How do we help our clients expand their business abroad?

Taking stock in 2021: what lessons did we learn from supporting our clients’ businesses during the pandemic? Lorena Sassman, Head of Performance at Better & Stronger, gives her precious advice to help you grow in 2022.  

What can you learn for the Covid period? How to adapt your business to this new world? Want to understand the opportunities that open up to you in 2022? The borders’ reopening is a great way for businesses to scale internationally.  Our Head of Performance, Lorena Sassman answered our questions and gives you her exclusive recommendations on how to seize the good business opportunities in 2022, to come back stronger from this episode. 

A German native speaker, now living in Sweden via London and Lyon, she worked as a New Media Account Manager, Digital Development Manager, Digital Strategy Freelance and Digital Strategy Consultant; no less! In 2015, she joined Better & Stronger and gained the spurs to become our super wonder Head of Performance. 

She speaks French, English, and German, some Swedish and Hindi, and even a little JavaScript… What can’t she do? We are proud she ranks among our team and thankful for the beaming creativity she brings us everyday!

B&S - Lorena, we all know that lots of businesses have been badly affected by the Covid situation. Could you tell us how you supported your clients’ businesses at such a moment? What lessons did you learn from this episode?

Lorena - “When the crisis started, instead of giving in to panic, we first took a step back and tried to analyze the state of the market as quickly as we could. Many companies started identifying gaps in their business structure - no solution for online sales, no dedicated communication strategy.

We started auditing our client’s business state of play and the direct stakes they were facing with the lockdown - closing of their shops, demand dropping on their e-commerce platform, remote working for their employees - to then help them find solutions. Because we know the worst thing to do in a crisis is to stop communicating and isolate ourselves, we doubled down on our efforts to be there for our clients. We also helped them adapt their communication to the situation, to prevent losing their own clients. Regularity and continuity is the key.”

B&S - Some clients of Better & Stronger are specialized in travelling and hospitality, how did you help them in particular?

Lorena - “Due to travel restrictions their industry’s business opportunities were, of course, limited but, there’s always something to do!  Because most of their business activities stopped, it was essential to adapt to the situation: development of their online activity and optimization of their e-commerce platform for instance. During this period, many people increased their online presence (social media, Internet, e-commerce…) which made it essential for brands to go meet their audience through this channel. 

Because they had more time to make structural changes on their global operations ( website revamp, brand redesign...), we seized the opportunity to prepare for economic recovery and increase their competitiveness.”

B&S - Now that borders are reopened, what advice would you give to businesses seeking to develop a business worldwide in 2022?

Lorena - “I would say that we need to stop thinking of digitalization as an option for businesses. The recent acceleration of digital transformation made it necessary for businesses to develop their online presence, whether it takes the form of pick up services, e-commerce platform or other omnichannel solutions. There are so many ways to optimize your business opportunities online. 

But that’s not all. Developing your business worldwide also becomes an excellent option to grow your revenues in 2022. Let’s imagine that your activities are already well-settled in France and that you struggle to find new prospects in your local market. Well, the solution may not be to increase your budget on French campaigns but to start thinking about growing your business abroad. Think about the German market for instance. There are prospects there, but with expectations that may vary from your core market’s customers. ”

B&S -  How do you help your clients make the transition from their core market to the international scene?

Lorena - “Our partnership with Google allows us to give our clients access to the best tools in terms of market research, localisation and logistics so that they can scale internationally in the best conditions. The International Growth Program is a special support created by Google that offers exclusive support to Google partners agencies on international development strategies.”

B&S -  How can the Google International Growth Program help your customers expand their business abroad?

Lorena - “Because opening your activities to a new market may be interesting but also a bit frightening, some initiatives like Google the International Growth Program help our clients expand their business scope of activities serenely and grow their revenues.

Internationalisation was always part of our DNA at Better&Stronger, which is why Google chose us to participate in this program. We know that simply translating your e-commerce platform isn’t enough to enter a new market. It is more than necessary to understand the cultural habits and customs of the country in which you want to set up. 

Think about the payment options for instance: depending on the country, people might have very different preferences when it comes to devices and payment methods. In Germany, for example, paying by credit card is still a challenge for many, so you need to add other options like PayPal or bank transfer.

We team up with Google’s team of experts and native speakers to build a successful internationalisation strategy for our clients.

B&S - Thank you Lorena for this interview. It’s inspiring. Your advice will help our readers see their opportunities for 2022 and plan the future of their business more serenely. We would like to hear from your expertise again! 

If you want to learn more about our partnership with Google and the implementation of the Google International Growth Program, we highly recommend you to read J'ai Un Pote Dans La Com's article on the topic. Want to join the International Growth program?