5 top tips to boost your export sales

I often hear people complaining that they haven’t had much success with export sales in overseas markets or that certain markets have proved difficult for them to enter and I have often wondered what the approach has been to those markets. I’m sure most companies will have developed an export strategy and researched the markets but how many of them consider international communication as a part of their overall strategy? And how important is it?

Do you struggle to get your message across?

First of all, the most crucial point to make is that you need to ensure you get the right message across. Surely that goes without saying, you might be thinking and yes, it should. But if your target market doesn’t speak English, it may not be as easy as you think. So how then do you ensure the right message is getting across? We all know that English is considered the international language of business, but that doesn’t necessarily mean your prospective buyers will fully understand the information you provide about your products and services, especially those that are highly technical. If you want to be sure the exact message you want to convey is being conveyed, you can’t rely on the buyer’s ability to understand English, you need to convey the message in their language; only then can you be sure they are getting the message you intended.

Are you getting lost amongst the competition?

We all know how important it is for companies to stand out from the crowd, especially in highly competitive markets. And your international markets are no exception. So that means having a great marketing campaign in the native language of your target markets. After all, if all your competitors are just shouting a little bit louder in English and hoping the right message gets across, just by speaking the right language to your prospective buyers is going to put you way out in front. And did you know, statistics show that people who receive information about a product or service in their own language are more likely to buy it and often pay more for it.

Does your brand have a good reputation in your overseas markets?

Another great reason to invest in communicating with prospective buyers in their own languages is to prove your commitment to servicing that market and build your brand presence. Buyers today are much more discerning and have a great deal of information and choice at their fingertips, which means they will do their research. Their decision will not only be based on quality and price, but also on after-care and the ability for them to resolve issues having purchased a particular product or service. Having information available to them in their own language will give them some peace of mind that they will be able to communicate with the seller and therefore make them more likely to buy.

Are you spending too much time dealing with complaints from abroad?

The last thing any company wants is to have to deal with problems and particularly if those problems are raised overseas and in another language. So it makes sense to invest in clear instructions in the user’s native language up front and minimise the amount of issues that could occur. Think about it, if the person using your products understands how to work them, they are less likely to have to contact you because they’ve inserted the wrong thing in the wrong place. Likewise, if you can fully manage a client’s expectations by providing details of your service in their language, you are less likely to receive complaints due to a misunderstanding of the agreement.

Do you want to increase your export sales?

Ultimately, the main objective of any venture into a foreign market is to increase sales and you are more likely to do so if you approach buyers in their native language. There has been a lot of research carried out looking at buying patterns and language and, with today’s increased connectivity, it is becoming ever more relevant. According to research by the Common Sense Advisory, 75% of buyers in non-English-speaking countries will choose a product in their own language rather than one in English and 64.3% of internet users with little or no English ability would pay more for products or services with information they could read in their own language.

So, to go back to the original question, I would say it is vitally important that companies consider their approach to international communications when developing their export strategies. Fundamentally it’s about making sure your buyers have enough information they can understand to make them want to buy your products or services over those of your competitors. And, as Nelson Mandela explained it:

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.”

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