American Businesses are Under Attack! What Do We Do?
By Roy Tell
China, Japan, Russia and other emerging nations are selling more
and more products in the US - products that were at one time
primarily bought in the US. From technology to manufacturing, many
countries are attacking our homeland markets and our foreign
outposts of business. And we're not just talking about Japanese
cars and Chinese toys anymore; we're talking about every type of
product you can image.
Take a home water heater for example - the heart of every
American house. The top selling tankless water heaters in the US
are now Takaki (Japanese) and Bosch (German). We can debate why
these countries are making better tankless water heaters than US
businesses, or why US businesses didn't see the green movement
faster than these two countries, but the fact remains: these
companies are out-selling and out-performing their American
competitors.
So, patriots! What do we do when the going gets tough? What are
we going to do about these market enemies? Try speaking their
language…
The former German Chancellor Willy Brandt once said, "If I'm
selling to you, I speak your language. If I'm buying, "dann muessen
Sie Deutsch sprechen" (then you must speak German).
And basic military strategy teaches that when one is being
ambushed, the only way to successfully survive is to do something
that seems contrary to logic - attack. Sun Tzu, the famous
(Chinese!) military strategist has said in Chinese, which of course
had to be translated into English, "Appear at places where he
must rush to defend, and rush to places where he least
expects."
So don't just hunker down and try to sell more stuff to your
American customers! Attack your foreign competitors by selling your
best product to their customers in their market! Many products made
in the US are the best in the world, but they are not as available
in other markets where they would sell very well if only they were
available, shippable, and translated for local markets.
Often, it is only the language barrier which prevents US
businesses from selling their products in the markets of their
foreign competitors. If customers can't read, they won't buy. So
translating your websites, manuals, marketing material,
establishing local partnerships and supporting them with
in-language content will go a long way in overcoming this language
barrier.
But overcoming that obstacle is actually easier and cheaper than
you might think. Selling your product in their territory and in
their language, you will: open new markets, strengthen your
brand name, and most importantly increase your revenue.
Sun Tzu again provides us with another sobering thought:
"Do not depend on the enemy not coming, but depend on our
readiness against him."
Don't be beaten by a substandard enemy just because you don't
speak their language. Put the power of American ingenuity and
creativity to use and once again become the dominant exporter in
the world.