At Hydro Group we recognise the importance of investing in local agents who are in tune with the language and culture of the region, having formed our Singapore-based division Hydro Products Asia in 2013 as part of international expansion plans, which now has a staff of five and an annual increase of sales in the region of over £1.5million.
We know the benefit of having on the ground support in global locations, and of the importance in investing in making sure our business partners are conveying our products and services accurately. Businesses are constantly looking to grow and diversify into new regions and areas, with a recent study, carried out by Coleman Parkes Research on behalf of the Bank of Scotland, reporting that a quarter of UK oil and gas companies have managed to grow during the downturn by diversifying into new areas and by adopting new technology, and two-thirds have made international expansion plans.
However, to ensure successful results are achieved when crossing international borders, companies need to invest in educating global representatives by organising and engaging in activities like our business partner forum. Collaborating with global business partners and having an on-the-ground presence in an overseas region can help a company gain that essential competitive edge, and significantly support with developing client relationships.
It is important that, when a company moves into foreign regions, it retains business consistency and compliance over international borders, with the people employed to head up and promote a new division being proficient in company messaging and best practices from existing offices. Having an international agent can help to expand your global portfolio and reach, and employing a local showcases your genuine ethical investment in a region. However, you must ensure they are adept in your company’s offering, ethos and outlook, and are portraying your messages in an accurate and representative manner. A mutual understanding of business culture is also essential.
This requires you to invest time and effort in training and communicating with your agents, so the company delivers a consistent service and quality product globally. Failing to do this could be detrimental to the entire investment, and lead to your company to being portrayed in an inaccurate and potentially damaging way.
Inviting agents and representatives to your office, manufacturing facilities or workshop to meet and feel part of the team, and see and understand first-hand the company’s offering and growth plans, can help inform and ensure the messages they convey when they return to their regions are on point. Resulting in the best business outcome all round.
Global expansion is key to ensure a company grows and evolves with the times and, as well as employing locals, training up regionally based individuals and teams helps to develop staff equipped with your company’s skills and knowledge, resulting in company standards being retained.
