It is very important to have local teams helping because these individuals not only know the country in question but they also know your business. The biggest challenge companies face tends to be with communication. The marketing team needs a system to help ensure that the local views and insights generated are captured and disseminated frequently enough. Don’t bring your company into a country the hard way. Leverage your existing relationships, and make sure to give their feedback extra weight. They are by far your most credible advisors.

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Each market responds in its own way to new products and services. As such, your in-country research may alter your products and services so that they can be adjusted to fit and succeed in the market you would like to enter. Companies often try to launch identical products in different markets, ignoring the fact that they’re dealing with very different customers. For example, a software company won’t succeed abroad if it sells the same product that it sells at home if users in the new market aren’t as familiar with certain advanced features. Instead, they should start with a more basic version of the product to get people accustomed to it. Likewise, a more advanced market might require more features than a product currently has available.

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In-country research can help determine a whole array of best practices each market responds well to. Many companies believe they can enter new markets by following the same playbook that brought them domestic success. While brand consistency is important, different markets favor different sales and marketing approaches. For example, in countries where relationships have a higher cultural value, such as Japan, selling products and services through local partners, such as resellers or channel partners, achieve faster success than direct sales models. Conversely, SaaS, online, and “touchless” sales models are often popular in markets where the cost of living is higher and automation is preferred, such as the Nordic market.

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Developing a global market entry strategy requires more complex and specialized market research. Notably, in-country research must be done. The most important data to look at when determining which markets are best are the following:

• How much estimated opportunity is available in that market?
• How easy it will be for your company to do business in that market?
• How much success you’ve already had with that market?

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