GLOBAL MARKET ENTRY AND EXECUTION

Companies face many challenges entering new global markets.  Lombard Global offers a number of market entry and country introduction services that leverage the right people with proven processes and are enabled with technology, analytics and best practices.  They include:

GLOBAL MARKET ENTRY AND EXECUTION

 
In our supposedly globalized economy, business is often advised to charge head first across borders as if the whole world were one seamless, flat marketplace. But the world isn't so flat in reality. Businesses that don't take into account specific political, cultural, and economic differences are doomed to fail. 

There aren't many entities that don't have a product or service that isn't valuable to some degree internationally. In fact, the international marketplace could value it on an entirely new level.....taking your company to the next level as well. Lombard Global provides a very pragmatic, results-based approach to global expansion and export/import. Our delivery is flexible enough to allow you to participate in separate modules and structured enough so that you can participate in the entire end to end solution. Typically, a solution might consist of:

WEB GLOBALIZATION 

Most would agree that globalization has exploded and is irreversible long-term because of the advance of the internet and information technology.  Because of this and because of the fact that clients are usually able to to attain results with comparatively modest investment, Lombard Global asks all clients to review their web globalization strategy first.  We use elements of language translation, cultural customization, international search engine optimization/ marketing and social media strategies to provide an incredible advantage over your global competition.  We are the leader in recognizing and subsequently developing web globalization into a C-level or strategic solution for global expansion and operations.  As a result, this is probably Lombard Global's key differentiator in global market entry strategy and implementation.  see WEB GLOBALIZATION

Concurrently or separately from web strategy, we also need to think about the traditional global business development drivers of research, strategy  and execution.

1) RESEARCH:  We start by researching and analyzing your business, it's products and services.  Your requirements at this phase may be for a more comprehensive primary and secondary research package or could be much more basic.  Our expertise allows you to assimilate information on the ground in specific geographic regions. Our research team and suppliers adhere to CASRO, ESOMAR or national professional standards. We encourage the research phase because we've seen our clients and ourselves make mistakes because of marginal or inadequate information. 

2) STRATEGY: For newer players to globalization, we decide together which regions or countries to expand to. We work with you and/or our attorney and financial partners, if needed, to decide on an employee-based direct sales force, sales agents or distributor relationships, technology transfer or sale/purchase, joint venture and/or direct investment involving real estate or business acquisition. Within this decision, sophisticated choices may or may not need to be made involving the tax structure of the entity as well as with import/export regulations.

For firms with existing global operations, we might look at three types of currently successful global strategies - adaptation, aggregation and arbitrage (AAA) – as well as a framework for implementing them. This process was developed by world renowned global strategist, Pankaj Ghemawat from the IESE Business School.

Adaptation – adjusting to differences by maximizing a firm’s local relevance through a national focus, and thus boosting revenues and market share

Aggregation – overcoming differences by standardizing products or services and grouping together development and production processes, and thus achieving scale and scope economies

Arbitrage – exploiting differences between national or regional markets to achieve absolute economies through international specialization

In some cases, we use global risk methodology by employing the Opacity Index, a tool developed by Joel Kurtzman, former Editor-In-Chief of The Harvard Business Review and Global Lead Partner with Price Waterhouse Coopers.  The tool grades countries on how they perform according to the CLEAR framework: Corruption, Legal system efficiency, Enforcement efficiency, Accounting framework and Regulatory efficiency.  The methodology and analysis surrounding it has been proven particularly effective for professional services entities such as law firms, financial firms and others contemplating global expansion.  In other words, by using methodology behind the Opacity Index, firms have been more successful by expanding to BRIC cities as opposed to the often recommended London or other EU capitols.  

In yet other cases, we team with the world's #1 ranked international business school, Thunderbird School of Global Management, to assess and implement global human capital and cross-cultural knowledge strategies.  These are some of the most innovative and thoroughly researched cultural consulting programs that exist in the marketplace.

3) EXECUTION: Of course, strategy is worthless without successful execution of that strategy.  This is the fun part and, incidentally, can be used as an adjunct to the research and strategy phases.  Initiation of strategic meetings are established with a diverse group of potential partners, competitors and business and government experts so that we are well-educated and prepared (or not ) to take the next level or execution. We have an established high-level and influential international business network and have the training and years of experience conducting and closing business at the highest levels of business and government. We're senior level rainmakers and experts at global consultative sales. That's one key differentiator.  The other is our ability to grow a business rapidly.  We have an established track record at focusing on top line growth and acquiring key human capital simultaneously. This will translate into results for you.

The execution phase will be more intensive as we work towards results. It could result in something as simple as the identification and establishment of sales agents and distributors and/or be as complex as choosing between a branch office entity, foreign subsidiary, joint venture or a combination thereof. If necessary, Lombard Global experienced talent in international business, law and real estate will continue working with you to produce measurable top line and bottom line results that go well beyond the establishment of the entity overseas. 

Although we strive for early results, as with everything in business, a diligent follow-up strategy will produce the clearest long term results. Our business model is geared towards long-term results. Quite simply, we can't hit our top-line targets if you don't hit yours.  The key, however, in global business is flexibility.  We may even have to modify or change that strategy somewhat or altogether. Regardless of the size of the enterprise, global expansion is an entrepreneurial exercise after all.  Finally and most importantly: we are direct and honest to a fault.  Good, bad or ugly, we will give you our honest assessment.

You may have very little or no current international sales.  If you're already in Latin America, let's say, you may be ready to look at China.  If you're already global, you're always looking to do things more cost effectively.  For instance, it may make sense to move further inland in China or shift some of your strategy to Vietnam or Indonesia.  Maybe you want to look at a place like Montenegro or Tanzania. Maybe you need to consider making a change or two with personnel. Whatever it is that you need, we are here to help on a daily, weekly, monthly or longer-term basis. 

Case Study: One of our Italian clients is now moving forward with a comprehensive global business development strategy. We traveled to East Asia with them, visited several trade fairs, concluded several large purchases for their stores in Europe and the USA and concluded intense negotiations with their chosen joint venture manufacturing partner.  The result will be a complete shift in their operations, adding over 30% to their immediate bottom line.  It will take at least one to two years for competition to respond, creating a business advantage that could be measured in exponential terms. 

We are working with them to open selective retail sites worldwide. 

INTERIM EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT

CEO FOR HIRE

When a firm relocates to a different political, cultural and economic environment, the learning curve and associated costs can be daunting.  The USA market, for example, is a very challenging start-up environment, despite global media portrayals to the contrary. Lombard Global provides an executive or team of executives with strong leadership and diverse business backgrounds who can project a new operation towards stability and subsequent growth in a relatively short period of time.  What would take us three months to accomplish could take the foreign national or firm in transition years, untold lost dollars or complete failure.   

Case Study:  An East Asian firm decides to expand internationally by establishing offices in the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex.  The client "exports" home country managers, employees and even sales trainers.  As so often happens with other firms who employ this strategy across the world, even Global Multinationals, the operation starts to unravel and is on the brink of imploding.  Lombard Global employs a strategy of 1) immediately correcting glaring issues 2) providing a period of stability and 3) preparing the company for growth.  Because Lombard Global is a generalist, it eventually replaces itself with senior industry experts who are in a better position to take the operation and firm to the next level.  The client redeploys all manufacturing and distribution to another country provider of cost effective labor and is in the process of establishing offices in Berlin, Dubai and Shanghai. 

On a micro basis, some of the major tasks accomplished were: the establishment of a true global banking and point of sale relationship, the establishment of a local advertising and public relations agency with global, business relevant clients, the hiring of a global corporate structure and tax attorney team (USA and home country expertise), the establishment of a local warehouse and global supply chain service provider. The client then relocated home country senior management to Dallas.   Lombard Global handled all residential real estate services and transactions.

EXECUTIVE VP FOR HIRE

One of our senior staff will run departments in Sales and Marketing, International Sales and Marketing, Operations, or Finance. Lombard Global will make an immediate impact to your goals and/or top and bottom lines.  We promise that.  

GLOBAL SALES AND DEPARTMENTAL DEVELOPMENT

Sales staff and infrastructure are different all over the world.  Smart global players learn local customs and laws, hire as many local people as possible and integrate locally.  No longer should firms try to jam their corporate and home country cultures and ideals into the expanded region. Depending on the country or region, however, exporting home country talent and culture might be ideal.

Case Study:  A medium-sized European furniture store opened its first USA store and hired its first and most important Sales staff.  Lombard Global’s strategy was:

Define U.S. Sales organization 
Define compensation model
Define and establish legal, compliance, and employment policy requirements
Establish effective hiring practices and help select candidates
Define on boarding and training requirements.

Execute all of the above.

INTERNATIONAL SOURCING

Today's marketplace demands an increasingly accelerated pace of development to keep up with the competition. Firms must now rely on their organizations and processes to access specialized talent and expertise in multiple locations and on a global basis simultaneously.  The key to juggle these demands is the ability to access manufacturing, supply chain, technology and business process resources seamlessly on a global basis to decrease cost and improve delivery capabilities.

Lombard Global implements a BestShore methodology and approach to efficiently transfer this type of work to an offshore development location or to temporarily transition global resources to the client site for project work. This can be in India, China, Costa Rica or Nebraska. A key component of our organization is the ability to provide offshore technical and business process services that help you leverage significant cost savings.

Through our BestShore Delivery solution, we combine global capabilities and industry experience with a strong alliance portfolio to help you:

• Address supply chain and manufacturing constraints.
• Address IT and business process budget constraints.
  
• Gain seamless access to experienced, competitively priced global resources.
  
• Increase supply chain, manufacturing, IT and BPO delivery capabilities.
  
• Assess and estimate ROI for globalizing all applications.
  
• Provide road map for selection, transition, and delivery of all applications.
    

We also provide the following business consulting services in addition to modules described above:  

• Cultural Immersion and Training  
• Organizational and Cultural Alignment
• Merger/Acquisition Integration
• Global Team Building 
• Multicultural Workforce Development
• Executive Coaching and Development
• Relocation services including real estate sourcing and transaction closure