Thought Leadership

Hyperconnectivity means that exploring overseas markets has become attainable for more businesses than ever before write Ewen and Shona Clunie, Saturn Fluid Engineering.

But while technology has undoubtedly removed multiple logistical barriers, for many of us it is unlikely to completely replace the essential human elements such as trust, culture, integrity and sustainable growth that are equally important when expanding corporate horizons.

A wealth of digital tools such as cloud-based collaboration and AI are certainly powerful in helping companies to scale beyond borders at an unprecedented pace but whilst technology enables scale, personal connection sustains it – and that has been our experience in growing our organisation abroad, particularly in Australia and Canada, where Saturn is making considerable inroads into these key locations.

For Saturn, it’s something of a two-step process: analytics can tell you what’s going on in a region and what you’re doing well, but the question of “why” is often best answered by boots on the ground. Sometimes an online meeting to catch up will keep things on track but other times, showing your commitment beyond the spreadsheet and being there physically is a powerful strategy also.

We’ve found that, to correctly understand customer motivations, buying habits and nurture the personal connections needed for sustainable growth, in-person engagement on the back of technological research is often the best method. Having a local “voice” either through employing local talent, being there yourself or both means that we can truly flex what we do to meet the needs of the market – and sometimes the old-fashioned way of doing business over a coffee still needs to be part of the mix, even in a technologically fast-paced world.

By spending time on the ground in Australia we have gained human market intelligence and a cultural fluency that gives us valuable insights that no dashboard could replicate, and sometimes it’s as simple as sitting in front of a potential customer and actively listening to what’s going on in their operation to understand where yours might fit in.

Using technology as a digital enabler is crucial in any modern company but listening, relating and connecting in a profoundly analogue way remains important to growing our enterprise. Meeting customers overseas deepens trust, underpins integrity and sparks innovation in ways digital or online methods can’t – but, of course, every mile travelled should be carefully considered in terms of environmental impact: travel when it matters most, and make it count. To find out more, visit www.saturn-fe.com