Relationships are all about giving and taking.
A manager at IBM once told me to think of relationships as bank accounts. You must deposit into them before you can make a withdrawal. This holds true not only in business but also in any relationship. Strong relationships are very important in business. This is especially true in international business, where there needs to be so much trust and dependability because big things are happening across large distances.
Although the foundations upon which relationships are built are similar for domestic and international markets, building relationships internationally comes with its own challenges. Domestically, I can usually drive my car and go for a face-to-face meeting. I don’t really have this luxury when working internationally.
Your actions will need to speak louder than your words.
The following five considerations will help you build strong international business relationships with your global partners so you can maintain a healthy and well-deposited ‘bank account’.
1. Focus on building credibility with your global business partners You’re credible if you’re honest, transparent and tell it like it is. This quality will naturally make its way to the products you represent. I once had an issue with a cheap imitation of one of the brands I represent. The deal was almost sealed with the distributor, but we were hit with the news that a knock-off product from China that claimed to do what our product does was already on market shelves for a fraction of our price. This news negatively affected our distributor’s willingness to continue negotiations with us, and the deal never materialized.
Our intention was never to hide any information; we just didn’t know. This also speaks to the importance of proper research on the foreign market in which you’re interested.
As a corrective action, and to maintain our credibility, we modified all our proposals to include the names of such knock-offs. We also now offer guidance on the differentiating factors and the benefits of representing only original products.
2. Set the right expectations so you can always follow through Nobody likes it when expectations aren’t met.
I had a situation once with the display boxes that we ship with our products. They’re white in color. Why? Because they’re targeted for the international market, which comes with different languages and tastes. A blank canvas enabled the distributors to add their own name, logo, and the language most suited for their local market.
However, at the time our website featured a display box that wasn’t white. It was one of the display boxes used as a sample, and it was printed with graphics and names. The distributor assumed that the box listed on the website is what they’d receive, but to their surprise when they received it, it wasn’t.
We fixed the situation by sending them high-quality posters to use, and future shipments were no longer an issue. However, this led us to do a complete review of all our materials to ensure we always set proper expectations and follow through with them.
Our proposals now include the white display boxes, and we clearly state the added benefit of using that color.
3. Listen to your global customers and adapt your offerings accordingly
Everyone and every business has their motivations for being in relationships
This is a simple sales concept, but you have to be able to answer their question, “What’s in it for me?”
For us at Canada Topp, listening and adapting our offerings resulted in redesigned packages with different colors and languages. We modified images, instructions, and leaflet sizes. Many customers were also not reading the instructions, so we created fun videos which were easier to follow.
We put all instructions on websites in different languages so they can be read online easily via computer or smartphone. Don’t make the mistake of expecting that what’s working for you at home can be forced onto a foreign market. Listen and adapt.
Listen to your partners’ preferred communication style too. If you’re not getting prompt replies to your emails, they may prefer talking over the phone. I usually like to ask what works for them. One of the distributors I work with prefers text chatting over Skype. It works for him, and I managed to adapt to his style. As a result, we have a more successful relationship.
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