We help you expand your business into Canada

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Expanding into Canada has the potential to grow your business.  Much work needs to be done even before moving to or entering the Canadian market, including adapting how you run your business in a different country.  In Canada, there are some special considerations.

Companies fail because they make mistakes. 

Many of those mistakes can be avoided with proper insight and planning.

Over the last two decades, we have worked with, advised or closely watched many global digital media, software and tech companies.  From our experience and research on those companies entering Canada (and the US), here are the common reasons they fail.

♦ They don’t focus on a specific target before they arrive.

♦ They under-estimate the complexity of the Canadian geography.

♦ They don’t have flagship sales references when they arrive (ideally in Canada).

♦ They don’t have a customer-centric feedback loop in place.

♦ They assume what worked before will work in Canada.  Canada and the US are not the same.

♦ They don’t adapt the product and organization fast enough.

10 ways we can help you

From our experience and research on those companies entering Canada, here is what’s important.

1) Market to a focused target before you arrive: In Canada, the market is 10% of the size of the US but is spread out over a geography that is larger than the US – you need to focus on targets but marry that to geography as well.  Canada is less narrow than the US and is open to solutions.  Create a market presence before you arrive.

2) Understand market dynamics: Most newcomers misunderstand the market forces and values. There are niched competitors, more varied channels & and different regulations. Assess the market players and drivers early in the planning.

3) Get a customer-centric view & feedback loop: Many have a skewed view of Canadian customers and have been mostly influenced by the US markets as a baseline. Before investing too much in Canadian market entry, engage customers in proof-of-concept evaluations, identify customer issues and opportunities and ensure there is need for your product that you can competitively satisfy.

4) Make flagship sales as early references:   Before you fully commit, ensure you have commitment from a good number of initial flagship sales, including implementation results and customer satisfaction feedback.  US references can work, but nothing beats Canadian on the ground positive references.

5) Tailor solutions: Often products are not adapted, pricing is untested or there is poor language translation. Sometimes product features don’t match the customer needs in the product marketing or sales collateral.  In Canada, both French and English are official languages and need to be considered in all marketing materials (especially if you plan to enter the Quebec Market).

6) Describe the whole offering: Many international companies put too much focus on technology. We’ll provide perspective on the integration into the whole ecosystem, look at addressing more timely needs while maintaining focus on post-sales support.  The name of the game is what value do you offer that your Canadian Customers need and will buy.

7) Get leads from marketing dollars: Canada and the USA have a highly marketing-oriented business culture. More and better marketing is generally needed from social media to trade-shows. We will help you build a program that is most optimal and cost-effective.

8) Re-organize quickly & make better hiring decisions: Many tech companies try to do things the same way.  With time differences and the need to adapt to the Canadian market, rapid change, foreign team alignments and North American re-organization is important.   Also, the tendency is to use existing foreigners with a limited knowledge of the Canadian ways. Finding a top sales person is difficult, especially with the foreign company having no Canadian track record.  Eventually, attracting the right Canadian talent will be key.

9) Build cultural Fit: Many foreign leaders either do not understand the cultural differences or grossly underestimate them. Understanding of businesses practices take a while to master for any new organization. The culture issues span from time management and running meetings to speaking in public.

10) Develop a network of relationship:  Many over-estimate the mechanization of something that works in another country. It is critical to have a local network of business contacts and circle of influence to build loyalties, trust and a good reputation.