Our main 5 Tips for doing business abroad
Doing business abroad, especially during a pandemic, is all about embracing technology. If you use the tools around you wisely, you will be able to communicate and do business far more effectively.
Our team have been commercialising products successfully for decades. We understand how to do business abroad, and we also recognise how its methods have evolved. Nowadays, should you want to, you can do it all from the comfort of your own home...literally!
1. Use videos and animations
Currently, we are using video calls to communicate our ideas or pitch new products to audiences abroad. That is a fantastic tool. However, most people are using slides to present their ideas, and it’s
challenging to retain an audience’s attention using that method.
We suggest you consider the use of videos, instead. Video is an excellent way of maintaining the attention of your audience and animations, in particular, are an even better tool. They’re remarkably flexible and allow you to communicate a range of different things when presenting.
You can play a video, add a voiceover or talk over it to tell your audience live what the benefits of your product or process are. It’s an excellent way to engage, and particularly at the moment, when everyone is stuck in the dark ages of using PowerPoint after PowerPoint, animations are a great way to stand out from the crowd.
2. Treat it as if you were abroad
If you’re going to use some of the great video communication tools, such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams, be sure to treat that meeting the same as you would treat it if you had travelled to your destination.
A lot of people can get a little bit too comfortable because they’re based at home. Therefore, their communication can sometimes drop to a more casual tone, versus what it would have been had they made an effort to go all the way there.
3. Research the culture of your audience
Doing business overseas it isn’t the same as doing business in the UK. You may have to adapt the way you communicate or negotiate. It’s crucial that you do your research and find out what the key differences are between how you’re used to doing business and how your audience does business.
4. Learn about the economy of the country
You can do that by logging on to tradingeconomics.com. There you can find various stats about the wealth of the economy that you will be visiting. You can also compare and contrast with the economy you are working from at the moment. For example, if you’re thinking about setting up a shop in another country, you will be able to get an impression of what the market is like and what you’re likely to attract.
5. Leave something with your audience
At the moment, online communication is highly competitive. If you strike up a commercial conversation, ensure you have something to leave with your audience. That’s where animations, again, can become very useful. They’re excellent at concisely communicating products or processes, so your audience completely understand what you’re pitching.
In addition to that, you can also add subtitles in different languages as well as voiceovers. It’s a great, flexible tool that looks far more professional than a badly dubbed video.