Top 10 Mistakes Made When Entering the USA

These are the top 10 mistakes international companies make when they come to the USA market.

Mistake 1. There is no strategy or plan in place.

If you think:

• “North America is a huge market it will be easy to make money in North Amer”
• “Every one is just waiting for my call”

The reality is:

• The market is too big and too fragmented
• It is the most competitive market in the world
• The competition is not only Americans, but also all other international companies who are in the market

Now, ask yourself these questions:

• Why should the Americans buy from you when they can get the same or similar services from an American company? 
• What makes you unique?
• What do you offer that the competition doesn’t or can’t?  Be creative.

Mistake 2. There is no well developed value proposition. 

If you think:

• You need to sell your services

The reality is:

• You need to sell solutions to a customer’s problems

Make sure you:

• Do your homework about your customers
  and prospects
• Followup
• Build relationships, this takes time

Mistake 3. Thinking too big, when you need to think small.

The reality is:

• One small market in America is enough for most companies to penetrate
• Thinking small helps to focus the activity:  sales activity, marketing activity, PR activity
• Thinking small helps to refine the sales message

Make sure you:

• Focus on a specific target market and a specific niche
• Target not more than 100 companies at a time

Mistake 4. Trying to be everything to everyone.

If you:

• Offer too many services
• Do not have a reputation for expertise in a given area
• Have no expertise
• Have a fragmented sales effort

The reality is:

• You need to think small and be focused

Mistake 5. Hiring one sales person.
 
If you:

• Have one person working from home or an office 

The reality is:

• He spends too much time doing administrative work and not enough time selling
• Sales people typically do not market
• Hiring a team will bring you faster sales and profits

Mistake 6. Not having enough patience.

If you:

• Expect immediate results

The reality is:

• You must build a sales pipeline
• You need to spend enough money on marketing

Mistake 7. Lack of Americanization.

If you:

• Have a website, but it is not Americanized
• Use poor English
• Have no strong value proposition

The reality is:

• You must think local and change your strategy to match the market

Mistake 8. No planning and implementing of trade shows.

If you:

• Do not have enough appointments
• Are not following up
• Do not do pre-show marketing

The reality is:

• You are missing out on a huge audience

Mistake 9. Not enough or no sales management.

Are you:

• Sending regular reports?
• Sticking to your strategy and plan?

The reality is:

• Everyone needs to be managed
• The USA is expensive, you need a budget

Mistake 10. Not implementing a marketing plan.

If you:

• Only think about sales

The reality is:

• You are failing to build brand awareness
• Free press is everywhere
• Database marketing is very powerful

Now you know all the mistakes international companies make when entering the USA market. Sign up now for ideas and strategies on how to WIN in the North American market. Fill out the form on the left for our FREE eNewsletter.