Your partner – the International Affairs Team of the Chamber of Commerce
In this difficult time, the entire International Affairs team of the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce is here to help you with your internationalisation projects.
With confinement, the downturn in economic activity, and the forced closure of many businesses, there is a real risk of sinking into pessimism and abandoning your internationalisation strategy. To help you (re)build and adapt your strategy, we want to share with you some practical advice and simple and effective tips to support your international communication strategy and to prepare you for the end of confinement.
Here are some suggestions:
Rethink your internationalisation strategy
- Leverage the support of market specialists in International Affairs: Why not choose a new angle to target new markets (focusing on one or two destinations, maximum)? We are available by e-mail and by telephone (please see the flyer below including individual contact details of the people in charge of the different geographic regions).
- Set your sights, during this health crisis, on cross-border markets and use the economic clout of the Greater Region as an international springboard: the EU Services & Cooperation team can provide you with tailored advice and help you find the right contacts.
- Favour local markets: Our Economic and Commercial Attachés based in Germany, in Belgium, and in France, are at your disposal to guide and inform you about the arrangements made in our neighbouring countries that could positively impact your business.
Find new partners
- Look for alternative partners (suppliers, transport, distributors, etc.) to reduce your risk of dependency, in particular with the support of the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) and its online database of business opportunities.
- Learn about cultural differences, if you deal with emerging countries, using the tools offered by the free Cube in platform developed in close collaboration with Hofstede Insights which held its last annual conference at the Chamber of Commerce.
- Familiarise yourself with public tenders and consult public tender offers, thanks to the tracking service for public tenders offered by the EEN of the Chamber of Commerce and made available free of charge, until the end of 2020.
Analyse your internal processes
- Take the time to analyse your internationalisation strategy and identify possible areas and processes that could be improved and be more effective during recovery.
- Implement your own intelligence services for the business, technology, legal, market competitiveness, sectoral, or e-reputation aspects of your activity.
- Improve or tidy up your communication tools, which are representative of your activity. They will be an additional asset during future prospecting. Consider having them translated/proofread by professionals, and remember that part of the costs related to the production and translation of these materials can also be covered thanks to financial assistance from ODL.
- Launch market research for a future new product or service or for an existing product on a new market, and remember that ODL can also help.
- Clean up your databases: Make sure you are in line with the GDPR and have more reliable data at the end of confinement and why not learn more on the subject.
- Have your export contracts and terms of sale drawn up or re-drafted and proofread.
- Use EU trade agreements that grant significant reductions in customs duties.
Increase your use of online tools
- Consider training in digital marketing techniques by joining the trainings offered online by the House of Training or by following the free workshops offered by Go Digital.
- Film and publish targeted content on the web to improve your digital presence, if your new prospecting offers were ready, while checking if part of your costs related to digital marketing can be covered by financial help from ODL.
- Maintain contact with your foreign business partners by organising video conferences and transforming your own conferences and workshops into webinars.
- Use social media to keep in touch with your clientele and remember to communicate about your activities, your assets and your strengths during this period.
In the coming weeks, we will also be offering you, in digital form, a series of activities linked to the various geographic markets. Detailed information will follow as soon as possible.