How can small businesses increase their international client base?

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If you’re looking to embark on the journey of business expansion, it’s a great idea to start looking into international growth opportunities. Many small and medium enterprises today are eyeing the global trading system, which presents a lucrative chance for those who understand how to leverage the economy. While it may be intimidating to scale up and expand globally, it is always a great step to explore your customer base. For holistic and esoteric business practitioners, there’s a whole world of new customers looking for services like yours. So this presents new avenues to tap into as well as emerging markets. 

Looking at the trends in the past two years, the digital transformation wave has dissolved global trading boundaries past geographies in a substantial way, where people can reach out to businesses in different countries due to pricing advantages, better quality, or exclusivity. If you’re one such aspiring small business owner, success is just a few steps away. This blog will show you how you can prep your business for international customers and get to cater globally. Ready to know all about it? Let’s dive in!

  1. Prepare yourself for international customers: The only way you’ll be able to address international customers is if your business anticipates them. There are many barriers such as cultural, linguistic, currency, and legal that need to be looked at. But first, start with standardizing your range of products and services as per the countries you wish to service. If you haven’t thought of it yet, now is the perfect time to decide which countries make an excellent and profitable match for your customer base. Do your research and come to solid conclusions.
  2. Make invoices in international languages: One of the biggest barriers you may face while serving multiple countries is the language barrier. While English is predominantly known, read, and spoken in the majority of countries, personalization of invoices and bills in the local language will gain you brownie points. This also helps the customers trust you and your business even more since you’re displaying the willingness and adaptability to reach them on their level. It also displays respect for their nationality and culture, which can gain you brownie points.
  3. Streamline realistic delivery timelines: International deliveries can be expensive and time-consuming. One of the biggest roadblocks you may face is getting into a confrontation with the customs department, which can be unpredictable if your consignment is subject to random checks. To ensure that your customers are not left disappointed with late deliveries, be realistic with them. Calculate the anticipated delays if things go south and create a timeline that you can display as per their country. This way, they are in the know and will be pleasantly surprised if the package reaches them early.
  4. Know the legal aspects of international trade: As mentioned in the point above, the customs department plays a large role in helping or hindering the growth of your business internationally. To make sure you’re always on the right side of compliance, team up with customs brokers you can trust. These professionals will be able to help you reduce the duties and fees through relaxations, and leverage the policies to gain a maximum tax advantage. Hiring an individual or firm to help you with your consignments will keep your timelines ad ledgers clear.
  5. Use digital marketing tools: One of the best ways to reach your international customer base is to use digital marketing tools. In light of the pandemic, we’ve now made great use of digital marketing to understand and interact with foreign markets and customers. Once you can interact with them through ads and social media, pitching them can become a breeze. Offer them incentives to order from you, for a start.
  6. Improve your customer service: Your business is as successful as the services you can render. Improve your resolution time, the way your staff handles customer feedback, and the transparency you hold. Improving the chatbot system, making email timelines quicker, and offering an international helpline will significantly increase your credibility.

Wrapping up:

Designing your website to cater to international clients is the first step in getting ready to receive them. But there are several other steps that play a major role. We have mentioned six of which you can customize as per your business. Hopefully, these will help you build a solid base in the country of your preference!