Welcome to #2 in our global ‘What Not To Do’ series, aka #WNTD.
Thank you for all of your tips. Please keep them coming by sending yours to editor@globig.co.
#WNTD tips from John Windsor, former head of European Marketing, Knight-Ridder Financial
1. Don’t assume that translating your site or collaterals is a simple thing. Context is incredibly important, so make sure that a native speaker from your target market vets it first.
2. Have every region sign-off on marketing materials. Once, while converting an advertisement I did in the UK to a German version, our Frankfurt and Zurich offices could not agree on the copy for the ad. Both regions use High German for written communications, but *how* they talk about business turned out to be significantly different. Ultimately, I needed to produce separate versions of the ad for those two markets.
3. Expect to get tripped up in little ways. Shortly after I moved to London, I went out after work with a colleague. He went to get a table, I went to get the beer. The bar was crowded, so I held up my index and middle fingers to order two beers. What I got were three beers, because everyone there starts counting with their thumb (and the bar tender obviously assumed my thumb was up).
#WNTD tips from Mike Heilbronner, Owner of Idea Legal
4. Don’t assume that since you own a trademark in one country, you automatically own it in another. You typically will need to register your trademark by country to own trademark rights in those other countries. The EU does have a multi-country registration option if you qualify.
5. Register your trademark before you go into a new market or someone else might register your trademark instead. Usually ‘the first to file’ rule applies instead of ‘first to use’ as in the US.
#WNTD tips from Ben Wright, founder and CEO Velocity Global
6. By using a PEO (Professional Employer Organization) service, you can go into another country much faster and cheaper because you won’t have to create a foreign entity to hire someone abroad.
7. In some countries such as those in the UK, the visa process is fairly quick, but countries such as Brazil and the US, the process can take 12 months or more.
#WNTD tips from Anke Corbin, Founder and CEO of Globig, Startup Mentor
8. No hugs in the UK. Unlike in the US and other countries where it’s common to hug a co-worker or even client after a business meeting or lunch, it’s just not done in the UK. You will make people extremely uncomfortable if you hug them.
Do you have a story or tip to share on what you’ve learned while taking your business into global markets? Send your Global #WNTD to editor@globig.co.
