global Thinking in Business<\/em><\/p>\n

Assess Your Brand<\/h3>\n

One of the things that people with international businesses talk about all the time is segmenting the market. But what does this actually mean when it comes to your brand? It turns out that customers in foreign companies might not know what \u201cEbay\u201d or \u201cNetflix\u201d means because they haven\u2019t had significant exposure to these brands. Thus, one of the things that international businesses do is make a point of re-explaining to local audiences what their product offers. In other words, they don\u2019t just assume consumers in foreign markets are as educated about their product as consumers in the domestic market.<\/p>\n

The other thing that they do is think about how their brand is perceived. An image of a crown in China means something entirely different to the same image of a crown in the US. Experts, like Adamson, say that it\u2019s important that companies think through what brand image they are trying to portray, and how culturally specific icons can influence how they are perceived.<\/p>\n

\"how-to-expand-business-internationally\"<\/a>
\nGoing Global: How to Expand Your Business Internationally<\/em><\/p>\n

Hire A Local Guide<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s always a good idea to know exactly what you\u2019re getting when you visit a foreign country. But with linguistic and cultural barriers getting in the way, knowing exactly where your business is headed can be a challenge. That\u2019s why top international business people recommend that company managers and investors hire a guide. A guide, according to Marc David Miller, a managing director at a business consulting firm, can help interpret everything from simple conversations to complex business deals. You can pay anywhere from $20 a day to $80 an hour he says, depending on the level of skill and the country.<\/p>\n

\"traveling-solo-how-to-find-a-local-guide\"<\/a>
\nTraveling Alone? How to Find a Local Guide<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Going global is one of the most challenging things that a business can do, and it\u2019s why we so rarely see it happen in practice. International companies have to contend<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25196,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[109,5695,6279],"tags":[987,626,5907,5891,3187,664,988,3777,1920,1224,5901,115,944,1303],"yoast_head":"\nDoing Business Globally: Some Hard Won Advice From Those That Did It<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Going global is one of the most challenging things that a business can do, and it\u2019s why we so rarely see it happen in practice. 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