How to Establish a Presence Overseas

Expanding or growing a business in one country or place is hard enough, BUT how do you go about getting known and established in another, maybe more foreign place.

Here are a few ideas, suggestions and top tips as to how you can start getting your business or company established:

1. Seek, get and take free professional advice whenever you can get it. Use the internet to look up information on your target country. Find out key areas, do your market research and work from hear.

2. Establish a base. By this I mean form a base that you will work from to help establish your business or company. This doesn't have to be a physical base, for example you could establish a base online, through sales representatives, agents, and professional bodies or similar.

3. Find out what works. If you really want to get established then you need to do your homework. Find out what your target market and target audience respond and react to.

4. Make contacts, network and get networking. People are key resources when it comes to establishing your business abroad.

5. Get into contact with local embassies, trade bodies and similar. Start plugging and promoting your business by utilising local contacts and networks.

6. Product an advertising and marketing campaign and budget. Conduct market research, find out what your market responds and reacts to, and then put together a short term and long term marketing plan and budget.

7. Organisation the launch of your company or business. Even if you are just expanding organise a launch party or similar for your business, get the local press and media involved, generate and build buzz and word of mouth.

8. Link and join resources with other businesses. Try to join forces with a similar yet non competing business. Use the existing more well known business to help establish your business and establish a presence.

9. Promote, advertise and market everywhere and anywhere you can. Create an online presence and help spread the word and generate even more interest and awareness in your business, even before it has launched overseas.

10. Build up your personal reputation. Sometimes building up a business overseas or establishing a presence overseas is much easier if say you build up your personal profile and presence first.

Remember that building an overseas presence does not and will not happen overnight, but with careful planning, research, hard work and patience you should soon start to see the fruits of your labour.

Good luck with establishing a business presence overseas, I wish you every success.