Jobs in Sales Abroad: Tips to Help You Get Started

Sales jobs abroad can be an amazing opportunity to jumpstart your career or make a fresh start in a new country. I know from personal experience that working in sales abroad can be an incredibly rewarding experience. You get to immerse yourself in a new culture and learn about different people and customs, and you also get to use your sales skills and knowledge to help businesses grow. If you’re thinking of finding a sales job abroad, here is a guide to help you get started: 

Sales Abroad

Sales abroad refer to the sale of goods or sales services by a company to customers outside of its home country.

To sell abroad, companies must first overcome several challenges, including understanding foreign markets, developing marketing strategies for foreign markets, and dealing with cultural differences.

However, the potential rewards of selling abroad are significant, and companies that can successfully enter foreign markets can reap significant profits.

Flexport Sales: A look at selling abroad and what you need to know before doing so.

Before packing up his bags to move to the Netherlands, VonHeyden did all that he could to prepare himself for his new role as a Sales Executive at Flexport.

He consulted with his Dutch sales team, tapped into his network for tips, and researched the market.

While their advice would have paid dividends down the road, none of it helped during those first few weeks after starting.

“I didn’t know what to expect, but I realized quickly that there’s no substitute for the real thing,” said Von.

After joining the company two years ago, he moved to Los Angeles. Now, he’s moved to the Netherlands.

He accepted when given the opportunity to work overseas. He had always wanted to work for a company that had offices in other countries. The transition wasn’t easy, but it all turned out for the best.

However, that didn’t mean it was a smooth transition.

Selling internationally can be a frightening experience for even the most seasoned salesperson. Not only do you have to adjust to a different culture and make new friends, but you also have to relearn how to sell.

Tactics that work in one market may not work in another.

After moving to another country, he has received promotions from initiator to closer and has accepted a job with Flexport in London.

“It gives you the chance to improve your overall skills and become more aware of your strengths and weaknesses,” VonHeyden explained. “It will make you a more successful seller.”.

We spoke to John VonHeyden, a Sales Development Representative at RingCentral, about the steps he took to succeed in his global role.

Don’t Overreact and Recreate Your Sales Process.

When expanding into international markets, it can be tempting to think you must overhaul your entire sales strategy.

Every industry has its way of selling; naturally, you want to fit in with it and be successful.

After visiting Amsterdam, Von realized his approach to selling needed to be modified. He understood the importance of not being too “aggressive” or “pushy” on phone calls but wasn’t quite sure how to implement that.

While Von had a vague idea that he shouldn’t push too hard, figuring out exactly what that meant for sales was a challenge.

“I received a lot of advice about not freaking out and starting over,” she said.

Von Heyden took a few weeks to familiarize himself with the job rather than trying to change things all at once.

He started by following the same process he used back in the united states but then made adjustments based on feedback from colleagues and his network. By listening to recordings and getting input from others, he improved his process.

“The biggest piece of advice I got was to not freak out and to try not to change my entire approach.”.

After a lot of trial-and-error, he realized that being too pushy was not the way to go. He learned that listening more and easing into the pitch was more effective. This was in contrast to how he would typically sell in the States, where he would immediately go for the hard sell. He was much more successful by understanding the prospect’s situation, challenges, and needs.

Pushing Your Limits

While moving to another country can be a big change, there comes the point after you’ve adjusted to the new city where it feels more like home.

You may miss opportunities with an international audience due to becoming too comfortable with your surroundings. This was mentioned by Von Heyden.

“Once you get comfortable, it can be equally as hard to go back — especially if you’ve found some success with it,” he said.

“Always be learning, be open-minded, and don’t be afraid to try new things. If you work hard, you’ll be successful.”

Von was eager to experience new cultures, so he took his colleague’s advice and continued to push his limits.

Instead of feeling obliged to remain at his current job, Von was excited to move to the London office of his company.

For him, the challenge of learning new cultures, understanding different markets, and adapting to new ways of doing business was what he most wanted out of his experience. He’s learned a lot about how other markets operate, and this has allowed him to adapt his sales technique for these other countries. This has been a very valuable learning experience for him and would recommend it to fellow executives and also sales managers.

I would encourage any salespeople to step out of their normal routine, do research, and, most of all, be open and adaptable.

Success won’t come overnight, but if you work hard, eventually, you’ll succeed.

Conclusion

Sales abroad can be an amazing career growth and personal development opportunity. If you’re thinking of finding a sales job abroad, do your research, start networking, and highlight your unique selling points. Be prepared for interviews by practicing ahead of time, and you’ll be on your way to landing the perfect job in no time!

Need Help Automating Your Sales Prospecting Process?

LeadFuze gives you all the data you need to find ideal leads, including full contact information.

Go through a variety of filters to zero in on the leads you want to reach. This is crazy specific, but you could find all the people that match the following: 

• A company in the Financial Services or Banking industry
• Who have more than 10 employees
• That spend money on Adwords
• Who use Hubspot
• Who currently have job openings for marketing help
• With the role of HR Manager
• That has only been in this role for less than 1 year