22 SPA CANADA MAGAZINE22 SPA CANADA MAGAZINE

If I had to give one piece of

advice to those who wish to

go global, it would be:

Commit wholly to your global

brand…being a bit global,

doesn’t really work

Networking with similar businesses

that have gone global is a great idea,

and when you do this, you will prob-

ably hear that looking for the most

important global problems that need

to be solved, will always spell massive

potential…but even then, it can be

more challenging than expected.

There are some problems where

being big is an advantage and some

where it is not.

Whether you are big and

muscled or small and nimble,

you need to know where

your offerings fit in

Correcting problems internationally is

far more challenging than dealing

nationally. Although expanding to a

global market is risky, strive to reduce

risk wherever possible. That means:

1. Knowing your channels of handling

and distribution intimately

2. Having dynamic business systems in

place that can deal in diverse situa-

tions

3. Designing even your niche offerings

to satisfy a broad scale of appeal.

Production & Delivery

If you are dealing in physical goods,

the (financial and physical) barriers to

entry can be far greater than if you

are net-based. Evaluating your budget

and cash flow situations so that you

know you are capable of supporting

the new demands that will be placed

on your money, is key. All things

considered, the biggest financial

consideration for businesses dealing

in physical goods will be shipping. It is

very expensive, particularly if your

overseas buyers are asking for price

breaks that will further impact your

costs. In terms of controlling and

managing the safety of your goods, it’s

important to note that even with the

big air shippers, in the more remote

locations your fragile or small(er)

package may be handed over to a

local carrier for the last leg of the

journey and actually end up stacked

alongside large shipping crates and

suitcases. Because of this you may

require overseas shipping insurance,

or even hiring a freight forwarder.

Customs and border operations is an

integral part of the shipping process,

and knowing both your fixed and vari-

able costs from production through

to delivery is critical.

Flexible Payment Options

Consider setting up your eCommerce

platform to accept multiple payment

options, particularly if you are selling

large ticket items. Not all people in all

countries have access to credit cards,

BusinessGet a go-go on Global!Written by: Leslie Lyon

SC-Jan-Feb2013_Layout 1 14/12/12 9:34 AM Page 22

SPA CANADA MAGAZINE 23

so wire transfers and miscellaneous

methods of money transfer must be

integrated into your system. Special

payment terms, discounts, and longer

credit extensions may also be

requested by your global clients. If you

do opt to offer payment plans, you

may also need a system that will

monitor “holds” and “activate” deliv-

eries once payment in full has been

received.

Quality and Price

Quality means something different in

every country… ONE SIZE DOES

NOT FIT ALL. But make sure your

offerings are so solid they can with-

stand even the toughest, most scruti-

nizing cross-continent consumer. The

value of the North American

Dollar(s) vs. the Chinese Yuan

Renminbi, Pakistan Rupee, Chilean

Peso, Serbian Dinar or South African

Rand, is not always relative.

Particularly if you are selling to the

end user; sometimes this individual

has been saving for months or even

years to purchase your product.

Wages are so low in some countries,

that this purchase is quite literally a

lifetime investment for them. So your

offerings simply must not disappoint.

Understanding Cultural

Demands

This requires research, yes, but also

dynamic, flexible business processes

that can accommodate the unknown,

because you will definitely be learning

as you go. For example, as touched on

previously, a shopping cart that is

locked into strict business processes

will become problematic in the global

market. As well, proper business

etiquette in the many countries that

you want to do business in is key, but

how will you learn them all? The best

way to handle these wide and varied

circumstances, is a good dose of

humility. Use it liberally. Respect that

you are the outsider and that you

must not only prove that your offer-

ings are their right choice, but that

you personally are worthy and

deserving of their business; nurturing

relationships with your international

client is very important. Installing

some kind of auto response system to

follow up on your leads will also be

important now, because the sales

cycle can be considerably longer with

an international client. Often email is

the first line of communication, so be

sure your electronic signature has all

the information on your company

they’ll need, such as a tag line, link to

your website, and all your social

network channels.

Global Search and Connect

They must be able to find you, right?

So a combination of International

eMarketing initiatives, with strong

SEO strategies and possibly paid

search programs, will help drive rele-

vant traffic to your business and begin

generating a global buzz. If your

budget warrants it, you may want to

consider coupling these ideas with

placing your product ads in high-

traffic international settings. If

however, you get in on the ground

floor in your category of offerings and

have an effective SEO campaign that

provides you with good search visi-

bility, this may be enough, as you are

able to solidify your brand on these

platforms and propagate business

before the competition settles in. And

once your target has found you, they

need to understand you. Your systems

of delivery on the global platform

have to be super straight forward and

user-friendly; anything too fancy (even

fonts) isn’t always a good idea. Set

your goals and know whether your

target marketing strategies demand

that you outsource freelancers to

write, connect, or translate your

work…English, French, Arabic,

Mandarin, Spanish, Portuguese?

Social proof, Wiredness,

Mobile and Cross-Channel

Marketing

The international client wants to

know your status and weight in the

industry and their preference for big

brands can impact your chances at

success. The good news is that the

smaller entrepreneur does have the

edge on passion, personality and

elegance…not to mention there’s less

bureaucracy with smaller companies.

Online and offline, your business

story must be instantly recognizable.

With mobile communication said to

be where the bulk of the growth will

come from going forward, smaller

entrepreneurs who decide to

compete globally, must also go

SC-Jan-Feb2013_Layout 1 14/12/12 9:34 AM Page 23

24 SPA CANADA MAGAZINE

mobile. Social networking knows no

geographical boundaries, so use it for

everything from business testimonials

and published works, to awards and

alliances. If you’re saying to yourself, “I

have none of that in place right now”,

this may be one of the first places

you’ll want to start. Begin pulling out

every single piece of publicity, expo-

sure and credential that you have

gathered over the years, and turn it

into a portfolio of accomplishments.

Become a Walking, Talking

Human

Accessibility, even though you are half

way across the world, is mandatory.

Not so surprising, many international

clients want to speak to you person-

ally before purchasing. So you need to

know time zones…and basic money

matters. I like this world clock

website; http://www.timeanddate.com

/worldclock/, and for foreign

exchange rates, this website is good;

http://fx-rate.net/. Skype or some

form of visual is popular in some

areas of the world, but I haven’t found

it to be that way in general; voice is

usually more than sufficient. Email is

the preferred method of communica-

tion, so I make sure my responses are

pointed, detailed and filled with links

to the subject at hand. Although I have

a generic presentation that I can do in

my sleep (!), when I’m on the the

phone, I feel like this is the time we

should be talking both professionally,

and personally. After all, this is a

person with whom I have much in

common with and I want them in my

life, for the life of my career.

Word of Mouth

It’s a really small world, and that

customer in Beijing has a friend on an

island in the Indian Ocean, and if her

experience with you has been a good

one all round, before you know it,

you’re product is flying into that

remote island in the middle of para-

dise. And international professionals

don’t hesitate to share you with their

colleagues, so often your offerings can

spread like wildfire throughout one

country, once you have developed

even one great business relationship

there.

If you are not that successful

locally, it’s unlikely that you

will do better globally

The negative side to word of

mouth…. Where people used to tell 9

of their friends about you, they now

tell 42. Online rating and ranking can

ruin you if you rush into the global

market with your eyes closed. And

consider that by extending your reach

globally, you may be reducing the

dependence on established markets in

your area, so you may meet with

push-back and criticism locally.

10 Bonus Points – The (not

so) small stuff really matters

1. Protect your proprietary informa-

tion

2. Inventory management is more

important than ever

3. Many cultures are raised not to say

“no”, so yes and no questions should

be avoided and you should probably

never say “no” either

4. Offering to connect during odd

hours is your responsbility

5. If you are web-based, network

latency (moving data delays) is the

enemy

6. Exclamation points may erode your

validity!

7. The short answer is almost never

the best answer and patience is defi-

nitely a virtue

8. Know ahead of time, what your

perceived value-added offerings and

activities will be

9. Explore how you can re-engineer

your offerings to meet different

market demands

10. Determine how you will

evaluate/recognize your success or

failure.

Better get a go-go on

global… NOW!

Leslie Lyon, President

of Spas2b Inc. has

been in the spa busi-

ness for 30 years,

and today enjoys her

career as an

I n t e r n a t i o n a l

Educator, Consultant,

Writer and Speaker. Spas2b specializes in

CIBTAC Endorsed/CEU Approved Online Spa

Management Courses, as well as Instant

Download Business Resources.

For more information, visit www.spas2b.com,

llyon@spas2b.com, 1-519-585-0626.

SC-Jan-Feb2013_Layout 1 14/12/12 9:34 AM Page 24