Reduce the time it takes to land large enterprise clients
E/E share with you what it takes to succeed in a new region.
Hire the right person
Expanding into new territories can offer great reward but comes with great risk and a huge number of challenges. Start-ups require both a short-term and long-term vision when expanding into a new region. The short-term is crucial to get right – otherwise there will be no long-term. A first dedicated sales person in EMEA should not be an individual who primarily has experience of taking businesses from $10m to $20m, or even $5m to $10m initially. You need the person who will take you from 0 to $1m – and then $1m to $5m. Starting from 0 is the most difficult part and many technology start-ups fail in new regions.
Do every role
To spearhead successful entry into EMEA, this first sales hire also requires extreme and meticulous versatility – an entrepreneurial spirit who can wear multiple hats and spin multiple plates effectively, with the ability to do the full 360 role – sales, BD, channel and marketing on their own with limited resources and little-to-no internal help on many an occasion. Someone who can comprehend the challenge of no leads, partners, marketing, or other resources and who knows how to create and develop these areas too. The hardest part is generating interest for a company nobody has heard of. They must also be accustomed to timezone constraints.
Navigate legal hurdles
Furthermore, there are significant legal challenges with each European country having different laws to each other around tax compliance, data protection requirements, employee onboarding, contracts, expenses, payrolls and more. It is imperative to get the basics correct first.
Hiring your team
When you pursue dedicated permanent sales and presales hires, the groundwork we lay during our consulting phase makes it a simpler task. Legal obstructions have been addressed; distribution will have been established, a channel will be enabled and a promising landscape of opportunities will be emerging. As the “niche” has been achieved, a larger talent pool of candidates will be available - the vast majority of professionals do not have experience building from ground zero. Your ideal candidates will have a stronger desire to join when they recognise the region has already been primed for success, as they will hit sales targets faster and propel growth quicker. Furthermore, we can even help you with recruitment!
