And now, finally, we get to Step 4, the one that starts working…

Remember that the goal is to get those initial sales abroad. The first step was to lead with your product, the second step was to dust off your loose contacts, and the third step was to speak at a conference in your native language. Those were all good and necessary steps, but they didn’t do the job. Your sales abroad were still a big fat zero.

And so now you go to one of those international conferences and you speak in English, or whatever language you will use with your buyer.

I can already hear the pushback. “But Matt, I am so much more articulate in my native language.” Remember though, showing off your brilliance is not the point. Remember that your buyer has been choosing an inferior product because they bond better with the local. Your buyer does not value brilliance. Your buyer values safety and risk-minimization.

So your buyer, and the rest of the audience members, are valuing the words that come out of your mouth, even though you and I both know those words only represent 70% of what’s really in your head.

By speaking in the same language you and your people and your buyer will be using in the transaction, you allow the buyer to bond with you the person, not just the idea you were talking about so eloquently in Step 3.

A word on a closely-related subject: There will be some native English-speakers at that conference. Do not be intimidated by that. You have a skill they do not. You think it’s a weakness, but it is not a weakness, it is a strength. And what is that strength? Your vocabulary level matches another non-native speaker’s vocabulary level (remember, in this example your buyer is German) much more closely than a native English-speaker’s. Meaning you are connecting with that German buyer much better than the American, who is probably intimidating the German with all of his/her fancy vocabulary.

So, to sum up:

You need all four steps. Step 1 (product) is the table stakes you need to meet the buyer’s basic requirements. Step 2 (loose network) gets you the meeting. Step 3 (speaking in your native language) gets you used to being on stage. And then Step 4 forms the personal bond with the buyer.

Most people bow out after Step 2 doesn’t do the job. That’s a large part of why most companies are not international.

But not you, huh? You’re one of the intrepid ones who does Steps 3 and 4, and now you’re getting the sales because of it.