What is the best strategy for international expansion for a small engineering consultancy?

In view of the current domestic competitive situation, the search for and penetration of new markets appear to provide a potential solution to the problems of many small engineering consultancy companies and the only ground for growth for others. In order though, to decide on the wisdom or not of this option, it is not enough to simply confirm the harshness of the domestic competitive environment. It also crucial to see the potentialities of expansion, its threats, and the relative advantages and disadvantages of expansion in the international competitive environment . It is evident nevertheless, that the small company not willing to take the risk of expanding abroad unless they have a good chance of success. They are especially afraid of their lack of knowledge of the markets despite their belief that thecombination of price andquality  they offer can compete with any potential competitors (assuming the project is within their abilities). The general notion though, of expanding abroad as a means to solve the problem of increased competition at home is evidently challenging. It is in fact accepted that expansion abroad may be so vital that for many it is seen as making the difference between survival and death of this small company. It is also recognized that even where it is not a matter of survival, the possibilities and opportunities are such that it may very well be wise for an attempt to be made towards this direction.

Therefore, Investigating the matter in a more practical dimension and attempting to answer the question of what is actually being done by the individual firms towards this direction, a contradiction has surfaced between theory and practice. Firstly, firms are unwilling to take the risks associated with an organized attempt to expand abroad. Secondly, while the option is not rejected, attitude is by large passive, with the firms not actively seeking the opportunity to internationalize themselves but basically waiting for the ‘right opportunity’, which in itself is largely undefined. Thirdly, the possibility of attempting a cooperation/association with a foreign firm, although not rejected, is seen as strange. Lastly, while there is a firm belief that the consultancy engineering company can offer a cost/quality combination that is very competitive in the international arena, an implicit fear of competing with larger and more experienced foreign firms is obvious. The idea of attempting to expand abroad appears to be much more attractive if it is made in combination with other firms, in a collective fashion that would reduce risk, and with the possible support of the government.

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Innovation, trust, cost, speed of delivery, realism

First build partnership relations with large investment companies with promising companiesOn pilot projects and distinct designsChoice of markets or countries where the competition is not very strong to prove the existence and expansionAttracting creative engineers

It should be no different for the company’s marketing and business development teams. A marketing strategy is important to you and your team. Strategy is planning and brainstorming. There are four steps for putting together a marketing strategy:

• Commitment and buy-in to the process
• Implementation of the marketing strategy
• Team accountability
• Celebrating success

Commitment

Your first step is determining who is going to be part of the strategic marketing plan. This usually involves marketers, business developers, principals, project managers, studio leads, and/or lead engineers. These people are involved with bring in or retaining clients and projects. You must get commitment and buy-in from these people, so the marketing strategy will be implemented and drive the success of the firm.

Once you have your internal marketing strategy team assembled, schedule a brainstorming session. A good time to schedule this is right before budgets are assembled (September or October, if your company is on a fiscal budget year), so the team knows the budget they have to work with toward the strategic marketing plan. Without a budget, it’s very hard to put a strategic marketing plan together. Your plan will look very different if you have $50,000 versus $1,000,000 to spend on marketing and business development efforts.

You should have no more than 15 people in these brainstorming meetings. If you have a large organization (500+ employees) or multiple locations, then you could set up focus groups and then have a champion of each focus group report back to the larger group. Then the champion of each focus group would be part of the strategic marketing team. Make sure you have a scribe to take notes or record the strategy sessions, so you capture everything discussed.

As strategies are determined, tactics or goals should also be determined. You should have 2-5 strategies within your marketing and business development plan, and then have 2-10 tactics or goals within each strategy. Writing them down is critical, so you can measure your success and make sure your tactical decisions direct you toward your strategies.

A strategy would be: We want to do more work with mechanical engineers. Your goals would be to 1) Make four presentations (list the titles and presenters) throughout the year to six different (list the firms) engineering firms. 2) Physically visit each engineering firm once a month (presentations can count as a visit) giving them project drawings, having a meeting, taking them to lunch, or some other business development activity. The result would be to generate $1 million in sales from those two goals.

If you struggle to know what a strategic marketing plan looks like, here are some topics that are a good starting point for discussing.

• Complete a SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats)
• Ask your customers what they want or need. They usually have great ideas on improving your company and many of them aren’t afraid to make suggestions.
• Discuss what markets/industries you want to continue to serve.
• Discuss what new markets/industries you want to start serving.
• Always ask why? Find out what the reason is for the strategy. It may not be because you disagree but a “why” needs to be justified.
• Discuss how and where you are going to market yourselves toward this strategy.
• Discuss if your strategy requires new or update software (Customer Relationship Management (CRM), graphic design, etc.)
• Discuss when you make these changes, what processes or procedures are going to need to be changed or modified.

Remember some of the activities from the previous years. These might include the following:

• Proposals
• Customer Appreciation Events
• Presentations
• Sponsorships
• Customer Feedback
• Promotional Products
• Trade Shows
• Business Development Activities
• Brochures
• Public Relations
• Website and Social Media
• Advertising

The marketing plan which includes a budget is instrumental in your success. Ask your accounting department for marketing and business development budgets from the previous year(s). If your accounting department lumps “marketing” into one category, you’ll want to determine your own method of tracking expenses. Identify successes and failures for the above activities.

Implementation

Communicating and implementing the plan is instrumental in attaining your goals. Teamwork and buy-in are imperative to the success of a strategic marketing plan. This is where writing down company strategies and goals will help with implementing all your great ideas. Consistent communication with the strategic marketing team requires clear and concise expectations. Let employees know how they will impact the marketing strategy and how they can be part it. When employees understand how their day-to-day roles play into the overall company strategy, they see purpose in their position. Most employees want to do the best they can at their job, but as the marketing or business development leader you must give them directions. These directions, however, are meant to be a guide, not an absolute. Multiple forms of communication are imperative, not just in a time of crisis, but throughout the strategic process.

Accountability

Accountability is also an important component to the strategic marketing plan. Having a scorecard allows the team to see where they are going and where they have been. It also allows the team to see what items still need to be implemented and who is responsible for completing those goals.

Create a scorecard that will work for your team. This can be as easy as using a spreadsheet or utilizing your Customer Relationship Management System (CRM). You must measure your goals so you know if you reach them and in some cases why you don’t reach them. Remember, if you don’t write it down, it’s not a goal. It helps you remember and stay accountable to your principals and yourself.

Celebration

Once the team accomplishes the goals, you must celebrate as a team. Celebration is important because it recognizes the hard work the team has contributed to reaching the goals. It gives employees pride in their work and motivates them to continue working hard. Recognition is one of the most effective ways to retain your current employees and underutilized tools. As a good leader, you must celebrate the team’s achievements.

Here are some additional ideas to celebrate wins:

• Company Picnic
• Encourage Professional Development
• Sports Outing/Event
• Give Them Time Off
• Teambuilding Activities
• Company Logoed Apparel or Office Supplies
• Take Them Out to Lunch
• TELL THEM THANK YOU (most employees just want to know they are appreciated for their contribution)

Once you celebrate, raise the bar a little higher. Expect more from people. Consider it the next challenge. Do something every day that scares you a little bit. It will make you a better person.

Take Action!

Committing, implementing, being held accountable, and celebrating are the four ways to effectively lead your team through the strategic marketing plan and goals. You must be ready to take your team through this process, because it will grow your company in more ways than you realize. It’s something you should start right now.

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• Build trust with the existing customers by providing quality services
• Use that trust to further build professional relationships with newer customers through old customers
• Repeat the first two steps again and again and again

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