International expansion and sales

For those companies that already have regular international activity, Basque Trade & Investment offer a series of services and programmes to expand and consolidate their international position. From the company diversifying its markets to setting up abroad, BasqueTrade offers services to facilitate entry on the new markets, the proper channels, the search for the necessary financing, improving its global value chain, or the positioning and sales on digital platforms.
We also have specific financial support programmes to facilitate that international expansion and consolidation of the Basque company.

Consultancy services

Thanks to our market outreach and/or consolidation service, we help you to select the next countries for your international expansion

If you are an SME with international experience but which exports to few countries, we can guide you in a reflection process to select new markets with export potential for your products/services.

This exercise will allow you to identify markets with growth potential and determine the ways to enter them, with the goal of diversifying the destination of your sales to lower dependency on our main markets.

We help you to select the entry channel, by searching for the agent, distributor or local partner that is the best fit for your business and the selected country and also in the search for the optimum profile for your company via agendas and mentoring

Search for agent / distributor / local partner

You have already conducted a strategic analysis of the next market for your expansion, but the question now is how to do so.

  • First, we work together to establish the most appropriate entry channel for the selected market, based on the specific features of your company, product/service and target country 
  • Once the entry channel has been selected, we define the target profile 
  • We draw up a list of profiles as per the set search criteria. Smooth communication is essential at this stage so we can receive your feedback on the progress made  
  • Whenever you think fit, we can contact the selected profiles to determine their suitability to worth together and put you in contact if there is mutual interest 

Depending on your needs, we can organise an agenda of in-person or virtual meetings with the companies that express interest and help you with the logistics at the destination.

Agendas and mentoring

If you already have identified the potential contacts, but you prefer that the initial communication is made locally to maximise the possibilities of success, we can organise a round of business meetings.

We will then present you to the contacted companies, by means of a previously agreed message, and we will inform them that you are interested in holding a meeting. As the contacted companies express their interest and availability, we will arrange the meetings and prepare the schedule and itinerary.

We mentor you throughout the process by providing guidance on employment, physical and legal aspects, and locations in the target country

Whether you are thinking of setting up, relocating or changing any of the services that you have outsourced in a foreign country, we can guide you through the employment, tax, legal or similar needs that you may have, and depending on the requirements, put you in contact with the appropriate agents in the destination country.

We can also advise you if you are looking for possible locations to set up. Contact us and tell us what you need.

We will help you to analyse, select and search for your customers or suppliers that best fit your needs

Customer search

Basque Trade & Investment offers a service to identify potential customers, based on type of product, commercial strategy, target sectors and other criteria you may have. The following actions will be carried out to get the project underway:

  • Defining the target customer profile
  • Searching for and identifying potential customers as per the agreed profile (drawing up a long list).
  • Working together to validate the initial list of potential customers identified
  • Customer evaluation and rating their contacts, in other words, the aim will be to obtain as far as possible the most relevant information on each of the identified customers

Once the customer identification stage is completed, we will consider together the best strategy to reach the shortlisted customers.

Search for suppliers

Basque Trade & Investment offers a service to identify potential suppliers, based on needs and other criteria you may have. The following actions will be carried out to get the project underway:

  • Defining the target supplier profile  
  • Searching for and identifying potential suppliers as per the agreed profile (drawing up a long list)  
  • Working together to validate the initial list of potential suppliers identified  
  • Supplier evaluation and rating their contacts, in other words, the aim will be to obtain as far as possible the most relevant information on each of the identified suppliers according to your needs  

Once the supplier identification stage is completed, we will consider together the best strategy to reach the shortlisted suppliers.

We will map local financial aid, identify local agents and will open up the way to the IVF/ COFIDES / Elkargi funding channel

If you are looking for financing to start a project abroad or boost an existing one, we can check out the funding that meets your needs on the destination market, along with identifying the local authorities/agents that can help you with your project.

We can also open up the way to the IVF / COFIDES / Elkargi channel if you project is to:

  • Set up a new company abroad 
  • Expand existing facilities abroad 
  • Acquire a company abroad 
  • Commercial foothold abroad 

This fund will let you diversify your funding sources with loans with the terms and conditions and requirements in line with those of the market, but without increasing your debt in CIRBE.

We will analyse your current positioning and we will prepare together a Digital Positioning Plan for the target foreign market

We are all aware of internet’s importance today as an essential channel to reach out to potential customers, both in the case of companies starting out on their internationalisation process and those exporters that wish to improve their digital positioning on specific markets.

Thanks to this programme, the digital positioning of the participating SMEs can be analysed when the following aspects will be considered:

  • Assessment of the usability, accessibility and focus on the international user of your website 
  • Presence on social media 
  • Initial approach in key words and other aspects that influence search engine optimisation (SEO) 
  • Mapping competitors on the target foreign market 

Once the analysis is completed, a Digital Marketing action plan will be produced in order to improve the digital positioning of your company on the selected foreign market.

Our Marketplace service lets us help you to select the product and the appropriate marketplace until the launch of the operation.

Marketplaces are a way for SMEs without the resources to establish their own online channel can reach international consumers through the digital channel. Using Marketplace has the following advantages:

  • Increased geographical reach of the sales 
  • Greater foothold on the markets to reach more potential customers 
  • Easier to achieve economies of scale and better efficiency 
  • Provides the customer with credibility and confidence 

The service will include the following steps:

  • Selection of the export product and target market  
  • Benchmarking of competitors in the digital sphere  
  • Mapping the Marketplace in the selected country and identifying the most appropriate for the product-market  
  • Project feasibility and break-even point study  
  • Assistance with the Marketplace onboarding process: 
  • Support with logistical aspects, collections, guarantees and export formalities, to do with the Marketplace  
  • Defining the Marketplace positioning strategy and the price strategy on the platform   
  • Analysis of the metrics offered by the Marketplace 
  • Training as the programme moves forward. 

Sakondu

Grant programmes aimed at startups incorporated after 1 January 2014 and highly internationalised SMEs, with an export percentage over 50% of its total turnover, with the goal of improving their competitive position on markets with values under 25% of their exports.

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Gauzatu

Programme aimed at SMEs and large corporations, to finance investment projects in production footholds abroad and acquisition of foreign companies with a majority stake.

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Pilotu

Programme aimed at facilitating the participation of Basque companies in international public investment pilot schemes to enhance their reputation so they can thus gain a foothold on those markets.

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How can we help you?

At Basque Trade & Investment, we help you with your internationalisation process, whether you need personalised services and if you are looking for information to expand your company abroad.
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