There is so much that can go wrong when it comes to global business expansion. This is because there are so many complex factors involved. However, you can increase the chances that your international expansion efforts will succeed by following some of the suggestions below. Read on to find out what they are.
Provide cultural sensitivity training
There is no one homogenous global culture, and that means that cultural differences must be respected during your international expansion. For example, showing the bottom of your feet in Thailand is rude, whereas burping after a meal in China is seen as a compliment. Indeed, without respecting such differences, even the best products and the best laid plans can fail.
With that in mind, providing culturally sensitive training for those on your team is a must. This is because it will allow them to better understand those that you will be serving with your products. It will also ensure that the way they are marketed and delivered is correct as well, which is a vital part of international success.
Give access to proper translation facilities
Unless the location you are moving into speaks the same language as your current one, you will also need to provide access to proper translation facilities. Yes, Google Translate can help in a pinch, but when it comes to mission critical things like legal documents and marketing materials it is vital that you get the input of a native speaker. Otherwise, you could end up making a major and expensive faux pas like KFC’s famous Eat Your Fingers off one in china!
Have robust logistics in place
To be able to serve another international location, you will need to ensure you have a robust logistics setup. That could mean shipping over product from where you currently make it and storing it in a central location, ready to be distributed to customers. You may wish to trial this approach first, as it can be a lot cheaper than setting up a whole system of production in a new country. You can even use facilities like these temporary warehouses in the trial stage, so you won’t have to invest too much to see if it works. Temp warehouses are super fast to set up, too, so you won’t need to worry about delays and can get your operation off the ground as quickly as possible.
Ensure local legal compliance
Compliance is all about meeting business rules and regulations, and while you might be an expert at doing this in your original location, doing it in a new location will take some work. This is because rules and regulations differ widely from country to country and in some cases even region to region.
What this means is you will need to work out which regulations and laws you will need to abide by in the new location you will be operating. Be sure to also educate yourself on the laws and regulations of the locations that your products will pass through and be sold as well, as these will also need to be complied with.