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.