INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION FOR SOFTWARE COMPANIES

By expanding your software business internationally you can reach
new markets, win new clients, sell more products, grow market share,
increase profits and build scale - if you do it right.

Otherwise, you can spend years in trial and error.


DOWNLOAD: INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION GUIDE FOR ISVs
Charting the course, the six steps to success:

  1. BEGIN WITH UNDERSTANDING THE MARKET OPPORTUNITY
  2. MAKE A PLAN
  3. ESTABLISH A LOCAL PRESENCE
  4. BUILD A PARTNER CHANNEL
  5. CREATE DEMAND
  6. LEVERAGE PARTNERSHIPS


1. BEGIN WITH UNDERSTANDING THE MARKET OPPORTUNITY:
You may have received a customer enquiry or even closed a sale in a foreign country - but is that
sufficient justification to make a long term investment to establish a presence there? AIM
Opportunity Discovery services can analyse the market for you to help you determine the
business case. We help you to do the due diligence to gain a thorough understanding of key
issues such as knowing the size of the addressable market for your application, the number of
local and international competitors already present, what is your unique differentiation and pin
point the geographical and industry segments to prioritize first.

2. MAKE A PLAN:
Your goal may be to increase sales, however, entering a new market will require preparation,
investment and a multi-year plan that enables you to test the priority market segments, build
targeted sales strategies, implement marketing programs that create demand for your
applications and deliver support to your new customers. With our knowledge of the local market
and the reseller ecosystem, AIM can help you build a business plan that serves as a compass to
chart the step by step journey to penetrate and grow in a new market.

3. ESTABLISH A LOCAL PRESENCE:
While setting up your own subsidiary will enable you to provide local support to your new
customers and partners, are you prepared to invest $500,000 or more in a new country even
before your business has taken a foothold? There is an attractive alternative; AIM can host your
business in the US and Asia at a low cost per month. You will gain local market presence with
local business hours response by telephone, email and website. You will also have a great
vehicle to test the market, make new contacts, see trends and identify partners.

4. BUILD A PARTNER CHANNEL:
If you are looking to ramp up your sales quickly without a major up front investment, building a
reseller channel that already has experience selling into your target market and with an installed
base of customers, may be the best strategy. AIM's Partner Search services can save you much
time and effort by researching many partner databases  to identify the resellers that are the best
fit. AIM can then qualify them through interviews and set up executive level meetings that can lead
to a new partnership. Once you have agreed that a qualified partner is the right fit, AIM Partner
Recruitment services can take the discussions all the way to a reseller agreement being signed.

5. CREATE DEMAND:
Having signed up a reseller channel doesn't guarantee a rapid ramp in sales. Fuel the
momentum of the new partnerships with demand generating marketing programs that can create
a brand presence for your company and bring leads to your reseller channel. AIM Marketing
Services can develop and help execute high impact marketing programs that can include press
briefings, telemarketing campaigns, customer events and trade show participation.

6. LEVERAGE PARTNERSHIPS:
If your application is strategic to another company by providing a unique solution in a market
segment where they want to grow, they may want to partner with you to do joint market
development. Great potential partners can be companies like Microsoft or HP. AIM Partnership
services can help you map your application and value propositions to their strategies and help
you secure partnerships with much larger companies so that you can leverage their marketing
resources and brand presence.
Are you ready to take your
software business
International?
Consider these questions to
check your readiness:

1. Business Planning:
What are your revenue goals?
What is the size of investment
necessary, over how many years?
How long can you wait to become
profitable?

2. Market Characterization:
What is the addressable market
size? How is it serviced today?
Who are the local and
international competitors? Is it
fragmented across many or
consolidated into a few majors
with a stronghold?
What is your unique
differentiation? Does it apply to
one segment or many segments?
How is the market culturally
different? What is the business
etiquette?
Is there a preference for locally
made? Are foreign companies
trusted? Can government help?

3. Product Readiness:
Does your product need to be
localized? Who will do translation?
Is it adapted to local laws?
How will you prevent piracy?

4. Business Model:
Is there an alternative to setting up
a local subsidiary?
Can the market be serviced
through a partner channel?
How will technical support be
delivered? Who will deploy locally?
What are the discount and margin
expectations?

5. Creating Demand:
How will your brand be
established? Does your
marketing need to adapt to
different cultural traits?

6. Legal Issues:
Do you need to register a
business locally? What are the
legal requirements to trade?
How is taxation handled?
AEUSA INTERNATIONAL MARKETING (AIM)
USA: 1.425.208.5430
information@aimcorpinternational.com
AIM
GROWTH THROUGH PARTNERS