International Cases

Case #116: Losing Your Shirt in China

The Call:
This large American apparel manufacturer had only one problem: they hadn’t made money from their China operation in 5 years!

The Diagnosis:

  • No understanding by the firm on how to work with the Chinese
  • Poor project management on behalf of the firm
  • Expectations never really managed
  • The wrong people on both sides of the ocean
  • Defective, late product

The Solution:

  • Expectations management and cross cultural training at the highest levels of the organization
  • On-site supervision of the Chinese factory by our team and the client’s staff
  • Project management skills implemented
  • Introduction in China to better, more reliable factories
  • Several partners in China, bet is better hedged

The Result
Honed manufacturing, clearer communication, and happier clients.

Case #117: The Asian Service Provider that Serves Nobody

The Call:
After enormous financial investments, this professional marketing firm could not crack the Asian markets.

The Diagnosis:

  • The firm was in too many businesses, hence no true market position articulated
  • The wrong people were hired; well connected Asians without professional services knowledge
  • The wrong people were being courted as clients

The Solution:

  • A combination of training, hiring and re-opening offices
  • A “cuts like a knife” market position
  • Introductions to new clients
  • Partnering model used to enter secondary and tertiary markets

The Result
Stronger market presence and fewer headaches.

Case #118: The Distributors that Don’t Distribute

The Call:
This American Technology firm felt that “distribution was won; hence, the deal was done”.

The Diagnosis:

  • The Europeans didn’t know how to sell the US firm’s products
  • The indirectness of most cultures prevented the Europeans from confronting the Americans
  • The Americans made no investment (financial, social, marketing) in the market countries
  • No demand stimulation was utilized by the Americans; marketing was simply relinquished to local players
  • Shogun approach drained US resources

The Solution:

  • An analysis of the Europeans’ marketing challenges by a trusted 3rd party
  • A proper budget constructed for market support
  • Continuous education of the American firm in European marketing nuances, challenges, and requirements
  • Continuous education of the Europeans on product features, benefits sales rationale
  • An analysis of which markets made the most business sense to purse; resources concentrated on those areas.

The Result
Less “flag planting,” but greater ROI in individual markets.

Case #119: The Blank Slate

The Call:
This fashion company knew domestic sales alone would not sustain it; The US market only had 1200 potential consumers. It needed overseas markets.

The Diagnosis:

    With no international business experience, the CEO had no idea where to begin. She had no grasp of:

  • The business issues
  • The timelines
  • Product modifications
  • Modes of entry
  • Which markets to pick

The Solution:

  • Partners International used its country screening mechanism to teach this firm how to evaluate a country
  • One-on-one consulting as to where and how to sell was conducted
  • Introductions made overseas to appropriate business partners
  • Product modified to fit the markets

The Result
A new export line developed by this designer, internationally co-branded with local partners.