Greater than 2 minutes
Definite guide to reach and win international clients to expand your business and increase international sales
David, I can’t speak their language.
I don’r really know how to do business abroad, or how to close a deal with an international client.
I don’t even know what market should I target.
I’ve heard this so many times before, and right now, most of the business I’ve worked with are selling their products and services in Spanish speaking countries.
And let me tell you something, you don’t need to have a big multinational to start selling products and services abroad.
In fact, most multinationals started selling their products abroad being SMEs or even self-employed.
But you need to work smart to make the most of your investments (both of money and time). That’s my objective here, I want you to have all the resources to start analysing your current situation and where you want to go following solid steps and actions:
→ Translate these sections of your website to target an international audience
First things first, you need to have a platform where international clients can learn more about what you have to offer.
If you can’t convey what you can do for your international audience, they will just ignore your offer.
→ Implementing an international market research
You also need to know where your international public is. Where are they gathering both online and offline.
Selling meat to a vegetarian person makes no sense.
Targeting your Ideal Customer Avatar is easier, because you’re offering the solution that they’re looking for. Selling will come naturally.
→ How to approach international clients
And then? Well, you need to connect and engage with them.
Remember when you were starting up your business and had no connections? You had to work hard and create a community for your business, right?
This is something similar, but it’s easier. Why? Because you already have a community that supports your business. You’re not starting from scratch this time.
→ How to adapt products to a foreign market to expand your business
Then you’ll have adapt your products and services to this new audience. You international audience may have different needs, concerns or ambitions.
Make sure that you adapt your products and services to match the expectations of your new audience.
→ How to translate your digital product to escalate your income and win international clients
Your clients need to understand your offer. Make sure that you message is effectively conveyed and make your clients feel like home when they’re buying your products and services.
Time to implement all this information and act! Have you ever worked with international clients? Leave a comment or send me a message, I’d love to hear from you! 😀
Nixie Adams 
Gert Van Assche 
Yuliya Kinash 
In a sense, all of my clients are international because I reside in Canada and majority of my clients are in US and all over the world AND they expand from their markets into the Russian market (for example, by localizing their video games into Russian). The key here, I think, is understanding what they’re trying to achieve with your translation and what kind of return of investment they expect. You have to be their language expert and in a way a business consultant and not just a translator.
I completely agree, Dmitry. In fact, every translation that we do should have its own objectives and requirements and we should be able to adapt our services to our clients to meet these objectives. Aligning our services to what our clients want to achieve is also a great strategy to differentiate yourself from your competition 🙂
It not always that easy, though. Sometimes clients simply don’t know what they want or their understanding and goals for the market are very vague. I always try to ask my clients a whole bunch of questions before even discussing the translation.
True. I guess sometimes it’s up to us to educate our clients. I’ve been working with some clients for a few years now and they now understand my job as a translator/copywriter, they know what I do for them and appreciate it, and they know that they must also play their part to meet their goals through my services.
I think it’s worth it, especially if you’re planning a long-term collaboration with your clients 🙂
Some relationships just need careful and on-going nurturing. Showing your clients that you care about them and their goals goes a long way.