The challenges of international development of French companies in 2022

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We recently interviewed 35 executives, CEOs, vice-presidents, directors of international development, companies of all sizes, startups, SMEs, ETIs, multinational groups, operating in extremely diverse sectors. We were able to learn about the challenges to come, the obstacles to be lifted, the solutions put in place for their internationalization.?

What are the secrets and methods of companies that succeed in developing internationally? What solutions to accelerate development?

Benefits & Methods of successful internationalization

It's a fact: companies that have been able to develop internationally, that is to say have a presence outside France, benefit from much better resilience to face crises and deal with difficulties . This can be seen at the level of the geographical areas where they have a presence, when one is going badly, the other is doing well, of their market segments with markets less impacted than others during crises, or even thanks to diversifying their products and services. These companies that have been able to internationalize then benefit from a wealth of experience from which they draw to develop their innovations and continuously improve. This is how they improve their income by increasing the added value of their activities through additional, peripheral offers or services with higher margins.

What are the four key practices implemented by companies that succeed internationally? First of all, these companies work with a long-term vision, to develop?a local or regional presence by opening offices, then subsidiaries, by making acquisitions or even by establishing partnerships. This is how they develop internationally. The organization of companies is also a key element, relying respectively on the use of digital technology, strong internal communication and training. Their philosophy: to develop a corporate culture while respecting local customs! They recruit and train multicultural teams for this, which gives them better operational performance due to the extraordinary diversity brought by the men and women who work there and a better understanding of regional business.

But that's not all… They also stand out for their flexibility and agility . The open-mindedness of their collaborators, the implementation of the lesson's learn , the use of the English language of course, are catalysts for added value. Finally, these companies believe in their employees . They strive to develop and maintain their optimal motivation, allow them to train and constantly disseminate best practices within the group and have a corporate culture focused on the customer.

For example, in 2000, the Evolis group decided to go international as soon as the company was created. At its beginning, the company enters the printer market for customizable plastic cards. Located in a niche market and dominated by American competition, France alone would not have allowed the company to grow and develop. It naturally turns to export and then organizes its internationalization in stages. First Europe, then North America and then Asia. This desire for internationalization, decided very early on, has enabled the company to become one of the market leaders and today carries out 90% of its activity in 125 countries.

The strategy implemented by Evolis in their internationalization shows us the benefits that internationalization can bring to a company to become stronger. However, becoming an international company requires taking into account different parameters that are important to meet.

Expand internationally? Yes but how ?

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Deploying or accelerating its development internationally includes three major issues to which companies respond in order to organize and secure internationalization.

International deployment. Whatever the size of the company, international deployment raises a fundamental question, which is the choice of target countries, and even more so in the current context. This depends on the degree of maturity of the company in its international development and the solutions it can bring to the country. The challenge is therefore to identify the countries that will make it possible to sustain its growth, increase its resilience to crises and continue to develop while guaranteeing a sufficient return to face uncertainty. It is essential to master one's area of expertise and to rely on international experts who can support the development strategy and the process of acquiring customers or setting up partnerships.

Opt for a strategy centered on local business. Our education system, today, does not encourage us to think otherwise or to think 'International'. However, it is important to think locally to better decenter ourselves from our French vision.?Thus, the decisions taken from head office are often unsuitable or insufficient or not very responsive to local reality. There is a challenge of cultural transformation (changing basic trends, focusing on people, focusing on training and the local, disseminating culture while respecting local customs). It is necessary to strengthen regional decisions to better take into account certain areas such as legal aspects, labor legislation or even wage levels, to increase local skills within the company and to accentuate customer relations to better understand their needs.

Increase international skills. During our internationalization, the question of the talents and training of French and international employees is a major issue. The management of local partners or how to control the often high turnover of employees are questions that need to be answered. It is therefore essential to have effective employees and to keep them, to deal with local differences and customs while respecting the global corporate culture. To achieve this, companies will have to develop international and local skills, use digital tools to develop Communication, Training, Culture, put in place an adapted and flexible HR policy, and recruit locally.

International deployment is no longer an option

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In short, international deployment is no longer an option. It allows you to sustain your business, increase your resilience, overcome crises and increase your income. For this, it is important to decentralize, to think internationally, and to spread a corporate culture taking into account regional and local customs and skills.

The secret ingredient for guaranteed success: getting support from international experts and local development offices .

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Thanks to …

Carole Fousse Cebelia , Marie-No?lle Schwartzmann Louvre Hotels Group, Stéphane Carré Cerba Healthcare, Bruno Danzel d'Aumont Cyber Group Studios, Philippe Cuoc Fraikin Group, Geoffroy Mattlinger Cryo Pur, Felix Poché Atelier Perceval, Fran?ois-Xavier Schaeken Willemaers Orange, Hugo Prudon HP Automobile, Touria Sbiri SERP Recycling, Tanneguy Audic of Quernen Taq o Taq , Jean-Michel Ristori Egis , Thierry Delarue Crédit Mutuel CIC, Arnaud Guillen Faure Herman, Jér?me Wischerop Veesion , Jean-Maurice Ferauge Agorespace , Roger Dumas AFR, Gilles Maller Clextral , Dominique Pellizzari Radiall , Pierre Calais Muse , Chloé Fournier Nomad By Welkeys , Pierre-Yves Batte Babyride ,

…. And to all those who did not wish to be quoted.