At the European Telecommunications Blog we focus on explaining the technologies, cultures and business traits that affect doing business in the Telecommunications sector in Europe. We have several people in the trenches in the largest markets who daily engage Carriers, Systems Integrators and Vendors to understand the pulse of the European Telecomms sector.
Every so often we put together a white paper that summarizes our findings and I am pleased to announce that we have just completed one. Our latest white paper discusses “Bridging the Knowledge Gap” of doing business in Europe and is part 2 of our series on how to expand into the European Marketplace. Here is a link to register and receive download instructions for the white paper.
The main point of this latest paper is to explore factors that all companies must adhere to if they wish to thrive in Europe. The markets on this side of the Atlantic Ocean do business a bit differently. North American and Asian companies who wish to enter these markets need to understand that their approach they’ve used so far might not be the best way to find success. Here is a snippet of the white paper as a teaser:
In order to come to market successfully in Europe the manufacturer or service provider must be mindful of the way business is conducted in Europe. To do this, the first topic we will cover is a commonly overlooked business characteristic. Understanding how relationships play a major role in day to day business dealings through Europe.
The second topic is assessing a product or service through the eyes of your intended customer prior to launch. This is a totally acceptable and recommended business practice. Not only does it provide critical acceptance criteria, it will also supply valuable competitive information not typically available prior to head to head competition.
The third topic has been difficult to adapt to. Most companies who expand to Europe prefer to go it alone without partnerships and in some cases this direct approach is successful, however the majority of companies need relationships with VARs and large vendors to establish their value and brand. European telecommunications carriers and large network providers procured much of their equipment through these channels opposed to their counterparts in North America.
I hope that this nugget of information helps you and if you feel like it then please pass it along. As always we welcome any and all feedback, please comment below!
