For Agribusiness companies, IBT Online Global programs help solve a major challenge: reaching new customers in foreign markets and boosting international exports.
Mountain State Oilseeds is a classic example, as Kacy Gehring asserts: “We currently export to Senegal, Ecuador, Peru, Thailand, Japan and Belgium and being able to communicate and have technological tools that help us communicate with our customers that we are in their business, we understand their business, and we want to make our best effort to do that in their language whenever possible, this is a huge solution to solving a really difficult problem”.
Read how the IBT Online Global Program supports this agribusiness company in expanding its international reach, shortening its sales cycle, and boosting its exports globally.
Reaching Challenging Markets
Mountain State Oilseeds is located in Idaho. They contract specialty crops such as mustard, safflower, and flaxseed with growers in the Pacific Northwest. Then they process the crops and sell them to buyers around the world. They currently export to many nations but wanted to gain traction in two specific and challenging markets: Japan and the U.K.
The company had tried to enter the Japan and U.K. markets for years without much luck.
Mountain State Oilseeds produces US and Canadian-grown varieties and exports their products to different regions of the world. Developing a sense of trust and commitment with the local audiences was crucial for the uptick of sales, especially for a region as niche as the Japanese market. The Japanese buyers didn't trust the quality of their products and are often wary of the quality of foreign products.
Educational resources were needed on the website to demonstrate the high quality of their crops and doing this in the local language was vital. Showcasing their products in the local language made all the difference, as Gehring says "Doing this in their language was the best way to reach them."
To overcome this challenge, they found in IBT Online the perfect partner to develop an optimally localized website in Japan, written in the Japanese language. Their goal for the website was threefold -- they wanted to gain trust, respect, and acceptance from buyers. "We felt that having a locally based website in the local language was the most important thing to deepen the relationships that we've worked hard for," says Gehring.
Likewise, in the UK, the company had challenges getting traction there. "The UK is a bigger market than what they are portrayed to be," says Gehring. Other companies overlooked this region, but Mountain State Oilseeds saw the long-term potential. Launching a localized website was like planting a "stake in the ground" showing local buyers their respect for the UK market and how serious they were about developing mutually beneficial relationships there. Gehring says "We wanted to make sure to demonstrate that we could do them a service and provide them with what they need."
Shortening the Sales Cycle
In the agribusiness industry, sales cycles are long, and it can take years of fostering relationships to gain in-roads that yield sales. “Developing relationships in the industry is typically a long-term process” admits Gehring. “You don’t just make a phone call and get a sale. It generally takes a year or more.” In today's competitive marketplace, Agribusiness companies need to exercise a commitment to the market to show they are dedicated and there to stay.
Mountain State Oilseeds did just that!
Having best-practice, optimally localized websites that are targeted and engaged with the market you are trying to reach is a tangible demonstration of your company’s commitment to the market and therefore speeds up the long trust-building process. Mountain State Oilseeds understood they needed localized websites to prove their commitment and speed up sales cycles: "We wanted to be able to communicate to our customers that we are in their business, we understand their business and we want to make our best effort to do that in their language whenever possible" says Gehring. Being accessible and easy to communicate with will help build the long-term relationships needed for growth in these foreign markets.
The localized websites helped expedite Mountain State Oilseeds' reach and reinforce their commitment to their distributors and their local audiences. As Gehring says: "These websites will make the reach happen faster for us”.
Embarking on the Adventure
The Online Global Program is designed to help prospective clients understand your business, relate to you, and engage with you in your target markets around the world. IBT Online works with your team to create best-practice, optimally localized business development websites that help your company get found, be understood, and do business in all your global target markets.
Gehring says: “I would absolutely encourage any agribusiness company to embark on the adventure of the Online Global Program,” says Gehring. “It’s a great way to hone in on what makes your company unique and different, and a great way to find that global connection and reach you are looking for.”
