Think locally to better serve clients. Other companies say they’re global, but in order for them to really be global, they need to invest money. They need to invest dollars and they need to invest time overseas with the people that are actually going to be operating their business.
Not only that, but it’s very important that they have a very good (business-to-business) kind of dialogue with other CEOs across different parts of the world for them to be able to have that information.
We have very quickly understood the importance of the global economy and how we’ve been able to expand with our partners and our alliances into those countries to be able to offer on-demand intelligence on a regional basis.
What happens is, you have a lot of global companies in America that say, ‘Oh, I have an office in the U.K., and they’re going to service Russia,’ for example. But they’re such different markets, so they really aren’t giving people the full-scale intelligence of what that particular regional market might be.
What we’ve done is open alliance networks … offices in strategic global locations, where they act as a hub for maybe five or six countries around them. That also helps the alliance gain a lot of competitive advantage.
Find the right employees. Above all, recruit talented people you can trust to oversee an operation when you’re gone.
To do this, you learn from those people who gave you the instinct that you want to do business there. Ask questions, get to know who their confidants are and hire them.
Once you’re set up, move quickly. Don’t think too much. Get set up with legal and confidants, and get to the sales floor.
In a new business, you have little time to play in the first years. Sales mean everything. Leave all the (other) stuff to those you put in place to do it and get out on the sales floor.
How to reach: AMG Worldwide, (305) 572-9883 or www.americasmediagroup.com
