2009-02-04
Are you about to establish operations outside the borders? Perhaps you think like this: Which market do we start with? How should the organization look like? Should we get a partner or maybe merge? Or is it smarter to buy a company in place?
THIS IS HOW CONTRACTORS and managers with global ambitions think, most
of them anyway. I know that through a 25-year experience as a brand strategist,
business developer and entrepreneur with operations in Stockholm, New York and
Hong Kong.
THINKING LIKE THIS IS BOTH right and wrong. Right because these questions must
be asked and answered in a good way. Wrong because another question must be
asked first. It should be, "What brand strategy should we have?" If
you answer this question right, you will quickly reach the right answers to all
the other questions. It is that simple. And at the same time so difficult.
Believe it or not, but the brand is actually the hub and the engine in all
business development. It is basically about the magical gut feeling, as the
customer experience in the meeting with your company, products and services. It
is that feeling that is your brand. Nothing else. And it is the feeling that
finally determines whether you will do business or not. Therefore, it is best to
always do right from the start. Simply decide what you want the customers on
your new market to feel for you and your company. What point of view they
should have. That is the brand strategy.
WITH THAT STRATEGY AS a basis, the most important thing is to find answers to
questions like: What makes us unique? What is our vision? What is the trend?
What do our potential customers think about us? What we are competing with? Who
are our enemies? Who likes us? How do we describe ourselves in order to be
perceived in the right way? How do we spread our message? How do we win the customers´
loyalty? What do we do with the brand after the launch? How do we renew ourselves
when we grow? How do we avoid that our strong home culture becomes weaker when
we establish ourselves abroad?
THERE ARE OBVIOUSLY SOME QUESTIONS to take into consideration. A strong brand
is like a true friend. One that will help you reach out to the new market. And
then make sure that you can move forward. Your gut determines how far you will.
Good luck!