How to Sell Overseas

Image by ~Terrie K ~ via Flickr

Do you remember this Translator Power post and this one, and also this one?

Now, check out this article in Business Weekk to confirm all that and act consequently:

“If you aren’t selling abroad, it’s time. We don’t have to tell you that the U.S. economy is struggling. Your suppliers may be raising their prices, and your business customers may be worried about their own sales. But just because demand may be shrinking at home doesn’t mean you won’t get a rousing welcome abroad”

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Have a great weekend!

A.M.Sall

P.S. Click here to download your copy of “The Insider Guide to The Strategic Marketing of Translation Services“, the book no translator/interpreter in his/her right mind should even think of going without . Or maybe you’d rather take a look at the Free Preview first? This is the book you’ve been waiting for so impatiently: it’s here NOW. And did I mention I’m now working on the 2nd edition, which will be much more complete, but also with a higher price (yes, there’s going to be a price rise!). Now here is the deal: if you get the book now (at the current price), you’ll get the 2nd edition for free. So why wait any longer…!?

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Differentiate and Avoid Commoditization!

The Wiki definition of a “commodity“: “A commodity is something that is relatively easily traded, that can be physically delivered, and that can be stored for a reasonable period of time. It is a characteristic of commodities that prices are determined on the basis of an active market, rather than by the supplier (or other seller) on a “cost-plus” basis. Examples of commodities include not only minerals and agricultural products such as iron ore, crude oil, ethanol, sugar, coffee, aluminium, rice, wheat, gold, diamonds, or silver, but also so-called “commoditized” products such as personal computers.”

“Prices are determined on the basis of an active market, rather than by the supplier” simply means that there are several people selling exactly the same commodity and competition is on price: people will buy the cheapest, since there is no difference in quality.

So you have to make sure your translation service is not “commoditized” and competition with you is not on price. You do this by differentiating your translation services so that prospects will unhesitatingly turn to you even though you may be more expensive than some of your competitors

Some suggestions on how you can do this:

1. Needless to say, you must OVERdeliver on your work, both in terms of quality and deadline. This is a given. Please don’t think if you say “High Quality” and “Timely Delivery“, your prospects will consider you as a great service provider. These are no longer considered as differentiating features, but simply as “normal” for anyone that calls him/herself a professional. Of course you can, and indeed you must say “High Quality” and “Timely Delivery”, but you do not stop at that!

2. Know your client’s business and industry better than anyone else, including him/herself if possible. Use “insider jargon” in your communications with them

3. Become a trusted advisor, for example research your client’s market and give them advice or make suggestions on that market. Your business relationship with your client must be of a consultative rather than a purely technical nature

4. Be your client’s friend: go beyond purely business relationships

5. Become a Global Communication consultant, show them that globalization, i.e. internationalization, translation/localization must accompany the product, all the way from product idea to product marketing and sales (Some companies do not know even what EXACTLY they must have translated)

6. Take up the role of a Going-global consultant: almost play the part of an EMC (Export Management Company) or an ETC (Export Trading Company)

7. Act as a Cultural Advisor: selling at home is not the same as selling abroad

8. You may even decide to double as a Sales Representative…

9. Offer to localize their website

10. If you’re working with Translation Agencies, make sure you write nice emails to your Project Manager. You can even go as far as finding out whether she has a family, hobbies, pets, etc.., build a real relationship with her. You must at all costs differentiate yourself from other translators with the same language pair as you.

11. There are lots of other ways you can differentiate yourself. Now, dear friend and colleague, what can you add to this, for the benefit of the “Translator Power” community? That’s what the “comments” are for! Please give us your $0.2 worth!

N.B. You sometimes hear or read “commodification” (J.C.Levenson) or even “commodization” (Smartbiz.com) instead of “commoditization”. All these words refer to the same beast )

A.M.Sall

P.S. We have turned our Free 7-Part PR ecourse into a free ownloadable PDF and all you have to do is visit this link and instantly download it!

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Subscribe to Translator Power and successfully market your translation/interpreting services either by Email or if you prefer the feed, just look on your left and make your choice!

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Globalization is Here to Stay and the Future of Translation is Bright!

Globalization is definitely here to stay. Always be poised to seize new opportunities as they spring. The interactive world is going more and more global. Says Rohit Bhargava of Social Media Optimization (SMO) fame: “Ad-Tech is one of the biggest shows in the interactive world and the San Francisco event is probably their flagship location…
Being global is a reality – More than any other show I went to recently, Ad-tech has a global feel to it in the people that are attending from other countries, as well as the focus of several of the sessions. A colleague from OgilvyOne in China will be participating in a panel on Asia-Pacific later today which I am looking forward to attending. In conversations, people are also thinking more broadly about how tools are evolving in different countries and how social networks are growing beyond national confines.” (Influential Interactive Marketing)

How SMBs Can Turn Going-global into a Rich Communication Experience

One way to avoid the “commoditization” of your translation services, is to “add value”, for example by presenting yourself not just as a translator but as a “strategic global communication consultant”. Obviously, you have to live up to your new characterization by really “walking the talk”, i.e. doing what you say you do. This entails lot of studying, which will be both pleasant and easy as pie – if you really love your profession.    

This is an article I just published
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How SMBs Can Turn Going-Global into a Rich Communication Experience

Nowadays, a good translator/interpreter is all at once a language, culture and strategic global communication advisor. Ideally, he/she should live in-country, to literally and constantly “feel the pulse” of your Target Market. Work closely with this expert and leverage your ongoing relationship to turn your going-global effort into an incredibly pleasant and enriching communication experience, a truly human experience. And the huge profit that is bound to result from this experience will be a welcome bonus.  

1. Market Research: The very basis, the sine qua non. Everything else is based on this: all your localization effort will be determined by, and directed at, this market. Perfect market knowledge is essential to establish meaningful communication.

2. All 4 Product stages (Invention – Design – Production – Pricing) should be taken through the whole Globalization Process: Internationalization, Localization, Translation. Ideally, the product is “born international”, i.e. ready to be localized for your chosen market. Even pricing will largely depend on local conditions: you don’t just convert country-of-origin prices into the local currency.

If the product/service already exists, i.e. has already been created, it has to be re-created for your Target Market. It must run the gauntlet of merciless scrutiny through the lens of your Target Market.

And it has been calculated that belated localization (downstream re-engineering or retrofitting) “will take twice as long and cost twice as much.”

Through your global communication expert (or simply your translator/interpreter), you can initiate a fruitful dialogue covering linguistic, cultural and technical aspects with your target market – from product invention to pricing
 
Ferret out anything that would not be acceptable to people in your Target Market, weed it out, and replace it with features that delight them

And this leads us to…

3. Promotion i.e. connecting the product with the market, is meaningless unless it goes through the same globalization process, from ads to PR: Market Research has already established that there are people in sufficient numbers, who want your type of product, and can afford it. Now you draw their attention to your particular product, let them know it is the best of its type, and make them act, i.e. buy

People in the Target Market should not for even one second doubt that the product was created specifically for them, hence the importance of seamless translation/localization.

Your tools and tactics will depend on the market: will it be newspaper ads, radio, TV, billboards, press release, a website, an ezine, a blog, podcasts, etc…? For example for consumer products, in a low-literacy country, radio announcements are probably more efficient than newspaper or magazine ads, billboard colors and pictures will have to take account of the local culture, etc…

4. Post Sales Customer Support: This is a unique opportunity, an effective way to strike rich and meaningful conversations with overseas markets through direct contacts and feedback: have your website and all relevant data translated and localized, then make arrangements to have support email for your foreign customers or clients translated on an ongoing basis. 

All in all, selling to a foreign market can easily become a fabulous communication experience with a different culture, the discovery of how other people live and buy. Establish a close, almost symbiotic long-term relationship with the right strategic global communication advisor, and you will quickly start enjoying the uncommon, exhilarating, deeply exciting experience of feeling both at home and abroad… with high profitability as a bonus.

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A “must visit” for any SMB going global: 30+ year veteran translator, global communication coach/consultant A.M.Sall’s small-sized, SMB-type Translation Agency, with languages covering 98% of the global marketplace at http://www.translationtrophy.com/