„I don’t know, Mr. Lange… Do you really want to keep it on for the meeting with the Americans?“

Confucius spoke of three ways for people to act in an intelligent manner: the first and noblest is to take the time to reflect; the second and easiest is to imitate; the third and most bitter for being the most expansive is to act according to one’s own experience.

Human beings are surely capable of learning but are we also ready to learn from our experiences?  I do have my doubts when I see what is going on in everyday business.

That is why I invite you to take at least a short look at the following ten glocal game rules, which I have always tried to keep in mind in my many years of experience. More than ever, the most successful international companies are the ones which enter the exporting country with a global vision while also using glocal strategies. Bear in mind that potential clients increasingly wish for individual products and services as opposed to a product which is sold everywhere and does not meet their local perceptions.

1. Think global but act as local as possible. Take therefore enough time to work on the target market:
   Nothing is more dangerous than letting yourself get blinded by your success in your home market; the export market will require time before you gain an understanding of it. A shopping center is not a shopping center right away and consumers’ shopping habits are not the same everywhere.
2. Act as glocal as possible:
   To act as an internationally successful company is not necessarily wrong, yet without the right local touch with, for example, local employees, you will not be able to achieve a successful market entry. Expatriates are in my view no longer up-to-date as fierce competition requires having a deep understanding of target markets, and target markets are in the end people. Or would you actually want to reach trustful agreements with the Polish city administration in Spanish (universal language)?
3. Surround yourself with local partners:
   Speaking foreign languages is a good thing but you will not get the between-the-lines nuances if they are not a native speaker. With a 1.500-word English vocabulary, one comes across as limited, and therefore trust will be very slow to build.
4. Sell your products and services as if they were local products:
   Even globally-operating car manufacturers adapt their products locally. Just think for example of which side of the street people drive on, or if the honk has to meet higher requirements in India than in the German home market. All the same, the Berliner beer Schultheiss will not be marketed in Southern Europe with the advertising slogan “Dit is n Einkoofserlebnis!” (“What a shopping experience”, in Berliner dialect).
5. Consider the regional, cultural environment and the local conditions:
   Whether a matter of mini-skirts, alcohol or pork, a blunder is just around the corner! But success lies sometimes in very small details: just an inappropriate speech or greetings to clients can quickly lead to misunderstandings: informal or formal address or a simple bow?  When in Asia, have you thought about paying your respects to the entrepreneur’s father in order to get his consent to the business relationship?
6. Respect local laws:
   Not only labor legislation can make your life difficult or plain impossible, the legal foundations for franchises in Europe also greatly. Without thorough knowledge, nothing can be done.
   Contracts with agents must be concluded according to local requirements. The risk for you to suddenly have an employee and therefore unknowingly evade taxes and social security contributions is simply too great.
7. Take your local competition into account:
   Look closely at your local competition and their sales strategies and you will start to understand the market. For instance, why can the balance sheet of a Portuguese company only be dealt with by a certified accountant (TOC)?
8. Don’t do it alone:
   Why doesn’t the competition in Spain sell tobacco in supermarkets? Watch your competitor. He will gladly explain how things are done. Even better: if you cannot beat him, work with him. Both “never walk alone” and “if you can’t beat them, join them” are very valid in my view.
9. One market at a time:
   Just to mention two classical misleading statements: 1. “Spain and Portugal are for us one single market, which we serve from the same office” 2. “Prepare a list of the African countries we want to start working in next year”.  Each market has its own game rules and more than one assignment of this kind should not be expected.
10. Don’t look for instant success, think long-term:
    Rome was not built in one day, and I’ll add to that: I have nothing against quick successes and profits but the likelihood is still as high as winning the lottery. In the beginning, investments are inevitable, necessary and important, and if you start getting profitable after three years, I will congratulate you profusely.

Whether you have just browsed over the article, scanned it, read it with a colleague or thoroughly read through was your decision. I would hope for the latter one in consideration for your future success.

On the way to work, other rules can be observed, which simply cause despair and raise.

It already begins with the morning greetings: should I say Guten Morgen (in Hannover), Moin Moin (in Hamburg) or Grüss Gott (in Bayern)? And, of course, foreigners in Germany flood me with questions as they just cannot make sense of us.

Then, on the way to work, other rules can be observed, which simply cause despair and raise a question: why are only dark-colored Mercedes, BMW, Audi and Porsche allowed to drive on the left lane of the highway? And caution is required as cars will not be used, they will be worshiped, so don’t even think about leaning against one and NEVER touch it!  And it goes without saying that there is no such thing as instinctive parking.

And all this despite the length of the traffic news report, which only mentions traffic jams of more than 5 km, and are much longer than normal news.

Once at work, you wonder then why Germans drink the weak but undrinkable filter coffee in the office only during work hours.  There will be no mercy: no lunch but just a quick, unappetizing sandwich as one has to be disciplined and finish the daily 10-point work plan. There is no room for small amenities. In addition, there are rules and unwritten laws for literally everything. Why else would you always have to introduce yourself by name on the phone, despite the fact that you don’t even know each other? Or address work colleagues formally and remain stiff and distanced with one another in order not to seem unprofessional. They are all so horribly disciplined!

And it just gets more and more complicated because as a foreign investor, you find out how hard it is to find employees, not to mention specialists. So why exactly has German Chancellor Mrs Merkel allowed so many specialists to retire early when they are clearly lacking in the economy? And why so much talk about high unemployment when employees are missing everywhere?  Questions and questions, which seem to point out that we Germans make life more complicated for ourselves!

Yet, every work day eventually ends and you look forward to the free evening until you realize that you need a calendar even for your friends! Once this obstacle is overcome, in South Germany, you make your way to the Biergarten, but there too, dangers exist. The folding benches can bounce right up like a rocker when someone at the other end suddenly stands up. How do the Germans navigate all this? But again, the next cultural shock is already around the corner: while the rest of the world spends a fortune to remove legs and arm pits hair, we German seem to actually fertilize these body parts. Why is that?

Finally, as you walk back home and cross the street on a red light in absence of any traffic, you will get lectured or even scolded by other passers-by. And yes, local buses and trains do run punctually but by the time you have figured out the system, you have already missed three metro trains.

In case I have (just) slightly exaggerated, do take it with humor to avoid the ridicule of taking things too seriously!

To me, this basic message is most accurate as, generally speaking, much more can be achieved by pooling diverse strengths together than by operating alone. And a most important one as well because as a business owner, that way, you send out the clear message that with team spirit a lot more can be achieved than with single, genius soloists. And to remain in the football field: why does FC Barcelona or FC Bayern Munich generally offer much better football than the Spanish or German national teams respectively, despite the fact that the majority of the players is the same. The reason is that they are not just a well-integrated TEAM, they stick together and have to do so every day.

Let me describe my x-ray vision and have a closer look at internationally active businesses. Why are some growing more than others and why are some a lot more profitable than the rest?

First, it is clear to me that companies that work on the basis of a consistent brand approach, team work and a multinational cooperation are a lot more successful. And let’s be realistic: it is just as clear to clients who are 10.000 km away, and with the same consequences.

That brings me to another factor, profitability. In my view, the most profitable internationally active businesses are the ones with the best local setup in the export country. When I really want to inform myself about another country, direct local knowledge is necessary to remain competitive. It sounds admittedly somewhat martial but the information value of my respective local network (whether Aleksey in Ukraine, Gabriel in Sao Paulo, Keisuke in Tokyo, Iwona in Warsaw or Vikal in New York) is almost always a lot more compact, realistic and to the point than what the Internet can tell me.

Going back to the FC Liverpool anthem, with just hope in the heart you cannot achieve anything, or as my father would keep telling me:  you can’t get something from nothing.  That is why everybody should build his own glocal network. Our glocal Adminex partners meeting in Cologne at the beginning of April will give us such an opportunity. Our partners are welcome to come by, with no strings attached and free of cost, introduce themselves and ask questions.

In this context, my glocal regards to all of you.