Leveraging international partnerships can provide competitive advantages for companies. Major changes like lower communication, transportation, and trade costs have opened markets for entrepreneurs. To identify partnerships, companies should understand their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Potential partnership areas include marketing, operations, finance, and legal structures. Partners can be found through networking, trade shows, associations, and government offices. It's important to properly vet partners and understand cultural differences to negotiate successful deals and manage the relationship. Contracts and trust are both important, and troubleshooting issues together preserves the partnership.

1. Leveraging International
Partnerships for Competitive
Advantage
Step #1 towards world domination!

2. Becky DeStigter
@intlentreprenr

3. Becky DeStigter, FIBP|CITP, MBA, MS
• Serial entrepreneur
• Help companies research & expand into new international markets
• B2B tech & professional services markets
• Lived in 14 places, including 2 overseas
• Speak 5 languages – English, Dutch, German, Spanish & Mandarin

4. Isn’t international for the BIG firms?
Not Any More. Major changes in the world business
environment have worked to open up markets for
Entrepreneurs:
• Communication Costs - Internet, email, telecomm, mobile
• Transportation Costs - ocean & air freight, flights
• Trade Barriers
–ex. tariffs, import taxes, domestic input requirements
• Buyer Information Access Across Markets
- buyers can look up pricing online to make better decisions

5. Identifying International Partnerships

6. First, Know Your SWOT
• What are your company’s:
• What kinds of assets or specific outside capabilities would help
your company grow?
Strengths Weaknesses
Opportunities Threats

7. Areas in you business to look for partners
Marketing
• Current market base
• Compatible product offering
• Market research
Operations
• Production capacity
• Manufacturing
• Design expertise
Finance
• Access to government grants
• Access to superior financing
• Shared costs
Legal/Structural
• Country input requirements
• Government relationships
• JV requirements

8. How to Find Potential Partners
• Networking through your industry contacts
• Industry trade shows
• Your industry’s associations
• International trade groups (ex. AmCham)
• Local government trade/export offices
• Embassies, consulates & chambers of commerce overseas
Becky DeStigter ©2016 All Rights Reserved

9. Vetting Potential Partners
• 3rd Party Validation of Facts
• Government agencies
• U.S. Chambers of Commerce
• Private firms
• Intuition Check
• Spend Time Together
in Both Countries
• Get Financials, but understand they might not carry the same importance
in another country

10. How to Adjust to Cultural Differences
• Research before you meet or call
• Cultural information
• Information about your counterparts
• Listen & ask questions
• Find common ground upon which to build rapport
• Look for reasons for why something doesn’t fit your
expectations

11. Negotiations:
Courtship, Marriage and Breakup

12. Negotiating a Successful Deal
• Prepare, Prepare, Prepare!
• Know your limits
• Know your options
• Bring the right people to the table
• Go for the win-win
• Communicate results of meetings

13. Closing the Deal: Contract vs. Relationship
Contracts
• Responsibilities & expectations
spelled out
• Enforceable?
• Static or fluid?
Relationship
• Strength lies in the mutual
benefit between partners
• Partners have to trust each
other
• Flexible?
• Long-term?
Becky DeStigter ©2016 All Rights Reserved

14. Navigating Trouble
• Is the partnership critical to both sides?
• Resolve open issues together
• Win-Win position is best
• Know the cultural conflict style
• Save face, if possible

15. Exit Strategies
• Positive End
• Project Completed
• Cooperatively bring partnership
to an end
• Negative End
• Minimize your losses
• Exit quickly

16. Becky@The-International-Entrepreneur.com