Dealing with International Customers and Suppliers

At Skibz, we are hugely committed to introducing our baby bibs to the furthest reaches of the globe, an ambition which has so far involved a great deal of planning and some fast learning about doing business internationally.

Our third year at Kind & Jugend was much enhanced by our decision to join the ranks of British exhibitors in the BPA Pavilion. The pavilion was very well sign-posted for visitors and we were extremely busy throughout the show. The camaraderie between the British exhibitors made all the difference though, and the assistance we had from the BPA in the run up to the show was invaluable.

It was exciting to see so many UK shops represented at Kind & Jugend and to meet all our existing distributors. We noticed representatives from many more Eastern Europe countries than on previous occasions and had opportunities to make many new contacts. Skibz generated a lot of interest from these new territories, so we have many new leads to follow up.

We especially liked the central meeting area, and made good use of this and the coffee facilities when we needed somewhere comfortable to hold a meeting.

Kind & Jugend staff deserve a massive thank you for a great party on the Saturday night after the show – it was a lovely atmosphere to relax and enjoy ourselves in a beautiful setting.

Any forward-thinking business welcomes international trade and Skibz is no exception. Outsourcing manufacturing to China has cut our costs considerably, whilst overseas sales now accounts for 25% of our turnover. But taking the plunge into foreign waters hasn't been all plain sailing.

First of all there were the practical issues to be addressed: we heard of a fantastic international distributor but the language barrier made talks very protracted, confusing affairs. Even with an interpreter, I'm sure a lot got lost in translation.

We had similar language problems with our Chinese manufacturer. It can be frustrating, but it's worth being patient and allowing extra time to complete negotiations.

We like to touch base regularly with our overseas distributors but sometimes exchanging emails just isn't enough. Working around the different world time zones can mean I'm making calls in the middle of the night. Or they are!

I learned quickly that differences in language and time zones were not the only barrier to effective trading overseas.

It's all about people. And by that I mean their cultures, education and sense of humour can be vastly different to our own. I've occasionally made the most obvious blunders because I didn't understand something about the business customs of a country. And when you try to inject a little light-hearted humour into a conversation and are met with an uncomprehending stare, it can be disconcerting!

Of course, it's worth remembering that our own judgments of people can be misleading. At one of Skibz' early trade shows, I spoke very slowly and in loud pidgin English to a swarthy gentleman who seemed very interested in the product, only to discover he was a British as I am.

Our understanding of the overseas markets can't be measured simply by researching the competition, or the price point. International success is influenced very strongly on our understanding of a country's culture and our ability to adapt our approach and our expectations.