Getting Over in the Land Down Under

When Traveling to any foreign country to build your brand, it's important to do a few key things to connect with the local population. Our trip to Australia taught us a few things that we'd like to share with other companies aspiring to expand their businesses into new markets. 

Go to an F&B Expo

It’s tough to gain direct traction with your target market when trying to promote your product abroad. Thus, going to a trade show that’s relevant to your industry is extremely important and fruitful. Not only will you have a large customer base to pitch your products to, but they’ll likely be interested in seeing what you have to sell. 

Know Your Product

Make sure every single member of staff at your booth knows the product from head to toe. Customers that know what they want may ask very specific questions that only someone with intimate knowledge of your product will be able to answer. Giving a good answer, versus not being sure can be the different between making a sale and losing out.

Localize Your Product Information

Chances are, you’ll be handing out flyers or some other type of material for interested customers to take away so that they can gain more information about your business and products. Ensure this information is written in the correct form of English, and give as many local examples as possible. Do the market research, understand what the differences are between your new target market and your home market, and make sure you show that your product can cater to those differences. 

Live Demos

Show your products in action. This technique has gained us a lot of traction in the past and this time was no different. People simply respond better to being able to touch and interact with a product rather than hearing promises about it. There’s nothing better than wowing a customer with a useful feature and then demonstrating it in action. This builds credibility and creates a positive impact. 

Sufficient Manpower

Don’t leave your booth understaffed. Having too few people to man your booth will result in several missed opportunities. You never know when the next big deal could come along, so it’s best to always have enough people to engage with customers and show them that you know their value. Making a customer feel welcome by not having to wait and having their questions answered immediately will often leave a positive impression, leading to a customer remembering your company long after the expo is over. 

Understand Local Needs

If you are able to pitch your product off the bat as something that locals not only want, but need, there’s a good chance you’ll gain traction quickly. Find out what issues local businesses face and which of those issues your product can tackle. Make those your major selling points when talking to customers to gain maximum interest and investment from them.