All successful, i.e., growing businesses with a few exceptions will need to expand into new markets. At times the growth will be from one city to the next, other times it will be into new countries. It is relatively common for businesses in Europe like Germany, the UK, etc. to expand into their neighboring countries. However, doing so requires that the company adapts its business to the host country’s culture, language and most of all business practices.
One way for businesses to adapt is to hire talent or employees as they are commonly referred to in those countries. While some employees can be just transferred to the new region the majority of others will need to be hired. That’s because local employees will need to work on many important fronts to ensure that your business in that new region or country is successful.
Localizing the Company’s Language
All companies have a mission statement, slogan, product descriptions, product names, etc. which have over the years been working perfectly in their present market. However, these same names, slogans and mission statement may not work in the new host country. The language for one will need to change.
Everything from the company’s mission statement to the slogan, even the names of each product will have to be linguistically localized. That’s where a team of local translators can help. Ideally, these translators should have English as a second language so that they understand what everything means resulting in accurate translations.
Culturally Appropriate Advertising
Most if not all businesses rely on advertising to attract new clients or customers. In addition to the advertising being localized linguistically, it will have to also be culturally appropriate. Again here having a team of local advertising experts can help get the company’s message across without harming its reputation owing to an ignorance of the local culture.
Customer Service
It is common knowledge that people in most countries are more comfortable speaking their local language and or dialect. That’s why customer service has to be primarily in the country’s national language. Take France for instance where despite a fair majority of people being able to speak English still prefer to speak with a French-language customer service representative. If your company does not have a French-speaking representative, the chances are that most people will not want to communicate which leads to a lower acceptance rate of your business and its products. So, you’ll need to hire local French speakers.
Assist with Localizing the Business Culture
Unknown to many business people, their business experiences a cultural shock when moving to a new region. That shock is temporary yet can end up costing a lot of money and make it harder for the business to gain a footing. To prevent this so-called shock, it is crucial that locals be hired to take care of day to day affairs. For instance, in some countries being punctual isn’t a priority as much as offering a lower cost service. If you had a local secretary or business manager, they would know that and tailor your schedule accordingly.