Is it time for your company to expand its sales market? Exporting your products abroad might be the next step. Yet many entrepreneurs are anxious about this step. Do I get my money? Can my international business partner be trusted? Some questions that may also haunt you at the moment. Let us help you by addressing some of those concerns.
Distance selling
You probably have a certain country in mind where you want to offer your products. Have you also thought about how you want to offer your product across the border? Distance selling involves more than local selling. You can look for customers and business partners yourself. Do thorough research for this. Obviously, you do not want to work with an unreliable party.
Another option for distance selling is to partner with a local distributor with a wide network. This saves you another step, but at the same time, it also brings a disadvantage. As a result, you have less contact with your customers, and therefore a more limited view of your sales market. You could also use a commercial agent. He is familiar with the language, culture and has access to certain sales channels. They provide you with information about your customers but are not responsible for selling your products. Therefore, remains a risk for your own account. Take your time and weigh the pros and cons of all distance selling options. Choose the option that best suits your company.
Export abroad
After you have found your sales market and possible business partner, you need to think about how you will export your products to your future customers. Inquire first with your current logistics partner. Do they deliver to a specific country? If so, what are the extra costs and delivery time. Are they not supplying your future sales market? Then you have to look for an alternative option.
Make sure you gain knowledge of the country’s laws and regulations. For example, how many export costs are involved and are you allowed to export your product to the country? These laws and regulations vary from country to country. There is also a difference between exporting within and outside the European Union. Within the European Union, additional requirements apply in addition to national legislation and regulations. This includes, for example, certain quality requirements and certifications. Before you can ship your first foreign order, it is important that you map out all these matters for yourself.
Distance selling threshold
You have found the ideal market and have subsequently decided how you will deliver your products. You have a good first year. Enough orders are placed and you achieve a good turnover. However, it is now time to pay the additional tax. Do you hand this over to the Dutch tax authorities or the tax authorities in the country where you have established your company? This depends on your turnover.
Does your turnover remain below the set threshold amount? Then you pay your tax to the US state. However, if your turnover exceeds this threshold amount, you must pay your tax to the relevant country. The distance selling threshold varies by country. Curious what amount this is? Then take a look at the site of the tax authorities. Do you deliver excise goods? Then you always pay foreign tax on it. These goods are not included in the threshold amount.
Native translation
We have listed a number of things for you. You may think you are now ready to go abroad, but the most important part is yet to come. One of the most essential parts of international business is communication. Whether it concerns approaching a local distributor, a logistics partner or a letter to the local tax authorities. Correct communication is crucial.
Are you looking for a reliable international business partner? You are approached by a foreign company for a collaboration. However, they will send you an email filled with language errors. Then you are probably tempted to redirect this email to the trash can, right? Your intended business partner will do the same when you approach them in the wrong way.
How do you ensure that your communication is good? Enlist the help of a professional translation agency for this. They are certified translators and offer you a guarantee of quality. They also make use of native translators. Native translators specialize in their native language. As a result, they are familiar with, for example, the local culture, certain expressions and they know better than anyone what works and what doesn’t.
Marketing translation
When your company is ready for a larger market, it is therefore important that you respond to this by means of the right language. In other words, a convincing marketing strategy. Correct communication, in this case with your target group, is also essential here. The right language will make the difference between bringing in and scaring a customer. Engage a native translator so that your marketing translation is correct.
A good native translator not only knows how to translate the text flawlessly but can also provide you with information on how to best address people in the region. As an example, Dutch culture is very different from German and English culture. Therefore, be well informed in advance by someone who understands the region.
For example, there is a big difference between Germany and the Netherlands, whereby in 2021 in the Netherlands, communication is increasingly towards the informal sphere online, while Germany still communicates in the formal ‘u-form’ and your company is considered unprofessional if you are on a communicates informally with your marketing. Important aspects that you should definitely take into account.
Within marketing, you have to deal with various translations, from printed documents and flyers to online components such as your website and online channels. It is important that you follow regional guidelines and communicate consistently in one line.
