The beginner’s guide to building and maintaining international relationships in business

Modern business is, by necessity, global in its outlook. The UK alone produces exports worth more than £25 billion every single month. Increasingly, firms are able to look beyond national borders and reach out to clients and suppliers who are united by commerce, rather than country.

Financial services, better transport and effective storage and shipping were all among the many factors fuelling this over the last generation – yet digital innovations have turbo-charged the rush to a global economy.

While it can clearly be lucrative – and easier than ever – to get in touch with customers and suppliers in overseas markets it does also bring its challenges.

So, if you’re looking to reach out to the wider world, what do you need to do to build and maintain an international relationship?

Find the right match for you

The most important thing to do is find the right people to enter into a relationship with. That relies on an astute analysis of the market to pinpoint the sort of companies that offer the services you require – or indeed who you could provide a service to. It also means that you need a decent reputation and credibility yourself – something that can be spread overseas through thought leadership and taking an active involvement in the latest news and developments in your sector.

Don’t approach anyone without a full understanding of what they do, their background and the products and services that they offer.

What type of business relationship?   

Many businesses forge international relationships that are a simple client/customer style while many others look for a much deeper arrangement, with mergers and partnerships enabling similar companies to ‘crack’ overseas markets.

So, for example, the people behind Airblast Eurospray paint spray booths and AFC Finishing Systems have been able to enter into the perfect international business marriage – sharing expertise of a complex industrial process and the reputation each had built over 40-plus years of business in the UK and US in an operation that spans the Atlantic. These deeper relationships can be mutually beneficial for businesses, making it much easier to break into new markets.

Language and culture

There are linguistic and cultural barriers that need to be overcome to make sure things run smoothly in an international business relationship. You shouldn’t be put off by dealing with a company that doesn’t share the same language but you do need to handle the situation properly. Don’t try to ‘get by’ with basic translation software or someone’s bog-standard language skills. When dealing with businesses you need to rely on the services of someone who has a thorough understanding of the language and the industry specific terms you may need to use in correspondence.

Cultural matters are also of importance. Try to take time to understand that different countries do things in a different way and things such as national holidays or religious festivals might need to be considered.

Time and shipping

There are also other practical considerations that you need to crack to keep things running smoothly. While dealing with the US might not, in the main, have its linguistic or cultural issues there is still the matter of the time difference. Time zones have a big bearing on when you can communicate with a client or business partner and can make a process slower than normal unless you have a plan. International shipping can also be a time consuming process too and means that a business must have a well-thought out plan for delivering goods while all internationally minded companies have to keep a close eye on the currency exchange rate – as small changes in this could greatly affect the cost of a large business order.

When you’re thinking of entering into an international business relationship you need to find the right people and the right type of relationship and then keep that running smoothly by keeping an eye on the unique linguistic, cultural and practical considerations that make these relationships slightly different to domestic ones.