News - The Languages for Business Centre

Making Languages work for your company and you.



Export Support:

A little effort goes a long way In today’s Global Market, having a good product at a competitive price is no longer enough to guarantee a business deal with a foreign client; cultural awareness coupled with personal commitment to first class service are important keys to distinguish yourself from the competition. 

The fact that only 10% of English people are aware of the importance of making an attempt at their client’s language means that the minority who do make an effort are particularly well placed. In the present economic situation, many manufacturers are putting training, including language training, on hold to cut back on expenditure. This is understandable but not visionary. 

It takes a year or so to equip staff with useful language skills, and this should be done during the “calm” in order to be ready for the “storm”. We are confident that both home and export markets will pick up again in the future, and we need to be ready to pounce with the required skills in place. The expanding markets, such as China, India or Indonesia, are especially appreciative of this conscious effort from their British partners. In Asian countries a contract is not usually regarded as the end of the negotiations but as the starting point of a long term relationship that will be continuously revaluated.
 
This approach means that special respect is shown to those who make an effort to understand the culture and the language. To complement the services through UKTI, companies planning to enter or develop overseas markets can count on our low-cost though comprehensive language and export support services on an ad-hoc basis.

Have a look at our typical checklist for market entry:

Exporters Check List

Establish a planning strategy for market entry:

* What is the present scope of the company
* Where do you plan to be 5 years from now
* Establish objectives to be achieved, their resourcing, organisation, administration and monitoring
* Obtain Target Market Profile

Developing and Managing Business Relationships (Country and Culture Briefing)

* Negotiating skills, how different are they?
* Communication skills
* Do’s and don’ts 

Action Planning

* Trade fair attendance as a visitor to evaluate the competition, the need to adapt product/service and certification requirements
* Identify market niche
* Commission or conduct market research and establish rospect base
* Select a foreign language service provider
* Contact prospects, establish the right contact person and interest
* Produce/send introduction and product info in the target language
* Establish appointments with prospects and itinerary
* Establish price structure and currency risk management
* Select key staff for basic language training
* Install procedures for export documentation, transport, customer service and getting paid
* Translate user manuals, Technical Data Sheets, etc.
* Include a summary of your company, products, benefits, service in the target language on your website
* Attend trade fair as an exhibitor

Call us to arrange a no-obligation visit to discuss your particular requirements on 0161 962 5654 and check out our website at www.languages-for-business