People are at the core of every export business: cultural intelligence helps you develop better partnerships and grow.

We help you adapt your way of working according to the local rules of the game so you can find partners, negotiate deals, and manage sales and distribution channels exceptionally well.

Cultural intelligence is the key to finding the right strategies for maintaining and growing export sales even in challenging times

During the 25+ years that we have worked with export businesses, two things have stood out as the support pillars of success.

The first one is sales partner support. Cultivating real cooperation with partners and a professional sales channel support and management program is the first key to export success when you work with sales channels (importers, distributors, and retailers).

The second one is applying cultural intelligence in your export business. There is no one way to support all markets that always works in the same way everywhere. The key is to adapt the support system to suit the cultural needs of each market. This requires solid cultural competence.

These two approaches have helped the exporting companies we partner with maintain or grow their export sales level during downturns instead of losing business.

Book a strategy call to learn more about how we can help you grow export sales

The InCultures process for exporters

We have a three-step process that helps us deliver results for the exporters we work with:

1. Discovering how to build a successful business strategy in specific cultures.

You may need to adapt aspects like negotiating better contracts and deals, building relationships, or even finding the right partners country by country. We help you understand how to build mutually beneficial partnerships with your local distributors and sales channels.

2. Cultivating genuine cooperation with your partners and using sales channel support for better results.

We take the insights from the previous step and help you use them to provide your local sales team with support mechanisms that help them thrive in their work, stay motivated, and feel engaged. As a result, you get better results and a better understanding of your export business.

3. Cultural intelligence to adapt how you work in the market you’re operating for sustainable business success.

We measure our success by how well our customers do over time and even in challenging situations. As the saying goes, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Export business success is built on a similar foundation. A successful way of working aligns well with the local culture and shared values and is more robust to changes in the market.

Ready to start?

Karoliina Sulkakoski- CEO and partner at Jokamuovi Oy

“I have worked with Pia and her team for years already in our company’s business development in Russia and Russian speaking countries: Belarus, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan.

Pia has been of invaluable help to our success, because of her business experience and skills, deep knowledge of the way of thinking and doing business in these markets, her fluency in Russian, but also flexible and easy-going personality. Her insight and advice in both strategic and operative issues has helped us to overcome many difficult situations in our export markets during the years.”

What do people say about our training and consultancy services tailored specifically for export businesses?

Here is what people who partner with us or attend our trainings on export development either at InCultures or our parent company Sarus Oy say about working with us:

“After taking part in this program, we have a better understanding of Russian culture and business practices. The training for the management of the companies was especially valuable.”
Esa Areva, Areva Service Oy

“We found a Russian speaking employee through this program and have started the process of finding partners in St. Petersburg and Moscow. The program as a whole provided us with a good idea of the Russian market and how our business should work in that market.”
Kimmo Fagerlund, Adi Kalusteet Oy

“We have been planning to start an export business for a long time, but hadn’t found the right tools. This quality training and expert guidance gave us an excellent foundation for sales and starting our export business in Russia. It turned out to be so efficient that we have already made the first deliveries.”
Kim Lindholm, Intertrafo Oy

“We’ve found it easy to rely on the experts at Sarus Oy when it comes to certifications and meetings, brand building, and other local practices.”
Ville Nuutinen, Cailap Oy Marketing

“Tips for negotiations were the best part.”

“The training was engaging, full of facts, and covered the topic well with examples. Excellent training that supports our work.”

“Each topic was covered in a way that made it interesting.”

“The trainers had great expertise and seemed to have a lot of experience from Russia.”

We have over 25 years of experience working with export businesses and are continually training and partnering with selective expert networks and becoming licensed in facilitating assessments, workshops, and coaching sessions using internationally recognized tools.

Examples of the tools we use:

The Hofstede 6D Model introducing the value level of cultural differences
The 7 Mental Images of National Cultures Model showing how the Hofstede dimensions interact in combinations globally
ICF accredited Global Disc unlocking the potential within and between people by leveraging individual and group mindset

Book a free strategy call to discuss how we can help your export business grow

Let’s talk more about how we can help. First, we ask you to provide us with some information about your company and training needs. What areas are you especially interested in developing?

The 30-minute call is conducted by the founder of InCultures, Pia Kähärä, who has been working with export businesses for over 25 years and has helped 200+ companies. She will provide you with the best strategic advice that can be supplied in 30 minutes, and if it is a good match, suggest how we can work together to solve issues or organize exceptional training. There is no charge for this call.

The call will typically take place within 1-2 weeks of filling out this form. To secure a time, fill in the details, and press send. We will be in touch with available time slots and provide a pre-consultation questionnaire that will prepare both you and us to get maximum value in the shortest amount of time.

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