International Expansion Advisory
International Development is an essential lever of business strategy.
A globalizing environment allows companies to expand beyond their domestic market. Your expanding customers require your presence on a global scale or selected countries. Your competitive environment is global.
Whether it is to find new opportunities , to acquire a critical size, to spread the risks. The objective may also be to attract investors or talents.
The drivers that will motivate internationalization:
- Globalization of markets
- Standardization of consumption patterns and uses
- Digitization of companies and the development of e-commerce.
- Migration of data to the Cloud or solutions in Saas mode for BtoB
- Creation of free trade zones, multilateral or bilateral treaties
- Concentration of capital, in the United States in particular or through sovereign wealth funds
The business ecosystem is changing . To navigate it with more agility, an international Business Development advisor can support your move.
International Consulting and Expertise
International Advisory requires expertise in doing business in an international context. This expertise can only be acquired through experience in the field.
The major consulting firms mostly employ juniors graduating from the top universities for seniors who have spent their entire careers within these same firms. They are very useful for sector studies or statistics on vertical industries.
Institutional promotion organizations provide initial macroeconomic support. Unfortunately, this is a superficial view of the markets. They are useful for an initial awareness of the international environment.
Experts from international advisory companies are more practitioners than theoreticians. They have in-depth knowledge of the environment, language and customs of the countries where companies plan to set up. The best come from companies in which they have acquired sectorial and geographical expertise.
International Strategy and Methodologies
Methods for your International Strategy
In addition to the knowledge of environments and foreign markets, we get you prepared and set the right acceleration methodology. An international advisory company follows processes that allow you to make the right choices. Many companies go international and backtrack after 2 or 3 years. Our methods use data and performance indicators. We make your step to International part of your long-term company strategy.
International Strategy and Diagnosis
We carry out a complete diagnosis developed with the largest American university specialized in the subjects of International development. This internal and external diagnosis is based on a review of internationalization drivers, a complete inventory and our recommendations. It was built on the success factors of thousands of companies internationally.
In Ipanovia we also use methods such as SWOT Benchmark, OKR, CORE, MEDDIC, Blue Ocean, McKinsey 7 S
International Development and Marketing
Marketing is today the spearhead of companies to succeed in their internationalization. Upstream in the study phase of the Product Market fit. It is essential to determine the traction of the product or solution in the foreign market. For this, market studies must first be carried out to determine the needs and potential of the market. In addition, it is necessary to see if its product is adapted to local uses, whether they are those of professionals or consumers.
In the downstream phase, marketing will make it possible to set up the Go to Marke strategy. The marketing plan for each country makes it possible to et up the channels, the customer acquisition and loyalty tunnel. It starts with brand and visibility. For example, the creation of a website or a communication campaign on social networks. This builds brand awareness and helps generate leads. The sales teams will then have to convert these leads into RFQ’s, proposals and then into contracts.
International Development and Strategic Review
To carry out this strategic review process, the contribution of an external international Development Consulting is a significant asset.
This helps to determine the opportunity and the risks of expanding into international markets with hindsight. The question of positioning yourself on volume markets or niche markets must be discussed. Is it needed to make investments to reach a critical size in target markets? The review spread on Management vision, R&D, Product development, Human Resources, Infrastructure , Marketing and Branding.
Is staying in your home market an option in the short, medium and long term? In a globalized world the answer is often no. Starting a globalization process requires time and investment. International Resource Planning and Time to Market are essential parts of a business strategy.
What a vision for the company, to be a challenger or a leader. Be independent or consider external control.
Opportunistic strategy, defensive strategy or offensive strategy, everything will depend on the competitive and technological landscape. It is of course necessary to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the company, and its capacities for differentiation.
Guiding you on the approach to a target market or multi-country presence
International Development and Building Business Networks
In the process of brainstorming and execution, the international company’s network is an essential success factor.
An effective network stimulates:
- Knowledge of the local environment
- Advice from peers
- Putting you in touch with the ambassadors of your project,
- sourcing the right talents and service providers
To do so, the experience and network of an International development consulting office abroad serve as a relay for the company which cultivates a domestic network. This international network is built up over time by the presence in the field, at professional events, of clubs and influence groups. The network is maintained by a presence on local social networks, such as LinkedIn, Xing or VK where relevant content must be disseminated.
Advising the conquest of international markets
It is necessary to take into account all the elements which favor or slow down the settlement on the target market.
- It is first of all choosing the entry mode, directly or via an intermediary. There are different options from the cross-border, to the branch, to the subsidiary. The legal and financial aspects are key elements in the choices made. Institutions such as the BPI shed light on accessible financing mechanisms.
- Then, it is to handle human resources, with the recruitment of local top management or the expatriation of one of the founder/top executives. In any case, care must be taken not to dilute the corporate culture. The recruitment of the first employees will set the tone and pace of growth.
- Finally, it is necessary to put the right commercial strategy in place. How to ensure its proper execution? The use of rigorous methodologies and the monitoring of results is essential.
Advisory in International Business Development
Ipanovia and its team of international development consultants are at your disposal
About Emmanuel Facovi the Founder and Managing Partner
As former CEO / senior executive (Nokia, Coface, FCI, Kompass, Schneider, Areva…) his expertise consists in leading tech companies (SaaS, marketplaces, Techs) with ambitious growth objectives in fast-changing environments.
He is a cross-cultural high technology executive passionate about new technology, innovation, disruptive models, and above all, scaling up your business globally. One of the most renowned Experts in Data, Marketing Strategies of Tech and Digital Industries,
As an« all-rounder» entrepreneur with a proven track record of building high-performing teams, he has a wide skill set ranging from Strategy and International Sales performance, also encompassing Finance, Marketing/advertising and legal/HR/culture.
He is an enthusiastic leader, keen on making sure that the office develops every day into an even “Greater Place to work”, gathering professionals of diverse talents who succeed together with a common vision in mind.