Networking and the International Market

Any business is driven by ambition, the desire to outshine the competition, sell more, and generate high profits. To achieve true success in your niche, it's important to establish yourself. Entrepreneurs, fintech, andcrypto projectsmust do this in such a way that they are heard, noticed and want to start collaborating.

One of the effective ways to promote your business isnetworkingLet's talk about how to manage relationships to increase profits.

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Domestic businesses are now actively entering foreign markets, EuropeansinvestUkrainian IT startups. The opportunity to gain international recognition is a positive thing. But many face some resistance from foreign audiences.

Even despite their great interest in and support for Ukraine, conservative Europeans are in no rush to sign contracts with new suppliers and cooperate with new partners. They continue to "buy from their own."

One of the most important tools for becoming “one of our own” is to gain the trust of potential clients.

Useful connections

In business, the ability to find new partners and clients and hire the best employees is crucial. The wider your network, the greater your chances of achieving these goals.

In Ukraineuseful connections- it's stillone of setsbusiness promotion tools. In the international market, it's almostbasic. Especially in the B2B sales segment and in the niche of providing expert services.

Ukrainian entrepreneurs actively seeking to enter the international market need to become "at home among strangers." But most importantly, they need to become a worthy competitor to local—familiar and established—suppliers of goods and services.

Targeted advertising or SEO promotion won't help here.Experts advise actively using networking and learning the intricacies of relationship management.

We are looking for those who are really needed

Many see the active search for useful connections as a grueling marathon of attending as many business events as possible in various business communities.

This is a misconception. There's no need to rush to every exhibition, open day, or register for every thematic conference, seminar, etc. But which events should you choose?

Tip #1

Successful business networking is planned and thoughtful networking, so it's important to:

1. define the target audience;
2. find the business parties where she hangs out most often.

Many business events are now taking place online. Typically, you just need to register with your email address.

It's worth focusing on selecting relevant communities and becoming a part of them. Then, closely follow the news, attend conferences, webinars, seminars, etc., and actively discuss insights with community members.

Tip #2

You can make a list of interesting people in your business environment and meet them online. This is no problem these days:

• In order to expand their circle of useful contacts, people subscribe to each other's accounts on social networks;
• like and share interesting publications;
• write comments;
• participate in discussions;
• express their opinion in surveys (those with the “Your own option” option are especially valuable), etc.

But networking is “live”mutual processEstablishing and strengthening business relationships requires the participation of both parties, so it is important to consider recommendations.

We care about recommendations

According to sociological theorysix handshakes,any two people on the planet are connected by no more than 5 levels of personal contacts.

Using social media minimizes this distance. If you want, you can reach almost anyone—and it's worth taking advantage of this opportunity.

Example

Are you a 3D designer and want to find clients in Spain or Portugal?

⇛ Think about which of your acquaintances have (or may have) social connections in the niche and/or region of Europe that interests you

⇛ Ask questions and find out who can tell their friends about you as a specialist

⇛ There is at least one such person - convey to him the necessary information about your work and desire to collaborate

⇛ Arrange for him to introduce you to his friend (this could be a short personal message on LinkedIn, in Instagram direct messages, in a Telegram group, in a general WhatsApp chat, etc.)

⇛ Even such a modest recommendation can help in achieving the goal, as it will highlight your name in the flow of messages coming to your potential client

Helping others achieve success

Expanding your business contacts and useful connections isn't about "selling your product at every meeting." It's mainly aboutabout helping another person solve their problems.

Building a business network begins with long-term, comfortable conversations with the person you're interested in. In a relaxed environment, it's important to learn about their background, talk about your business, learn about their perspective, and share your own experience.

It is important to think about that,how can I be of help?This message is important both for the proposer and for the person they are talking to.

Anyone who helped find the right contacts/clients/business partners will likely be rewarded with a reciprocal action. Maybe not right away, maybe only when possible, depending on the situation, but still.

By helping others be successful in business, we help ourselves!

Building strong business relationships

1. People turn to those they know and trust. Face-to-face communication builds trust. If possible, not only text but also communicate verbally so the other person can sense your tone, emotion, message, and mood.
2. It is important to thank people for any service they provide - valuable advice, a useful acquaintance.
3. Personalizing important contacts is also a building block for strong business relationships. For example, a personalized greeting for a professional, national, or perhaps personal holiday is important and valuable.

We keep in touch after meeting

Adding a new contact to your contact list is only half the battle, especially when it comes to communicating with international colleagues. With so many meetings, it can be difficult for a busy person to remember where they know you from.

• It is better to contact a new acquaintance within 1-2 days after the first meeting.
• There is no need to be intrusive, but it is worth being helpful!
• For example, you can remind someone of yourself by sending a link to interesting information on the topic of a recent conversation.

Let's learn English

Many international business events are free, held online and open to all industry representatives. Typically, you just need to register with your email address.

For those interested in developing and strengthening business ties, establishing partnerships and creating joint projects, this is a chance to quickly integrate into the international business environment.

However, participation in them, networking, and steps to promote your product in foreign markets are impossible without knowledge of foreign languages. First of all,English. 

It is also required for studying most courses in the IT field.

Free English courses for Ukrainians    

uTalk

An app that helps you master basic English by learning the most common words and phrases. Download it from the App Store or Google Play.

Babbel

Language courses for levels A1-B1. To take advantage of this offer, select Ukrainian as the display language. Available in the App Store and Google Play.

Lingo Hut

The platform has opened access to 125 lessons for Ukrainians. The curriculum includes tests and audio materials for learning new vocabulary.

Real English

59 free English lessons for levels A1-B1. Ideal for those who want to improve their listening skills.

Gramaro.io

An app for learning English grammar rules. Ukrainians receive free access for one year with the Premium plan. Gramaro.io is available in the App Store and Google Play.

Conclusion

Being able to surround yourself with people, each of whom is a professional in their field, is serious work.

It can take months from meeting someone to signing a collaboration agreement. However, the time and effort spent building useful connections is a good investment.

Connecting with people who have the resources to succeed can positively impact your business and help you enter foreign markets.

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