International B2B sales are an excellent way to increase your revenue. At VA Partners we work with many companies on sales in North America as well as Internationally. We published a bog recently on booking international meetings. This blog, a recent trade show in Houston, and an upcoming presentation at Communitech on International B2B Sales, got me thinking about some of the tips.
Have a focused ICP: When you start in a new geography, you are almost starting from scratch. Be more focused on your Ideal Customer Profile. Target the best fit in the new geography and you can branch out or try adjacent ICPs from there.
Understand how customers buy: We worked with a client selling to the UAE about 10 years ago. They have very challenging buying processes and often need you to involve a local company as a partner. It is good to know if you will need partners, get registered as a lobbyist, buying mechanisms, and the cultural differences associated with your customers in your new target market. The better you understand the faster and more efficiently your can proceed.
Look for help: There are lots of ways to get help from Canada and Canadians in your new geography. One of the best resources is the Trade Commissioners program. This is a free resource from the Government of Canada. They can help with advice from Canada, contacts in your target geographies, and there are funding opportunities. Your local Regional Innovation Centre may also have help. One other area of help could be local Canadian expat groups. They meet on a regular basis and could provide some good local information and contacts in your target industries.
Leverage LinkedIn: When you get to a new country one of the keys is to get an understanding of the market and target customers as quickly as possible. LinkedIn can be a great resource. You can look for any 1st connections in the region. Reach out and ask to talk. The next step is to research 2nd connections. You could ask for an intro from your common first connection, reach out directly with a connection request, or send an InMail. One of the other features you could leverage is looking for contacts that have worked for your customers in Canada but are now at a target customer.
Supporting sales: This means above all making time for the new geography. That could include trips, support from the home country, and understanding the time zone implications. Some parts of Asia and Australia could be 12 hours difference in time. Make sure you understand what is needed for the local marketing. Your organization will need updated marketing deliverables to support these new geographies. In some cases this could mean a new language, but even when selling to other English speaking countries there could be differences in terms. You also need to understand the implications of onboarding these new customers and ongoing customer success.
If you would like some help with your International B2B sales, contact me.
