How do you make your Export Sales Manager job vacancy more attractive to potential candidates? Let them know you have piping hot sales prospects ready to close from day one on the job. How do you set your business up to generate international sales leads, fast? Here are some top tips.
Having a sales pipeline packed with international sales prospects ready to close is an excellent way to incentivise potential candidates to apply for your Export Sales Manager job. Imagine the opening line of your job advert reading… “1,000 international sales leads ready to close for our next Export Sales Manager.”
It really makes a statement and signals your intent!
To get to a stage where your business is generating international sales leads on a daily basis, here’s what you can do to put leads in place ready for your next Export Sales Manager…
… Market online to an international audience. Here’s how:
#1 – Start with an international website in English
Targeting other English speaking nations to generate international sales leads is a simple, low-cost, low-risk way to ‘test the waters’ for demand.
Australia, Canada and North America are just some of the countries where ‘brand Britain’ has authority, representing a great opportunity to present your products and services to new, English speaking markets.
It’s a good idea to localise or ‘localize’ your content to increase your credibility with local customers. Meanwhile, having a replica of your original website will increase the likelihood of your business getting found by international search engines i.e. google.com.au
Equally, it’s an opportunity to create fresh content and discover new keywords. This will add extra impetus to your online international marketing strategy and boost your search engine rankings.
Summary: Why it’s worth having an international website in English
- Easy to replicate a .co.uk or .com site for other English speaking nations
- Cost and time effective to setup
- Quick way to present old products in new markets
- Boosts your search engine rankings
#2 – Create a website in local language
70 percent of the world doesn’t speak English, while 57 percent of websites contain only English. Creating and optimising a website that’s specific to a territory you’re targeting means that your business can reach a segment of the international market that others aren’t.
Having international sites in multiple languages increases your credibility with customers in your target market. Plus, you will boost your presence online while generating new content and discovering relevant, international keywords.
Summary: Why it’s worthwhile having a localised, international website
- A low-risk entry point into international markets
- Entering into multiple markets reduces dependence on your domestic market
- 90 per cent of internet users in the European Union search in their native language
#3 – Create a mini version of your English website
Creating a mini version of your English .com or .co.uk website gives you most of the advantages of a full site in an English speaking nation. However, a mini site is easier, quicker and cheaper to build initially. You can expand them on an ad hoc basis, too.
A mini version of your site should feature a subset of your products and website pages from your main international website. Ultimately, they should be easier to navigate, directing site visitors to ‘take action’ immediately by completing a contact form or calling your sales team.
Summary: Why it’s worthwhile having a many version of your English website
- Easier, cheaper and quicker to build than ‘complete’ websites for entry into overseas markets
- Easy to manage and maintain
- Easier to navigate and user-friendly for international visitors
- A lower cost, low-risk entry point into English speaking export markets
- Can be expanded as and when needed
#4 – Use an eMarketplace
There has been a boom in the use of e-commerce sites to generate international sales leads. Consumers tend to buy goods from other countries based on three key factors, including:
- Availability
- Choice
- Price
As a result, there has been a surge in companies that will promise you ‘the best-ecommerce platform money can buy’ as more businesses recognise the value of cross-border selling through commerce.
However, e-commerce routes into international markets require you to think about several key criteria, such as:
- The e-commerce platform you will choose
- Whether your chosen platform will take a portion of your profits
- Whether it can handle the size and quantity of transactions you want to make
- Content localisation
- Payment methods
According to the UK government, there are more than 400 active e-commerce platforms worldwide.
Summary: Why it’s worth using an e-commerce platform
- Faster buying and selling process
- 24/7 buying and selling
- No geographical limitations
- Low operational costs
#5 – mCommerce and sCommerce
mCommerce and sCommerce are relatively new as a means of generating international sales leads. However, they’re massive in Asian and far-eastern markets, where smartphones tend to be the main form of internet access.
Despite m-commerce and s-commerce appearing to be similar to other web-based routes into international markets, they do require a completely different platform, optimisation and approach.
Social commerce is the marriage between social media and e-commerce, the next evolution of online shopping, where consumers fuel the purchasing funnel of your brand, plus the buying and selling of your products and services online.
If you want to reach international prospects, it’s critical to be where they are! Smartphones in hand, customers aren’t waiting for your company to decide to build a mobile website or app, so planning for mobile search and m-commerce is going to become more important in your quest to generate international sales leads.
Summary: Why it’s worth using s-commerce and m-commerce
- Strong engagement with prospects and customers on an individual basis
- Rapid and personal feedback
- Faster buying and selling process
- 24/7 buying and selling
- No geographical limitations
Arguably, the fastest and most cost-effective way to generate leads overseas is to partner with an online, international lead generation service. Why? They offer a ready-made route into international markets that limit the time, cost and resources you would need trying to establish a cross-border presence by yourself.
Take Export Worldwide for example, an online virtual exhibiting site that serves to complement your existing domestic and international websites, generating leads in new markets.
Export Worldwide enables you to present your ‘old’ products and services in new markets, rather than trying to continuously develop new products and services for existing or new markets, which is much harder to do.
With features such a multilingual content, and unlimited product or service uploads, channels like Export Worldwide help you to boost your online presence and generate more leads, while taking away the groundwork needed to get started.
Export Worldwide provides AI/machine, human, or hybrid translation options, translating your content in up to 20 languages representing 84 per cent of world trade, and empowering your business to reach more international markets faster than ever before.
Summary: Why it’s worth partnering with an online, international lead generation service
- Works alongside existing websites to generate international leads creating additional marketing channels
- For companies without an international site, they’re a ready-made platform to reach new markets 24/7, 365 days a year
- Easy to get started. Either upload content in English or get the platform to do this, instantly translate in up to 20 languages representing 84 per cent of world trade (Export Worldwide only)
- Quickly identify market demand and interest for your products and services in worldwide markets
- Tried and tested export model
How does all this help to recruit an Export Sales Manager?
Ultimately, having an international lead generation strategy in place increases your appeal as a company for whom an Export Sales Manager would want to work for. Better still, having a funnel filled with prospects ready to close adds to the attractiveness of the role. It’s a great discussion topic for the interview process too.
Consistently delivering high quality, international sales leads that an experienced Export Sales Manager will undoubtedly convert into a customer is beneficial to your business, not only in terms of increased sales, but for retaining a key member of staff that will play a key part in the future of your business.
To make recruiting your next Export Sales Manager easier, learn how to fill your funnel with international sales leads, daily. Book your personalised Export Worldwide demo, now…