In the member spotlight this week are recent Kings’ Award-winners John King Chains, an almost-century old, family-owned British manufacturer headquartered in Leeds.
From its origins producing coal mining products, the company has pivoted to producing mechanical handling equipment, including chains, valves, sprockets and conveyors.
Their parts support the production of sugar, cement, mining, energy, timber, waste processing and many more industries in over 70 countries worldwide.
We spoke to the firm’s head of international sales and marketing – and Department for Business and Trade (DBT) Export Champion – Tris Young, who oversees a team of twenty, responsible for selling product and services worldwide.
Entering new markets
Young says that the most enjoyable part of his job is “opening up new markets and learning to understand other business cultures”.
Patience is certainly a virtue in trade. Depending on the market, Young says it can be six to 12 months before you make your first sale – “it takes a lot of hard work entering a new market”.
In terms of building the foundations for those sales, he highlights the importance of building brand awareness through events and networking, “gaining the trust” of clients and establishing a rapport, alongside a commitment to long-term relationship building and support.
John King Chains head of international sales and marketing, Tris Young
Trade shows
A common way of building awareness, learning more about a potential market and making valuable connections is participating in trade shows. Young says John King Chains now exhibits at over 15 shows per year.
Given the costly and time-consuming nature of these excursions, he has some advice for smaller firms.
“I'd always be an advocate of seeing if you can visit as a delegate, rather than an exhibitor, in your first year, before committing.”
“You’ve always got to be conscious when you’re exhibiting, of how you're going to get the return on investment” he adds, noting that many first-time exhibitors overlook other key costs, such as the need for an interpreter if you don’t speak the market’s language, market potential and the need for localised partners.
Attending as a delegate offers the chance to network, promote your brand, learn more about the culture and customs of the market – all at a lower cost.
DBT support
He also encourages firms to lean on the “excellent” DBT, which he says has a lot of support to offer. In addition to facilitating trade shows and international events, it also provides useful advice on key markets.
John King Chains does business within South America, with a factory in Chile. When new opportunities arose in Argentina, as a new government shifted focus towards improving the business environment, Young says DBT were able to advise and sense-check the firm’s plans, offering great “mission support… and confirming our thoughts” on the market.
DBT also offers guidance on UK free trade agreements, local contacts and market research.
Building cross-cultural relationships
Reflecting on the art of building strong business relationships across borders, Young says that adaptability and a sincere interest in others is required.
Describing himself as a bit of a “chameleon”, he recalls a three-day road trip in South-East Asia, sleeping in the car overnight, and staying in hotels that “might not have been my preferred choice” but were sensitive to local agents.
“It’s about focusing on what the client wants… you've just got to go along with it and really adapt to their [business] culture", he says.
“You have to be adaptable and lose your ego – which can be a challenge for a sales person, as you need a bit of ego!”
He adds that, beyond the anecdotes, maintaining good relationships with the clients ultimately ensures continued orders.
“When you spend more time in the client, you talk to them about issues they may be having and how we could resolve it and grow the business, but then move on from business to social talk… then the order comes automatically from the relationship you've built up with them.”
Agents
It’s not just relationships with clients that need to be maintained, Young also advises that finding and retaining good agents on the ground is a key avenue to repeat business.
This can often be overlooked, he says, adding that “vetting agents” is one of the harder parts of his role.
“We’ve kissed a lot of frogs!” he jokes, but once you find someone “trustworthy and hardworking” they’re an invaluable part of the team.
“They're our partner and an extension of our business… the closer relationship you can have with them, the more likely they are to continue to promote the John King brand when you're not there.”
Maximising time in-market
Offering a final top tip on spending time overseas, Young says you should always make the most of every moment. On business trips, he says he’s often away for a week or two and tries to fit as much in as possible:
“If there's two days, including the weekend, when I'm not doing anything, then I've let myself down.
“You should always be busy seeing people, even if it's just a coffee or a drink or you're going to sites for an exhibition. Aside from sleeping, time spent in your hotel room is a waste of potential opportunities.”
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