The podcast for global marketers to hear experts talk about opportunities and challenges in increasing multilingual lead gen and revenue. Explore the highs and lows and then delve into best practices for strategies, technologies, processes and quality for translation, transcreation, localization and more.
Episodes
Wednesday Feb 24, 2021
Wednesday Feb 24, 2021
Nina Ann Waters is the founder and Managing Director of Expandise, which helps growth-stage companies execute and manage international expansion. She has helped companies navigate the complexities of launching in over 26 different countries - a truly fascinating feat!
In this episode, she outlines the language requirements for successful global branding, including best practices and common missteps, the importance of in-country support, and the key to impactful market entrée in any country.
Language Landmines to Avoid
First and foremost, Nina advises, be especially cautious of word choices when expanding into new markets, even when you’re dealing with other English-speaking countries like the UK.
Subtle linguistic differences can have major implications, especially for e-commerce businesses, Nina continues. Something as simple as using the word "pants" (rather than “trousers”) on a UK-facing website would instantly signal to customers that it's an American company, which can negatively impact trust and conversion rates.
"People generally prefer to do business with local companies," she said. "The more local you can make your business look, the better it's going to be for consumers. Because it's also going to appeal to their comfort level."
Adapting to Local Languages and Customs
In addition, Nina says that truly succeeding in international markets requires adapting to local languages and cultural norms.
Issues can arise even around the smallest details. In one instance, an Expandise client simply could not accommodate Polish character sets in its logistics systems, denying them entrée into a potentially lucrative market.
Conversely, preparing for translation from the outset allows you to fully adapt your products, marketing, and operations to each new market, rather than simply translating a message that may fall flat. Take the time to understand local consumer preferences, payment methods, and even delivery expectations.
Similarly, there are challenges involved with adapting management styles when working across different cultural contexts. Nina illustrates the contrast between her preferred "hands-off, goal-oriented" approach and the more hierarchical, step-by-step management style that was common in Indonesia. Only when leadership is open to learning and adjusting their management style will companies create engaged and productive teams in unfamiliar cultural environments.
The Value of In-Market Expertise
Nina also advises her clients to work closely with local experts when expanding into new markets. These on-the-ground connections can save companies weeks or even months of time by providing crucial insights that may not be readily available online.
Local expertise gives companies a competitive advantage when it comes to understanding cultural nuances, identifying the right marketing channels, and navigating regulatory and legal requirements.
Nina suggests hiring junior-level employees who can be trained in various aspects of the business, such as online marketing or logistics. This approach provides flexibility – probationary periods or fixed-term contracts, for example – and allows the company to retain talented individuals even if the initial market entry doesn't work out as planned.
Key Strategies for Successful Expansion
Despite the potential pitfalls, she emphasized that global expansion can be tremendously rewarding for businesses. At the same time, she describes the failure rate for international expansions as shockingly high, around 80%.
Again, "the main reason for this is a failure to adapt properly to the local market," she says. "And that doesn't just mean in terms of the product or service, which is a big part of it, but clients or companies often expect what works in their home market to work exactly the same in a new market. And that often isn't the case."
To avoid becoming part of this statistic, companies should take a methodical, data-driven approach to market selection and entry. This includes conducting thorough competitor analysis, assessing market size, pricing, and staffing considerations, all while keeping a keen eye on cultural factors. She also stresses the importance of having adequate resources and a willingness to build relationships, rather than just expecting customers to flock to a new market.
Her best advice? Approach international expansion with a strategic mindset, a willingness to learn, and a commitment to delivering a high-quality, localized experience to customers worldwide. And listen to the full episode for more practical insights and advice.
Links:
Website: https://www.linkedin.com/company/expandise/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ninaannwalters/
Connect with Wendy - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendypease/
Music: Fiddle-De-Dee by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com
Wednesday Feb 17, 2021
Wednesday Feb 17, 2021
Alyson Hodson is president and CEO of Zag, a full service marketing agency.
A fortuitous trip run by the Canadian government opened Alyson’s eyes to global business opportunities when she visited Abu Dhabi on a trade mission.
Now, at her company she opens the eyes of her clients when they have the opportunity to “think bigger” about expanding across borders.
Connect with Wendy - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendypease/
Connect with Alyson - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alysonhodson/
Music: Fiddle-De-Dee by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com
Wednesday Feb 10, 2021
Wednesday Feb 10, 2021
Today's guest Lafe Bailey, Co-CEO and President of Wenger Manufacturing, is a third-generation leader of Wenger.
Lafe has helped drive the company’s revenues from $20 million to $150 million by building relationships with people from all over the world.
Hear his recommendations on how to be successful and why all manufacturers should be exporting.
Also, hear his views about politicians being the biggest threat to world trade.
Connect with Wendy - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendypease/
Connect with Lafe - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lafebailey/
Music: Fiddle-De-Dee by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com
Wednesday Feb 03, 2021
Wednesday Feb 03, 2021
What a blessing to talk to Loredana Nicolae, a B2B global growth expert who has offices all over the world.
She consults with companies on how to expand internationally - and recommends starting with an agile, lean marketing approach.
Learn about how to research the right market, gain insights about cultural compatibility for a successful launch and to understand how Account Based Marketing (ABM) can make you successful.
When it comes to global marketing - just say “tak tak” in Polish!
Connect with Wendy - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendypease/
Connect with Loredana - https://www.linkedin.com/in/loredananiculae/
Music: Fiddle-De-Dee by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com
Resources -
Webinars on internationalization recording - https://youtu.be/PiuppNGu0gs
Hofstede Insights - https://www.hofstede-insights.com/product/compare-countries/
B2B Influencers - www.thinkers360.com/
A series of blog posts series on going international from NNC
Wednesday Jan 27, 2021
Wednesday Jan 27, 2021
Crista Casas has lived and worked in South America, Ghana, Thailand, India, Australia and more.
She launched Casas Global Solutions to support technology companies in their global launch.
Listen to her explain why she considers Google Translate a “necessary evil” and why considering English as a Global language leads to “language entitlement”.
Connect with Wendy - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendypease/
Connect with Crista - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cristacasas/
Music: Fiddle-De-Dee by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com
Wednesday Jan 20, 2021
Wednesday Jan 20, 2021
Talk about a person who can fit in anywhere!
Darryn Lee, a Senior Sales and Business Development professional at Vise, has a life mission to connect across cultures, and he’s well on his way.
As a high school student from the “projects” he travelled to Japan and learned his first lesson about gratitude.
In this episode, hear how he’s succeeded and his advice for connecting with people everywhere.
Connect with Wendy - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendypease/
Connect with Darryn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrynlee/
Music: Fiddle-De-Dee by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com
Wednesday Jan 13, 2021
Wednesday Jan 13, 2021
Listen to Trent Clark, CEO of Leadershipity, talk about his experiences of playing sports and doing business around the world.
As a three-time Major League Baseball World Series Coach (who has the 3 rings to prove it), a founder of multiple businesses, a father of 5 and an all-around great guy, you learn what he’s observed about working with people from around the world.
Talk about “positiv-ity”!
Connect with Wendy - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendypease/
Connect with Trent - https://www.linkedin.com/in/trentmclark/
Music: Fiddle-De-Dee by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com
Wednesday Jan 06, 2021
Wednesday Jan 06, 2021
Who do you get when you combine a visionary and an implementer?
Patrick Nunes! In this episode Patrick, Director of Global Communications & Design at Rotary International, shares great experience stories and suggestions on how to successfully transition your organization to be a global communications expert rather than reactionary to translation requests.
Connect with Wendy - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendypease/
Connect with Patrick - https://www.linkedin.com/in/patricknunes/
Music: Fiddle-De-Dee by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com
Wednesday Dec 30, 2020
Wednesday Dec 30, 2020
Nick Canfield, Co-Founder of Process Zip, has lived and done business in Micronesia, Vietnam, and Costa Rica.
He’s travelled and done business in many other countries.
In this episode find out if English is the global language and whether drinking beer will make you a successful global business person.
Link to Nick’s thesis on the political impact of the Colbert Report - https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/etd/748/
Connect with Wendy - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendypease/
Connect with Nick - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickcanfield/
Music: Fiddle-De-Dee by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com
Wednesday Dec 23, 2020
Wednesday Dec 23, 2020
As the person who wrote the book on “LinkedIn Marketing in One Hour a Day”, Viveka Von Rosen knows her stuff.
In this episode, she has a lively discussion about what happened when she used machine translation for her Norweigian LinkedIn profile, her experiences with the French language, and then offers best practices on managing multilingual marketing on LinkedIn company pages and individual profiles.
Connect with Wendy - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendypease/
Connect with Viveka - https://www.linkedin.com/in/linkedinexpert/
Music: Fiddle-De-Dee by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com