One of the biggest problems experienced by companies that want to expand abroad is the distrust of the prospective customers. Of course, this has a strong connection with the image of the company as well as the image of the sector and the country in general. However, our priority is to increase the trust in your company.
The more trust the customer or prospective customer has in you and your company, the easier your foreign activities will be, and your business volume will increase accordingly.
The main topics that I pay special attention to in order to gain the trust of the customer and create a reliable image abroad are as follows:
1) Website / Online Presence. The most important point that I emphasize and repeat everywhere is a professional website. Unfortunately, many companies that want to expand abroad still do not have a proper website.
Let’s make it clear,
With Hotmail or similar free e-mail addresses and websites prepared with flash, the last updated 4 years ago, playing music from 1999 in the background, it is almost impossible to gain trust of the buyers abroad.
The first thing that a customer who is considering doing business with your company will probably do is to search for your company on Google and search for you on your website (and other resources that can be found). The first impression you make during this research will directly affect the willingness of the company to do business with you.
For this reason, definitely have an e-mail address with a company extension, a professional, clean interface and a constantly updated website. In addition, if possible, increase your visibility on the internet by doing (or having) search engine optimization (SEO) studies.
2) Have a permanent address. Let’s say you have a very stylish business card or website. However, if you do not have a local phone number and/or address written there, a question mark will arise in the minds of the buyers.
The company, which will buy goods and services and pay a certain price, wants to be able to find an address where it can reach you physically in any situation (even if it is thousands of kilometers away).
For this reason, your job is really difficult if your business card includes a mobile phone number as a phone number, and only the city/country instead of the address on your website.
3) Publish your certificates and collaborations. Publish documents/certificates, such as patent registration, quality and inspection reports, which are documented by independent authorities, held by your company in print and online media.
Apart from this, announce your company’s collaborations, memberships and social projects with organizations such as foundations and universities in the same way.
Although not tangible or tangible, these assets and activities are an important aid in gaining the trust of overseas buyers.
For example, your company’s ISO quality certificate or a joint project with a university should definitely be included in publications such as catalogues, brochures, and websites.
4) Suggest secure payment terms. It would be unfair to expect a company that will do business with you for the first time to make an advanced payment. Work with payment methods that do not put both yourself and the other party at risk. You can create a secure financial environment by using Cash Agains Documents, Letter of Credits or online payment systems such as Paypal for software/service industries.
5) References. If your commercial activities are not carried out under a confidentiality agreement or if you do not have a problem with your competitors learning the name of your customers (this will vary according to the sector), specify the companies you work with and your customers under your references.
Showing that there are other customers who prefer you will give the impression that you are a trusted company and therefore preferred.
6) Warranty terms. What kind of after-sales guarantees do you give against the product you sell or the service you provide? As a result of mistakes caused by you, such as a defective product or wrong packaging, your customer wants to know that you will stand behind this error and take responsibility.
Make the customer feel that you are always with them with contracts prepared in accordance with international law, warranty documents and, if necessary, the points you will create for after-sales installation / support in the target market (installation, especially for furniture, construction, etc. sectors).
7) Visit customers on site. Your communication with customers should not be limited to phone or e-mail. Make an annual program for yourself and visit your customers and prospective customers in their own countries.
Although technology has made it possible to reach all parts of the world easily, there is a large audience that attaches importance to traditional methods, to making deals by shaking hands. It is highly likely that you will catch the warm communication face-to-face that you cannot catch in e-mail correspondence.
I believe that following these paths will be very beneficial for your company to establish a reliable identity abroad.