Developing abroad, here is a good idea ! Setting out to conquer international markets requires ambition and motivation, but above all, you must have a clear definition of your medium/long-term objectives. We will talk about the need to adapt your approach when speaking to Americans.
Before investing in a one-way ticket to California or imagining yourself riding a mustang horse through the colorado valley, take the time to think and take a closer look at your conquest strategy of the American market.
The 4 ty rules
In the United States, if you want to succeed, you will have to follow the rule of 4 ty :
- Simplicity
- Adaptability
- Reactivity
- Proximity
If you want to make an ongoing deal a reality or qualify a prospect, you have to be…simple !
For an American, there is no question of having to deal with 5 contacts, importing products from several different countries or passing money through 3 separate accounts. If he could call on Monday morning and have it delivered on Tuesday afternoon of the same week, he would do it without hesitation.
One of the greatest qualities of an entrepreneur is undoubtedly his ability to adapt, his pragmatism. You will indeed have to show great adaptability to be able to carry out your project successfully. You can be sure that the forecasts that you will have established before launching your american growth will have taken a completely different turn a few years later. Your business plan will no longer be perfectly in line with your activity.
In the USA, reactivity is essential to success. There is no question either of long weeks of vacation in summer, of Wednesday holidays to look after the children, or of extra work time recovery leave as soon as you leave the office after 5pm. Nope, in the U.S. you play in the big leagues and you answer emails either directly or within 24 hours.
Finally, one of the most important points but probably the most restrictive is that concerning proximity. It is not easy to be reactive with more than 7 hours of lag and without really understanding what your interlocutor is experiencing.
Have a team based in the United States
Having direct contact in the field will allow you to reassure your client or prospect and be more responsive to their requests. If this rule is necessary to seduce your potential customers, it is not the miracle solution for your american growth. To be able to convince your contacts of the merits of your product/service, you will have to review your sales pitch.
Beginning by praising the qualities of your product is not the best way to close a deal. In America, you have to explain and prove why it benefits your customers. From there will flow the many competitive advantages that it presents and you will finish masterfully by addressing the big question of the marketing advantages that will make your interlocutor the leader of his branch of activity.
In the United States, you will have to forget complexity, theory, and make your advantages the keystone of your argument. You will have to start by demonstrating to your interlocutor how your product/service will make him the essential reference in the profession and it is only then that you will start by addressing a few technical points. They are results driven then technology.
The network approach
In the states, you have to consider the question of the distribution method or network you are going to use.
Going through a network of distributors will certainly require a limited investment but will give you very little visibility on the evolution of your business. This is the solution to use if you want to generate revenue as quickly as possible.
To keep control of all your operations, and establish a database of prospects and customers above all, the obvious solution is to go through an agent. Working for you, according to your methods and under the name of your company, an agent will allow you to build a network of contacts and make a name for yourself in the market.
The creation of a U.S. Office will allow your agent to rely on a local structure, thus settling many points of the 4-ty rule. A physical and operational presence of your company on the American ground will not only reassure your prospects and customers but will also reinforce their confidence in your brand.
Finally, the creation of a subsidiary will be necessary in the case of a long-term project. It is generally the logical continuation of a successful U.S. Office phase.
“The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.”
James Truslow Adams
Happy CEO 