Know-How Exchange : Branding

My answer is going to go over some rough ground. Be warned that you're in for a bumpy ride. I will make assumptions that in my experience hold in 90% of cases. If they are wrong, then tell me - as I have very little to go on. I must extemporize therefore. You have entered the international marketplace, it is like wading into a crocodile infested river: my approach to this is to know crocodiles well. This answer will be robust and challenging - your product has failed because you have not stood up to those challenges so far.



If you do not wish to, read no further.



I'm in business to get results, not to teach people. If you can understand what I'm on about, if it speaks to you and you can rise to the challenges, then it's possible some serious marketing will help you. If you wish to be taught, I can but it will be very expensive, and I'm already expensive enough.

My diagnosis, given my understanding of the sub continent is that you want to sell this product. That's understandable, only, it's not the only way, and it's not the most effective way either. Furthermore, you're probably selling on the basis of price, not hard to do from Pakistan. The downside of being cheaper means that people's perceptions of it is that it's low quality. I'm afraid that's something you must bear; it's the price you pay for trying to be the cheapest. It is a double edged sword.

I don't know the size of your company, my bet is that you're turning over around $10m to $100m. The sort of size I'm comfortable dealing with, if on the larger side.

So what can you do? The international market is vast beyond comprehension - and tapping all of it would lead to headaches of a different kind. So what I want you to do is look at your current capacity to supply and work to that goal in the short term: this is crucial if you aren't to hit a financial wall. Any expansion however must be planned now, and can be tied in with expanding your international market concurrently.

Now the market is vast. We know that. All you need is to find those people who want what you sell. easy to say, darned hard to do - especially given the issues of credibility mentioned above (a perception that your product's poor quality). We need to counter this, and to do that you must "come up with the goods" either in service, quality or whatever - to succeed this must be sparkling. That means you and your business need a real confidence in your product line. I live in the Netherlands and all the tradesmen say "what do you expect for such a price" - that is no way to please a customer and have them return for more.

Because finding customers who buy is what this is all about.

So: practical method for breaking this market. It will take you one day to a week depending on its complexity.

You have purchasers.

(1) Who are they, where are they and why did they buy?
(2) Who bought the most, who came back? (repeat process (1) on them)
(3) Determine who these people are. Find out as much as you can about them, phone 'em, ask them, email - facebook, linkedin whatever. Find out why they're buying. Meet their needs.
(4) Advertise to this person or small group. Only this group.

This will set off a chain reaction. Your sales will grow, as long as everything you do in your marketing and advertising is targeted at them and them alone.

Anything less targeted will guarantee failure. If you want to advertise to everybody, have bland statements that tell people nothing, please feel free to do so. But don't blame me when it doesn't work.

The most important thing you can do with this kind of thing is build in some limiting factors. That means you have control of your market, and that means when you take your business to the next level ($100m - $500m) you will have a market that can grow with you. No headaches, no lurches and no unforeseen financial difficulties that have sunk many companies like yours.

Over to you.

Care to tell us something ABOUT your product, (what it is, who buys it etc.,)?