“Today it is no longer a problem to produce goods. Try to sell!”
Sergei Galitsky, multi-billionaire.

Indeed, competition in many areas today is very high, and finding clients sometimes becomes a rather difficult problem.

So how do you find and attract clients for your business? How to increase sales with minimal costs? In fact, there are several ways to increase sales.

Some organizations invest huge amounts of money in advertising. Others create entire marketing departments within themselves. Still others resort to third-party services to find clients.

The latter approach is becoming increasingly widespread due to its relative simplicity and cost-effectiveness.

What kind of services are these that promise to provide a whole stream of ready clients for business?

After surfing the Internet, I found many companies offering such services. In this article I would like to compare several of the most significant of them.

The Hot Lines call center is one of the leaders in the field of telemarketing.

Advertising agency "Grandion" is one of best services searching for clients.

Pik Media Agency is one of the leaders in the field of marketing communications.

So, let's go...

1. For what business do they promise to bring clients?

“HOTLINES” and “GRANDION” position themselves as universal services, that is, capable of bringing clients for any business.

By any business we mean any age, any field of activity, any organizational form, any scale, etc.

2. What tools are used

Call center "HOT LINES" is one of the leaders in telemarketing in Russia. Accordingly, the main tool of the company is phone line. “Call-Mail-Call” - here it is main method searching for clients.

"PIK MEDIA" is a service that attracts customers using the Internet. The main tools here are contextual, media, targeted advertising, website creation, Direct mail, etc.

Having studied the GRANDION website, you understand that the motto of the service is the phrase “In war, all methods are good.” The service does not announce exactly what methods it will use to attract clients in each specific case.
This could be telemarketing, online advertising, media advertising, promotions, or even rumor marketing.

3. Cost of services

There is no detailed price list for advertising services on the HOTLINES website.

PIK MEDIA voices a rather tempting figure - 5,000 rubles. Even with such investments, the service claims, there will be requests from potential clients.

Payment for GRANDION services occurs in two parts. The first part – 3500 rubles – is subscription service.

4. How long on the market

The HOTLINES call center has been providing its services since 2001.

"GRANDION" appeared a year later. Since 2002, it existed as a private service for a certain circle of clients. Since 2010, the company began to provide effective advertising services for a wide range of customers.

5. Portfolio

The undoubted leader here is HOTLINES. Among their clients, I counted about 30 quite serious customers, including the Moscow mayor's office, the Pfizer corporation and Digital television"DIVO TV".

PIK MEDIA and GRANDION also have a good portfolio. Among Peak Media’s clients, for example, are the Avtograf group of companies and the construction portal Stroy Life.

And "GRANDION", for example, serves such well-known company, as "BrokerCreditService".

6. What they guarantee

HOTLINES is a call center. Finding clients is just one of the areas of their activity. In fact, only one page on their website is dedicated to finding clients.

I liked the fact that the service only charges money for successful calls. It turns out that their guarantee is payment only upon delivery, which is good news. After all, you don’t want to throw money away.

The PIK MEDIA agency is already more focused on finding clients. Although among their other services you can find “Website creation”, “Copywriting”, “Direct mail”, etc. But in general they are aimed at advertising and attracting customers.

“GRANDION” is a service that is entirely aimed at attracting customers. Actually, the subject of the contract and the guarantee is not advertising, not the creation and promotion of a website, not calling customer base, namely the clients themselves.

This is how the review turned out. I hope it helped you navigate the diversity modern services for finding clients. It's up to you to decide which one to choose for your business. Good luck!

How can a marketing agency break into the market and find foreign clients? What about the millennial generation if the old marketing tricks don't work? What is banner blindness? What is more important when hiring employees – experience or sparkling eyes? Participation in exhibitions – a waste of time or a must-have? Tempting marketing market China - what to fear? How to behave at foreign exhibitions in order to “skim the cream”?

Snezhanna Kulinskaya, development director of Qmobi, a mobile marketing agency whose clients include such giants as AliExpress, Badoo, Yandex and MegaFon, shares her experience, tips and business hacks.

Tell us how the agency started, how it presented itself on the market, what is the company’s mission?

The agency started with a small media buying team. 3-4 people purchased mobile traffic for mobile application owners. It was a service company that provided services. After some time, the guys came to the idea that they needed to create a brand, develop it, and go to conferences. Then the name Qmobi appeared, under which the company continues to develop.

What is the specificity of your company? How is mobile marketing different from live marketing?

What helped your company enter the market and find foreign clients?

The main thing is the team. At the start, you need to hire only highly motivated and, if possible, “universal” people who do not shy away from performing completely different tasks, working with both their heads and hands, connecting all resources, and looking for answers to questions. Such a person can talk to the client on the phone, and look at the code in the front end, and participate in brainstorming on pricing. At the start, you need people with experience, and only then you can take people with sparkling eyes and train them.

How did you get your first clients? When did the focus on foreign markets begin?

The focus on foreign markets was still there when the company was just getting started. Russian mobile is a small piece of the world. Large clients with gigantic marketing budgets are located abroad, but they are ready to buy Russian users for their product. We provide them with services both in foreign markets and in Russian. Qmobi's first clients were both from Russia and abroad. We hired a team with experience, and the employees already had their own pool of clients. Today our main clients are Russia and China.

How are our clients different from Chinese clients?

There is a huge difference in business processes. The Russian mentality is closer to the European one. Projects are discussed according to the principle “chairs in the morning, money in the evening.” First, delivery conditions, terms, and price are discussed. If everyone is happy with everything, we sign the contract and start working. For the Chinese, the approval process is structured differently, it takes longer, and personal contacts are important. Start is possible only after a live meeting. Cold sales don't work - the Chinese need to see that you are a real person who can be trusted.

Do you have clients from other countries? What are their specifics?

Yes, from Europe and America. It is a little difficult for them to start working with a Russian company. If the company is completely foreign, there are no Russian managers as points of contact, then Russia for them looks like a “big scary bear.” They may be afraid of procedural things, problems with banks, crises, fear that the payment will not arrive, or you will simply disappear. However, after a successful experience and especially after a live meeting, the contact grows together.

In addition, in the Russian IT market high quality services and products.

How do you find foreign clients?

Our sales are built in several stages. There are cold sales, typical cold calls and first letters. Then, with a 90% probability, we go to a foreign event, exhibition, forum or conference, and there we already make appointments with companies. The sale and conclusion of the contract takes place during a live meeting. This is how we get foreign clients – from live events. Participation in them shows the company as reputable and successful. If you are constantly seen on international events, then they are perceived as an expert. We started going to exhibitions two years ago, and since then there has been a huge increase in profits.

Are you going already prepared, with a list of warm contacts?

Yes, conferences publish lists of participants in advance, or a list of participants from last year is available. You already imagine the pool of companies who will be there. We use LinkedIn as one of the main channels of communication with foreign clients, and we arrange meetings in advance. Also, most large conferences have functionality for scheduling meetings at the event itself. You can send requests to companies of interest, receive responses, set a meeting place and discuss cooperation.

Do you attend many Chinese events?

On an annual basis, no, but in terms of profitability they differ significantly. Takes place in Europe great amount events in mobile - individual gaming conferences, general events where applications aimed at both B2B and B2C are demonstrated. But based on the results we bring, China is doing the best job so far. In Europe, the number of agencies per client is off the charts, and clients are spammed with offers. They communicate carefully and refuse. When you come to a Chinese event, there aren't too many companies there. The event is not cheap, so not everyone can afford to attend. And the Chinese perceive people who can travel so far as experts and communicate with them differently.

How reliable is the Chinese client?

There is a risk in terms of communication. Very easy to destroy a good relationship with the Chinese, if you behave incorrectly in personal interaction. It is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of business culture and verbal interaction. The Chinese do not say “no” directly, replacing it with the phrases “let’s discuss this tomorrow,” “let’s come back to this later.” It is important to predict, literally read the eyes and ask leading questions. “Perhaps we need recommendations from our Chinese clients? Need Additional Information? How can I help you?" In terms of payments, the Chinese are reliable, but they delay payments - I think everyone knows this. The contract stipulates payment after 30 days, but in fact it occurs after 60, or even 90. Europe and the USA are different in this regard: for them, the word written on paper is law.

What other nuances are there when searching for clients abroad?

You must have a foreign legal entity and an account in a foreign bank. Everything must be in order with the documents. Americans, Germans and others will never get involved with those who do not pay taxes, do not have certification documents, etc.

Do your payments go through a Russian or foreign legal entity? What's easier? In what currency?

And so and so. Calculations are always made in dollars.

Is your relationship with the client one-time or long-term?

90% of our clients are regular. There is a win with winners strategy, which is very relevant for service companies. If you provide services to companies for which everything is already working, “the locomotive is moving,” - just service this “locomotive” in a timely and high-quality manner, then everything will be fine for you, too.

What does your line of services include?

Full range of mobile marketing services: promotion mobile application and analytics of this promotion. What kind of traffic did we receive, how long do users stay in the application, what actions do they take, what can be improved in the application to increase user activity.

Are foreign users different from Russian ones?

Of course, the price for purchasing both is different. The most paying users in B2C are English-speaking countries, Japan, France, and Germany. And only then comes Russia and developing countries. Russian users prefer the free to play model, when they are given a try for free, or are given trial period, or the application is completely free, and individual functionality can be purchased.

What is more difficult to promote: applications for B2B or B2C?

Are apps more popular in English or Chinese in China?

In China, successful businesses are very successfully copied and in in a good way words are aggressively trying to bite off a piece of the new market. They saw a cool business model, copied it, localized it, replicated it, immediately hired a staff of programmers, slightly altered it, and adapted it for the Asian market. If they see that it works, they make money from it, they immediately hire a team and translate it into English.

Are there language-related difficulties in your work?

Yes, there is a firewall in China that closes Chinese internet from all over the world. They have their own search engines, their own services, social networks - everything is in Chinese. Maybe that's why they don't have urgent need study English. It's hard to interact with them. In the summer we went to a huge gaming exhibition in China, and 70 percent of the stands - no one spoke English. You ask: “Do you speak English?” They answer: “A little.” But in fact it’s not even a little. Due to the language barrier, cold sales are difficult. How to break through the secretarial barrier if the secretary does not understand you? Therefore, we recommend that when entering Chinese market have a specialist who speaks Chinese.

How to prepare for a trip to China?

Most Chinese events are large-scale, there will be many pavilions, one person will not physically have time to process them, so you need to take several people with you. People at the stands get very tired because there are so many people coming up to them, so we would recommend doing all the important things on the first day. If the exhibition lasts 2-3 days, then there is a risk that on the second day after 15:00 you will not find anyone. People get very tired and close their stands. In addition, you need to take with you a person who speaks Chinese, because without him even moving around the city will be difficult. Taxi drivers don't speak English - just like ours. Check into a hotel, buy a SIM card - for this you need Chinese. Important meetings should be scheduled in advance, and not try to find someone only at the stands. Office meetings work well in China. Since you are already getting so far, then plan another 2-3 days after the event for personal meetings.

Is it better to bring a translator from Russia or look for a translator locally?

We hire our own person from Russia who understands the topic of mobile marketing. And for everyday needs like calling a taxi, you can use the services of a local translator, who will be provided by the organizing company.

Do you have an agent in the Chinese market, or do you work with clients remotely?

We work remotely and have a representative office in Thailand. Thais can fly to China - it is closer and more convenient for them.

What should the stand be like – must it be large and noticeable?

Of course, a big beautiful stand works better. What's the point of having a tiny stand in the corner of the hall if they simply won't reach you in a huge pavilion? If you declare yourself to be cool international company, then book a cool stand. If this is a targeted event for you, and you understand that there will be a lot of clients, so you are bringing good staff who know how to work at international exhibitions, then it is better to spend money on passable place. Conferences pay off if the right people attend.

Which exhibitions pay well?

In China - ChinaJoy, in other regions - CasualConnect, Mobile World. IN Lately The White Nights conference, organized by the St. Petersburg company Nevosoft, is developing. The last conference was held in Moscow at the international level. Now you can go there not only for the sake of clients, but also for the content part - there is something to listen to.

Foreign companies ordering marketing promotion in their market, are they looking for a “native” company or are they ready to consider a foreign one?

Depends on the region. US and European companies do not care who they work with. They care about price, level of service, and order in documents. For the Chinese, due to the language barrier and level of trust, it is preferable to work with compatriots. Because as soon as a Chinese company thinks about ordering a service, another Chinese company immediately appears ready to provide it.

In what language do you draw up contracts with the Chinese side?

In English.

What business hack could you share with someone who wants to learn from you?

If you feel ready to demonstrate your product, go and get live feedback from customers. No one will tell you better about your product or service than your end customers. At international events you can hear industry trends, learn new things and understand that before this you were “cooking” in your own pot, and not in the realities of the market. If you work with certain regions, it is better to have your own representative there so that he is constantly on the market and can drive up for live interaction.

If you do not have established relationships with a supplier (manufacturer) / buyer of certain goods or services, or your existing supplier / buyer does not meet your business needs, LCM GROUP employees who own several foreign languages, will select for you the best counterparty for import or export, conduct pre-contract negotiations on your behalf in order to obtain the optimal commercial offer from the supplier/buyer and prepare the basis for concluding a foreign economic contract.

These services are provided within the framework of contractual relations. The interaction is carried out as follows:

1. You decide on the characteristics of the product whose supplier you need to find. The product must be described in such a way that specialists have a clear opportunity to identify it during the search process. Additionally, the client can provide characteristics of the potential supplier (company size, productivity, age of the company, whether the supplier should be a manufacturer of the product). It is mandatory to define the search region. It may refer to a specific country or group of countries. The more specifically the initial task is formulated, the more likely the success of finding a supplier.
2. Before starting work, specialists of the logistics company LCM GROUP analyze the reality of implementing the task set by the client.
3. The search for foreign suppliers is carried out with the involvement of agents of the international holding LCM GROUP in various countries, as well as using open and closed databases. Usually specialists find several suppliers of the desired product. To determine the compliance of the supplier and the product with the characteristics declared by the client, foreign trade specialists conduct preliminary negotiations with representatives of the supplier’s company, as a result of which an idea is formed about the supplier and possible commercial terms of cooperation with him.
4. If necessary, it is also possible to collect information about the supplier from third sources in order to verify its reliability and business reputation on the market, as well as a qualitative analysis of the terms of cooperation that the supplier offers you and comparing them with the terms of alternative counterparties. We recommend checking at all stages of work, especially before signing the first foreign economic contract and transferring funds to the account of the foreign supplier.

Your pleasure from foreign economic activity is our pleasant concern!

“Personal Account” asked entrepreneurs who have overcome geographical and political borders with the quality of their products and services how hard they work to pave the way for small Ukrainian companies in different industries.

Their experience demonstrates in the best possible way global trends in the apolitical interests of the consumer and the “non-nationality” of money. It is only possible to understand how global business is becoming every day through practice. Or, remaining a theorist who does not dare to even start a small business of his own, talk about the problems that novice businessmen everywhere have to face.

Then when we are not expected

Ukrainians have long been accustomed to admiring foreign service and quality, giving preference to foreign brands in literally everything. Even on your dining table you can find two or three products from a non-Ukrainian manufacturer. Simply because it is brighter, more reliable, etc. It would seem that in this case, what can be offered to neighbors whose “grass is greener”? How to present your product or service where everything has long been working smoothly according to established rules and according to completely different principles to which we are accustomed?

Organizing own business, Sergey Kogivchak, director of Unitrans LS Ltd, already had experience working in a foreign logistics company. And although at first the new company was happy to have any client, the aspiring entrepreneur immediately set a foreign vector of development. “Firstly, this is payment in foreign currency for services provided,” shares Sergei, “which allows us to avoid losses when the hryvnia exchange rate falls, as was the case in 2014. Secondly, with all due respect to Ukrainian business, the principles of doing business, agreements, price negotiation and mutual responsibility in European countries are at a higher level, in such conditions it is more pleasant and easier to work. Thirdly, foreigners are not used to changing partners because of a difference of $10, and long-term reliable work is important to them. I understood that by working now, we were preparing the groundwork for the future.”

The task of entering a completely competitive market dominated by large global companies is not an easy one. “We had to compete mainly with other Ukrainian companies,” says Sergei. – The foreign customer chooses a partner in Ukraine with whom he will carry out transportation. The criteria for choosing a partner, of course, are the same as everyone else’s: price, timing, reliability, level of service. And if we manage to satisfy the customer as much as possible, as a rule, we continue to work in the future on an ongoing basis.” Being a Ukrainian company, we often have to deal with problems of various sizes, ranging from the low quality and level of services of contractors, including government agencies, to difficulties in currency regulation - sometimes it is easier to do the work than to receive payment for it (currency control requirements, etc.) .

This year, our hero’s company has a goal to increase the number of non-resident customers from 16% to 20%. To attract foreign clients, you have to work actively. The main ways to expand the client base: registration in industry and niche catalogs and websites; participation in exhibitions, forums and conferences abroad; regular visits to existing and potential partners; membership in international organizations and associations of forwarders; It is necessary to have an English version of the site; and, of course, a sufficient level of foreign language among employees (English is a must have). Dating and personal contacts are very important.

“Logistics https://blitz-logistics.kz/ has always been, is and will be an integral part of business, so I think that in one form or another it will always be interesting. On the other hand, global trends towards automation of work and minimization of costs lead to the fact that the profitability of each separate work is steadily declining, so the company’s profit is determined by the number of works and volumes of transported goods. It is very difficult for a new enterprise to work in such conditions,” Sergei Kogivchak is convinced.

The times when “apartment expeditions” with a computer and a printer worked are already gone. Now the market is divided between large players with foreign capital and offices around the world, or companies with a good background, independent partners in each country and an active position.

Where we don't put our price on ourselves

As soon as you start talking about the fact that Ukrainian minds are so erudite that all the gates of foreign countries are open to them, you are sure to hear some example from the IT industry in response.

Artem Karyavka began his journey in the IT business as a student, earning his first money at the age of 16. The project with the idea of ​​our hero LivaRava started ten years ago, and already in 2012 it began to generate significant income. This platform allows you to create corporate knowledge bases, save and manage information, and build CMS, CRM, and ERP systems. The company launches third-party projects with own brands on all popular devices today, developing customized solutions for specific practical problems partners (customers).

Since then, the company from several people has grown into a large team of dozens of professionals, where there are specialists from different countries– Ukraine, France, Germany. Most work on a contract basis. “Everyone works in the project that he likes and brings in the necessary income,” shares Artem, “and in general in the IT business, any person, his talent, skills, knowledge and experience are the greatest value, like diamonds, each is unique in his own way.” .

Now the company is actively moving into the US market, looking for partners in marketing, PR, and sales. “During our work, we have managed to implement many successful projects with companies from the Netherlands, Germany, France, Sweden, the USA and, of course, Ukraine,” says Artem Karyavka. – The only thing that stops the work is a fall in the market, which can even lead to bankruptcy of partner companies. Sometimes we lose to powerful competitors - companies in which large amounts of capital are invested."

It also happens that a company sometimes has to refuse customers due to workload or lack of specialists. Interestingly, in the B2B sector there is no need to make marketing efforts to attract new customers. It turns out that completely different mechanisms work in this niche and there are many people willing to cooperate. “Our advertising is a reputation, and success is usually brought by personal acquaintances and recommendations,” says Artem. He has already been abroad many times, because he is convinced that without business travel impossible to build successful business. “The scenario in which you can sit in one place and people come to you in Ukraine with money is extremely optimistic,” Artem is convinced.

Ukrainian IT companies, according to Artem Karyavka, are not unique. “On the contrary, the sooner we realize that we are competing in a global market, the better,” he confirms. – We are no better or more unique than others in terms of our genetics, knowledge, skills and talents. Although if you constantly develop, increase your efficiency and creativity, this will certainly allow you to take your rightful place in the world market. Best strategy“is to constantly improve yourself and strive for super-professionalism; such people and companies are valued anywhere in the world.”

In the West they really pay more than here in Ukraine, both for the development of new products and for the banal creation of a website and its maintenance on the Internet. This attracts almost everyone without exception: and small companies, and individually working IT specialists.

The company for the development of mobile native and cross-platform applications, created more than two years ago by Valentin Trizno, today employs only seven specialists. “We looked for work everywhere,” says Valentin, “but it is very difficult to find a serious customer in Ukraine, and almost 98% of the entire market works for a foreign partner.” A product created in the high-level JAVA language is valued more expensively (accordingly, specialists are expensive), while the Ukrainian customer is looking for more a budget option, more often orders simply the creation of a website, albeit using template solutions, rather than complex projects.

The task of entering a completely competitive market dominated by large global companies is not an easy one.

The company's portfolio already includes multimedia projects completed for customers from Kazakhstan, Canada, Germany, Poland, Russia, and the USA. Success in a fairly competitive environment, according to Valentin, comes from a turnkey solution, which includes development: from design to back-end, and specifically hybrid applications: “This significantly reduces the cost of the project, which is a priority in the development of business applications.” Another competitive advantage, which allows you to find a customer directly (and, accordingly, earn money not on the contractor’s commission) - expertise: up to the development of a business strategy through the use of multimedia solutions (applications, website, etc.). Now, as Valentin says, “it is very important to show yourself at the intersection of technologies, business strategies, processes, from development to project support.” During its operation, the services of our hero’s company have grown fivefold. "Offering low price“It’s impossible to earn enough to hire good specialists,” Valentin is sure, “and that means it will be impossible to stay in a fairly mobile market.” Country customers expect huge results for a small fee, placing excessive demands without setting a clear functional task (due to their own low competence) - and many IT companies simply do not work with customers from the CIS countries. While foreign customers highly value expertise and are willing to pay for competence. "They live in a more stable economic system“, says Valentin, “and they understand that it is important to create a good quality product, and then the investment will be returned.” Unlike Ukrainians, who live for today and according to the principle “so that it is like others,” foreign customers have a strategy, plan income, and therefore can set a clear goal and achieve the desired result.

There are a huge number of technologies, and it is unrealistic to gather specialists in each of them in one company. Therefore, competition in the IT market is rather conditional; it is rather cooperation and partnership. Large companies have large overheads and costs, so it is not profitable for them to work on a number of orders. Small companies, like those of our heroes, are more flexible and can make money on small orders (which can also be received from large companies - as contractors). Teaming up with other companies in projects is more profitable than moving forward on your own. And for this it is important to have time to monitor information and communicate in various communities. “Foreign companies will not specifically hire Ukrainian developers - this is unrealistic,” shares Valentin. “There is a lot of competition in the market and even expensive advertising will have little effect.” In addition, you have to take into account unscrupulous competitors (usually from eastern countries). Valentin notes that in the market everyone values ​​their own reputation and tries to respect someone else’s - this is the only way to hope for cooperation and partnership, and not confrontation.

Intensively developing technologies require specialists and companies to be at least as fast. In order not to be left without work, it is important to constantly study rapidly changing programming languages, master foreign languages, monitor market trends and be creative, because each task is individual, and each client expects an original, unique solution. “We have high self-education,” says Valentin, “and a conscientious attitude to work, when compared with other market participants (for example, Indians are ready to work for $5 an hour, not always meeting the requirements, while Ukrainians earn $20-40 an hour, and specialists in the USA – $100-120). With a fairly good technical base, Ukrainian developers offer a very attractive price and are able to create a high-quality product, which promises good prospects.”

With what you are ready to brag about

Many Ukrainian entrepreneurs see their goods abroad in the long term. And many remain with this dream. “One way or another, it all starts in Ukraine,” comments Anton Matiyash, head of the Kyiv branch of the Club business people" “Although I have come across enough examples when a business was started with an expectation exclusively for abroad and the goods or services of such companies are not represented on the Ukrainian market, for example, clothing production or IT outsourcing.”

To enter the foreign market, as the expert notes, it is important to first of all have a high-quality product that meets the certificates of the state where it is intended to be sold, well-established logistics, and the presence of a legal entity registered in the required country. The latter is very important for US consumers; attention to this “little detail” is explained by the ability to decide controversial issues legally. And it goes without saying that business processes must be streamlined to ensure sufficient volumes of goods to meet demand.

“Actually, everything is there”

How Ukrainian medium and small businesses can enter the foreign market and what difficulties await them there, says Sergei Prokhorov, representative of the Confederation of Industrialists of Lithuania in Ukraine

Is it fair to say that interest in Ukraine is based on profitable, cheap labor force, but Ukrainian goods and services are of no interest to foreign consumers?

– In business there is no division based on nationality. For some reason, we decided that if we have a product and with it we come to Germany or Lithuania, waving a flag, then we should be accepted. Initially, by focusing on your nationality, you can immediately lose the customer. Here it is rather correct to say whether this or that private entrepreneur will be able to sell his product abroad.

It is better to approach a foreign customer without a flag and immediately talk about your service or product. Adequate people don't care where you're from. Those companies that are supported abroad by our consulting are presented as Ukrainian. When presenting each of them abroad, we show each specific product, say, wallpaper of such and such quality, from such and such raw materials, produced on such and such equipment - is this interesting to you or not?

In fact, products labeled “made in Ukraine” have long been represented abroad: these include food products famous brands, and industrial goods. I can bring real examples, when shoes marked in small print made in Ukraine were purchased in Switzerland. Large companies sell goods under their Ukrainian brand. There are companies that create a separate brand for export, and some produce their products under someone else's brand (supermarket chains, for example).

Do foreign entrepreneurs have any prejudices towards Ukrainian companies?

– Of course, due to recent events in Ukraine, foreigners have some concerns regarding our companies. For example, Lithuanians who are friendly towards us, seeing news about military operations, ask how we managed to fly to Lithuania, thinking that we are at war and the transport infrastructure is destroyed. Therefore, it is more important to focus not on the fact that this is Ukraine, but on the quality of your product or service. If the customer is from Europe, try to package the goods according to the European model, that is, Europeanize it as much as possible. This is not a rule, but this is what I would do to avoid unwanted risks.

In what areas of business can Ukrainians be the most competitive?

– To achieve successful sales, our manufacturers need to make great efforts. Sometimes it comes easy. But often small business, for example, a jam producer whose production capacity is barely enough to supply several shops suddenly tries to enter foreign markets after hearing that the price is higher there. But this opinion is based only on the fact that a person has traveled abroad only a few times and bought one jar of jam. Or maybe this product was top-class, and other varieties cost much less. Another option is when they try to bring something to the foreign market that, it would seem, is not there. In fact, everything is there. But if you offer some interesting conditions for the sale of your product or a more interesting packaging design - who knows. Need to try.

Eat successful examples, when the production of children's clothing in Ukraine sells its products to Lithuania (via the Internet), and Lithuanians create their own online stores where they offer these goods.

Quite a lot of foreigners build their business in Ukraine and sell the product abroad. There are many such examples in the agricultural sector. But it is unrealistic for Ukrainian farmers to sell their product there directly. At the global level, it is quite difficult to leave the services of traders.

Nowadays the demand for design is growing. The salaries of good engineers are equally high here and there. There may be a difference in pay here and in Germany, for example, despite the fact that life there is more expensive, but there is no difference with Poland or the Baltic states. But our design process is faster. Our engineers have a broader horizon, a better intellectual component, and, accordingly, they can produce something faster and easier.

Construction companies have prospects abroad, but not individual master builders. For example, our companies built houses in Dubai. High-quality building materials are also in demand, but not as a product in itself, but rather with the service of performing work. Thus our construction companies, using domestic materials, can increase their earnings.

And, of course, the services of translators have always been and remain in demand.

And what prejudices of Ukrainians prevent them from moving forward? international markets?

– Representing the International Confederation of Industrialists of Lithuania in Ukraine, over three years of work I saw a lot of requests for various goods from Ukraine (from sunflower oil to raw materials), which stopped almost immediately for one simple reason. Our entrepreneurs, upon hearing the word “Lithuania,” immediately added another zero to the cost of the goods, believing that the European customer was richer. Although in Lithuania before the fall of the hryvnia, goods were cheaper than in Kyiv. In addition, when raising prices for their export products, many do not take into account the cost of logistics and customs duties.

When developing your business, you often have to deal with foreign suppliers, investors and partners, but not everyone is ready to immediately make contact. Leaders of successful Russian companies shared their experience with “Theories and Practices” - how to make useful contacts, communicate on social networks, establish cooperation and not stop after the first refusal.

Almost from the beginning, our company's goal has been to become a premier wholesale supplier of designer gifts, accessories and home furnishings. Since we are based in London, EnjoyMe's first suppliers were only English companies. At some point, we started working with a large carrier, we figured out the intricacies customs clearance and began to develop our wholesale sales. Suppliers included small design studios and several fairly large local companies: Luckies, Black+Blum, Suck UK, Thabto. The following year a couple of good mid-sized European brands were added. It was not difficult to negotiate - at that time we did not enter into exclusive contracts, but simply did what we loved.

One day I saw Nest bowls from Joseph Joseph and fell in love with the brand at first sight. Then I decided that these products should appear in our store, and wrote them a letter. In response, I received a questionnaire and was a little surprised - it turned out that making a regular order is not so easy, the company must be sure that their goods are sold in a decent place. Our EnjoyMe, unfortunately, was not suitable for this, but we did not give up. In three months, we created a platform (www.famouskitchen.ru) specifically for kitchen accessories and again contacted Joseph Joseph. They were surprised that someone had created a website just to sell their brand's products, and they allowed us to place our first order as a simple wholesale buyer. Their representatives came to Moscow, and we needed to show EnjoyMe in better light. To do this, we had only 10 days - we organized meetings with all potentially interesting chain stores and major clients, and held a series of successful negotiations. This helped in further development, but Joseph Joseph chose another distributor - a large company that has been working with tableware for more than 10 years. This first small defeat forced us to make a powerful leap forward.

We began to work with chain stores using the brand name, but supplied them with fewer products from suppliers, honing our skills in working with large clients and building our own company with a full-fledged department wholesale sales. A year passed, we got stronger, and suddenly we received a call from Joseph Joseph - the distributor they had chosen did not live up to expectations. Then we were asked to meet again. The company was impressed with how we had grown and we moved on to negotiate exclusive distribution for a year. Several other companies from the tableware market competed for this right, but by some happy coincidence they chose us. This brand has become a ticket to big business. After we held Joseph Joseph for a year, and then a second, other large companies began to come to us. When we've proven we can handle it Russian market, it became easier to negotiate.

Alexander Platonov, Founder and CEO of Marakuya

Here are some tips:

If you are looking for a specific company, you need to identify the key decision makers in that business. Find them on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. Most foreign managers are active on social networks in one way or another. Follow them, see what they tweet, who they follow, like their posts, comment, ask questions about their posts. If you are original, they will notice you, and you can carefully approach them. If a person has 5,000 followers, a hundred likes and fifty comments on each post, analyze who and whose posts this person retweets or shares the most. You can always find a way to reach someone he considers an opinion leader. And through it you can contact the person you need.

Try to meet one of the star foreign entrepreneurs right away. It may seem impossible, but not long ago Richard Branson offered an entrepreneur best idea pitch the project to him personally on his own island, and then take part in the largest US exhibition, CES, for free.

Another way to find a partner is to have a well-known US news resource write about you, which is read by the person you need. For example, TechCrunch editor Mike Butcher enjoys writing about Russian startups. He even made up perfect option letters that I would like to see.

After selling my business in Russia, I had two opposing tasks. On the one hand, I wanted to invest part of my money in some foreign project from the real sector of the economy. On the other hand, he wanted to attract foreign investment in his new Internet project. Joint investments reduce the risk of each partner, and I just wanted to attract Western money - there is a different approach and standards. I had to study, rack my brains, improve my English, and practice pitching about the project. However, as often happens, the investor was found among friends. I simply went around to my American acquaintances, whom I knew from Facebook, from conferences and personal contacts, talked about an interesting project, and asked my friends to help me find investments. Instead, one of my friends suggested joining the project. As a result, I received not just an investment, but an excellent partner. I myself have invested in construction project in San Francisco - also on the advice of friends. True, I hired a lawyer and conducted mini-investigations. I looked to see if there were conflicts or legal proceedings around these people, and how they went through the years of the crisis of 2008-2009. Since in the USA all information is open, you can bring up all the cases for all the companies with which potential partners are associated, and then sit down and study them.

Veronica Taraba, Deputy General Director of KROK

Chance helped us. When we decided to expand beyond Russia, there was a feeling (based on pre-sale attempts) that we were more interested not in the Old World and or Eastern Europe, and the neighborhood is on the other side, where there are more dynamic markets. We already had experience working with Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, and we wanted to go further. They weren't specifically looking for anyone. One of our managers was contacted by a supplier of specialized IT solutions for a company that was being purchased by a CROC customer in Turkey. This supplier discussed with us some of his joint business, and it was he who introduced us to an IT company that was also working with this client and was looking for opportunities for faster development. It was a Turkish system integrator NGN, a company with five years of experience. We studied the market (demand in the computing outsourcing market, its dynamics and specifics in Turkey), the capabilities and characteristics of the Turkish company (finance, personnel, clients, vendors). We communicated with their key vendors and clients, understood the needs of their clients in Turkey and abroad, made a business plan for the construction of a data center and entered into partnerships.

At some point, we saw that our clients had requests for PR support abroad. In addition, many of our employees spoke about the desire to undergo an internship in another country, as is done in large network agencies. Since the market is very competitive, we needed to keep the bar - we began to look for a partner abroad. We opened the global rating The Holmes Report, where the largest PR agencies in the world are represented - we started with them. At that time, we only had 25 people working for us, and our turnover was a little less than $2 million. Most did not answer us at all - we wrote a hundred letters, and received about 20 replies, mostly with refusals, which stated that the companies already had partners in Russia. Then we started writing to international associations PR agencies. The situation was approximately the same - there were many refusals, but there were still responses. We went to meetings with Global Alliance and IPRN. Filled out a questionnaire, provided recommendations from clients and employees, and financial statements over the past two years. When we joined IPRN, Global Alliance found out about this and refused us, although it was not initially agreed that we could not be members of two associations at once. It was frustrating because we wasted a lot of money and time.

At the same time, we understood that we still needed a partner. Then we took a different route - we started writing blogs for heads of foreign agencies. So we contacted Andres Witterman, vice president of the global communications agency LEWIS PR and tried to establish a dialogue. For example, he wrote a post about the market growing. We answered: “Cool, the market is growing, and we know that LEWIS PR does not yet work in Russia. We want to invite you to work with us. What do you think?". In the end, everything worked out. We transfer our clients to them, and they transfer theirs to us - now we are in our third year collaboration. We also send our employees on internships. They have already been to France, Australia, Germany, and Great Britain. We're glad the blog method worked. Since then, I have been actively communicating with heads of PR agencies around the world - mainly through social networks.