Many small to mid-sized companies in Europe, Central America, Mexico, and the U.S. have a strong desire to expand their businesses to other countries. This could be an important source of new future revenues. However, this could also be a risky situation.

European countries, Central American countries, Mexico and the United States all have different ways of doing business, unique cultures, and varying laws and regulations. Navigating the maze of business, culture, and government regulations can be tricky. You will, of course, need strong legal and financial advice.

But, will the business model and strategy you’ve used in your country work in another country?

Because I have managed, and successfully run as the CEO, multinational companies in France, Spain, Latin America, and the United States, I understand the differences in the cultures and business models used by each region. Trust me, they are different. The strategies that worked well for you in Costa Rica may not work as well in the United States, or even Mexico.

The strategic process is the same, but experience makes the real difference

If you are considering expanding overseas or into international markets (and you should be soon), you need a powerful strategy and a business model that is effective in both your native country and other countries. The same Strategic System I developed for Creating Sustainable Growth may also be used to help you expand into other countries. The key difference is my experience in the global markets.

Even if you have a strategic thinking process today, what you most likely lack is experience in other countries. Because I personally facilitate each and every one of the Strategic Thinking sessions, you can trust that each is tailored to your needs, and is specific to every country in which you currently or plan on doing business.

Which country or countries are you considering?

Although how I work with you may not change, my advice, ideas, and knowledge of each country will help you to think strategically about your moves in a way that maximizes your investment.

When I first meet with you to discuss your plans, we decide on the most appropriate course of action. Generally, we will follow the structured system outlined below. However, we may decide the most appropriate process will involve more one-on-one coaching and mentoring as you develop and implement your overseas strategies. My experience of working with other organizations will inform us as to the optimum process. I am fluent in Spanish, French, Portuguese, and English.

Specifically, I will help you develop and implement a comprehensive strategy for expanding:

From Europe to the U.S., Mexico, or Central America
From Mexico or Central America into the United States
From the U.S. into Europe, Mexico, or Central America

By the way, we already have offices in Panama, Mexico, France, and Spain. Go to our contact page for more information. Click here

Expanding overseas, step-by-step

1. As with creating sustainable growth, we begin with the Strategic Assessment: This highly structured and very intense one-day session is conducted with your CEO, COO, CFO, their direct staff, and a few selected people with experience or knowledge about the company, and your market or industry (between 10-30 people). Note: it is not necessary for you to have experience in your target country. I provide this expertise for the Strategic Thinking process. The purpose of the Strategic Assessment is to provide you with a very clear understanding of who you are and who you need to become to create sustainable growth. You’ll be amazed and surprised at the volume of practical ideas and information you already have within your company. The Strategic Assessment is perfect for a new CEO, or to fully prepare for an upcoming board meeting.

2. Second, we help you develop your overall strategy, business model, implementation plan, and leadership strategy. This is where we come to terms with your genetic code, and determine the products, target market, and activities that create the most value, improving your company’s performance and profitability while fully utilizing your existing assets. I call this process the Strategic_Wealth_Creator_System™ We help you tailor the strategy to the nuances of both your country of origin and your target country or countries.

3. Third, we infuse Value Innovation into your entire organization. Instead of taking the conventional approach of simply finding ways to differentiate your product, lower your cost, or create products difficult for your competitors to imitate, I help you to win on the basis of the Value of what you deliver. Again, this is a strategic process, what I call the Strategic Value Innovation_System™. (Click for more information). It is important to understand that what might be considered of high value in one country may be less important in another. Our strategy sessions will take these factors into consideration.

4. Finally, you need a clear sales strategy. Once you are creating and delivering products and services that have a Value-based edge over your competition, you need to have a matching Strategic Sales System, what I refer to as the Strategic_Laser_Sales_System™. I help you to strategically define and implement tools based on proven concepts such as Marginal Value, Customer Lifetime Value, The Buyer Utility Map, and the Unique Selling Proposition (UPS). Selling internationally can be tricky, and I help you determine the optimum sales strategy for your international presence.

For additional information on the four key steps to creating Sustainable Growth, click on one or more of the following links:

One-day Strategic Assessment System
Strategic Wealth Creator System
Strategic Value Innovation System
Strategic Laser Sales System

Call or e-mail me to set up your zero-risk one-day Strategic Assessment. Remember – you only pay if and when you are impressed and delighted with the information, ideas, and tools you receive from any module within the Sustainable Growth System.

Carlos Dias

(305) 232-7820
E-Mail: carlos@carlosdias.com