For anyone just tuning in, this series of posts is my attempt to describe one of the busiest weeks; I’ve had in a long while.

In part one; I talked about our second SLI meet up “From the Buyers Perspective” and in part two and three about our International Partnership events “International Success for Tech Companies”

Thursday: IT@Cork Internationalisation Event

The it@cork is a member-driven not-for-profit business association representing the interests of ICT professionals which has over 280 corporate members based in the Cork region.

Again Dave Brock enthralled with another presentation and talk about the challenges of Internationalisation. This was Dave’s 4th talk of the week to an Irish audience, his ability to teach, to communicate and to engage as fresh as ever. Had Dave been an Irish man, he would in my opinion have come from the People’s Republic of Cork….a Roy Keane or Christy Ring of the sales world!

Since Dave has settled back home in sunny California, he has written two blog posts about his trip to Ireland. They are Intensity, Clarity, and Purposefulness & The Courage To Admit You Are Wrong make sure you check them out, I think he likes us :).

Just after Dave on the day was Pat Phelan of MaxRoam. Talk about a brilliant Irish technology business! MAXroam have negotiated voice deals with more than 700 mobile carriers in over 213 countries and data deals in 139 countries across the globe. Through these international partnerships, they now offer up to 80% lower roaming charges to people all over the world by simply replacing your regular SIM with your MAXroam SIM card.

Pat talked honestly about having to completely change their route to market strategies mid stream, and how ultimately this realisation has led to their great success. He talked about the long hours and challenges of dealing with so many different time zones and the pressure it puts of the support mechanisms within the business.

Interestingly to me he also talked about how he has so effectively used social networking to identify and capitalise on new business opportunities. In fact, he only uses social marketing!

As he talked, a thought struck me… could Pat Phelan be the most sophisticated user of social media in Ireland? I think he very well may be - particularly if you consider how quickly he has grown the biz to a multi million organisation. It was our 3rd inspirational talk from a leading Irish Tech entrepreneur that week.

Friday: Digest and Catch Up!

Our tech leaders are now intrinsically tied to our economic recovery, not only that, they are fundamentally important people, if we are ever hoping to realise our aspirations of becoming a smart economy.

Irish software companies are born International, there is no choice! We may be good at supporting them but we need to get better, there is no choice! The International Partnership, bringing ladies and gentlemen of the calibre of Dave Brock to these shores and getting International results is something I intend to see happen.

In the meantime…..Phew!!… That was some week.

In part one, I talked about the second Sales Leadership Ireland meet up on Monday and the wonderful dialogue that resulted…….So on to Tuesday.

Tuesday: The International Partnership – International Success for Tech Companies.

These were two events (morning and afternoon) organised by myself, Donagh Kiernan of Maidsfield Associates and Dave Brock of Partners of Excellence to kick off our three-way International Partnership.

First up on the day was Kevin O Leary, CEO of QUMAS, an Irish company that provides compliance management software to the world’s leading blue chip companies. Kevin is an inspiring and charismatic presenter, and his story is one of continued success.

As part of his unique and engaging presentation, Kevin waked us through the actual pipeline of the business. He talked about why hiring a capable and analytical sales manager was a critical component of their success.

QUMAS have grown their business substantially in a very short space of time through strategic global partnerships. It’s a wonderful success story and Kevin was very kind in sharing his insights and learning with us, an entirely captivated audience throughout.

Next up was Donagh Kiernan who has worked closely with Kevin over the years in identifying the right fit International partners. Taking us through his step by step process, he talked about how he researches and creates the ecosystem of the particular market. While Donagh’s methods may be scientific, he stressed why instinct is still an important factor in arriving at a decision. It was an insightful presentation from Donagh that complimented Kevin’s earlier delivery.

Our third and final presentation was from Dave Brock, this would be Dave’s second of three presentations in only two days. Dave brought a truly global perspective, his IBM background, his experience as an investor in software companies and his huge consulting experience with his firm Partners in Excellence.

Dave has worked with the virtually every player of the global tech landscape, his experience shining through as he talked about the different strategies he implemented over the years. He talked about how it is possible for a big company to love a smaller one to death, the pesky details that can wreck International relationships and which strategy you employ really depends on a great many factors.

All three presentations were interoperable in nature and the questions and dialogue from those that attended was intelligent and though provoking. The Irish tech sector appears to me to be in many good hands.

Because of the level of interest in this event, we had to run an additional session in the afternoon. This proved equally engaging but more on that in part three.

Btb Guest Author

Cindy King

So you want to make your business international?

Traditionally there are 7 different options open to you. Each path has advantages and disadvantages.

Businesses just starting their business development abroad will need to study these options very carefully.

Online businesses starting to develop a regular international client base will also find it very interesting to look at the traditional business development strategies. You never know where your international internet business can lead you.

Here are your international business expansion options.

1 – Sell Directly To Your Foreign Clients From Your Home Offices

The advantages are:

• No expensive foreign offices
• No foreign taxes
• You retain full control of your international strategy

The disadvantages are:

• More difficult to penetrate foreign markets
• More cross cultural communication issues
• No local expertise in-house
• You handle all sales issues that arise
• Full responsibility in the event of legal issues

2 – Open A Local Office To Represent Your Business

The advantages are:

• Local presence
• You retain full control of your international strategy

The Disadvantages are:

• Full responsibility in the event of legal issues
• Need tax advice on how to set up finances
• Local taxes due
• Financial results not fully integrated with main company

3 – Create An Overseas Subsidiary

The advantages are:

• Local presence
• You control your sales strategy

The Disadvantages are:

• Expensive solution
• Separate company structure has financial, fiscal and legal repercussions to be researched fully

4 – Hire A Sales Agent To Sell To Foreign Markets

The advantages are:

• Local presence
• Local expertise
• You control your sales strategy
• This is usually a cheaper option than going through a distributor

The Disadvantages are:

• Research needed for legal and taxation issues
• May cost you a fee to terminate agreement

5 – Find A Foreign Distributor

The advantages are:

• Local presence
• Local expertise
• Sales network in place
• No expensive foreign offices
• No local taxes
• Distributor is usually responsible for local legal issues

The Disadvantages are:

• You lose control over your sales strategy
• Distributors are generally more expensive than sales agents
• To end a distributor agreement you need to give notice

6 – Develop A Franchise Overseas

The advantages are:

• Local presence
• Local expertise
• Benefit from franchiser investments

The Disadvantages are:

• Not always an option
• Strict legislation sometimes

7 – Enter Into A Joint-Venture

The advantages are:

• Local presence
• Local expertise
• Possibility of mutual benefit if a good fit
• Each partner keeps the ownership his side of the Joint-Venture
• Flexible structure

The Disadvantages are:

• Need to research the legal responsibilities and implications involved
• Opens your intellectual property to risk

Research Your Options

This list gives you a quick glance at the different international development options and their advantages and disadvantages.

This list is by no means complete. There are many parameters involved. You will need to do your own research and contact the authorities involved.

But this list is interesting for the online businesses starting to get international sales. It is a reminder of how your business could evolve, of the directions you could take your business.

You might find the ideal distributor or sales agent for your products and services one day. This is just a reminder of your other options.

International internet marketing allows businesses to enter into international business development one step earlier.

Internet business does not exclude any of these traditional international development options.

An international internet marketing strategy can be a very good international market research tool leading towards more traditional international expansion methods.

——————–

Cindy King is a Cross-Cultural Marketer & International Sales Specialist. With over 25 years field experience in international sales & marketing and 3 years professional copywriting, Cindy helps businesses to get more international sales, primarily by:

• Creating international business development strategies to shorten time to profitability

• Developing international lead generation strategies

• Lead generation copywritin —interviewing international clients for success stories, case studies, & white papers

• International SEO & Web Copywriting

Cindy can be found @ www.getinternationalclients.com or @ her blog cindyking.biz

——————–

In the News

TSE Captain and powerhouse sales leader, Jonathan Farrington is very very close to reaching the milestone of publishing 600 blog posts - he is on 599.

Here is a video of how Jonathan likes to motivate the TSE Team

THANK YOU JONATHAN

I would like to congratulate Jonathan on this tremendous achievement, thank him for everything that he has taught me and for the continued patience and kindness he has shown towards me.

Well done Jonathan, please continue to INSPIRE us all.