Polish market entry - insights from those who have succeeded. Part I: Interview with Fredrik Laurin, Managing Director of Entrade AB

I had the pleasure to be a lecturer of a seminar “Doing Business in Poland” organized by the Swedish-Polish Chamber of Commerce in Stockholm. For the purposes of the presentation, I conducted a brief survey on LinkedIn. The results (in terms of the statistics) weren’t spectacular, however they gave some directions and clues of potential challenges when entering the Polish market.

To delve deeper into the topic, I interviewed two leaders who successfully established business units in Poland:

Asim Shaikh, Managing Director of Geobear Nordics and Poland (now also responsible for UAE market) and Fredrik Laurin , Managing Director of Entrade AB , Swedish company providing solutions for HVAC industry. Today I’ll be focusing on Fredrik and Entrade. Below the interview are some of my comments/thoughts.?

But first short introduction of the company:

Entrade AB is a Swedish company specializing in installation materials and accessories for heat pumps and air-conditioning. In the business since 1990.

Apart from Sweden, Entrade have subsidiaries in Finland, Denmark, Norway, Denmark, Lithuania and now in Poland ( Entrade Polska ) ! ????

• Katarzyna Sarba: Do you recall any specific concerns you had when starting a business in Poland?
• Fredrik Laurin: Of course! For us the key to starting up operations in Poland was to find the right person. Someone who has a solid sales background in the HVAC industry. And finally we found Marcin Jurka ?? who is doing a fantastic job locally in Poland! Kudos, Marcin!

And yet: what will the customers say about us and our products? What is the market situation gonna be when we finally arrive? Though, of course we have done some market research before and we have visited Poland several times.

• Katarzyna Sarba: Any particular obstacles you faced?
• Fredrik Laurin: Well, it was far more bureaucratic than we thought. We encountered a ton of difficulties in dealing with officials and bureaucracy! The second barrier I see is really strong market competition. We are still waiting for the market to get fully going.
• Katarzyna Sarba: Ok, but isn’t it correlated with price orientation of Polish customers? We are known for that!
• Fredrik Laurin: Yes, Polish customers are known for their price sensitiveness, but we knew that. I thought that customers would be a bit more “brave” to take in a new brand. ?First there is price. Ok, so we adapted the price. Then it is logistics - we solve it by proposing flexible deliveries and pickups. Then something else.?
• Katarzyna Sarba: In the light of what you are sharing with me, what would you recommend to a company which is trying to start in Poland? Where to start from? What to pay attention to?
• Fredrik Laurin: Difficult question. Maybe to see if you can find a customer at the same time as you are hiring somebody. That’s because you have your products in the market.
• Katarzyna Sarba: Thank you Fredrik, for your valuable insights and input to the article.

The short conversation we had on the occasion of the seminar made me look at the market entry attempts from a slightly different angle. I’m a digital marketing manager, but here is my comment to the situation:?

? Don't rely only on digital activities! Your online marketing (LinkedIn, website, content, paid campaigns, etc.) might serve just as supporting tools. Keep in mind that you are a stranger in the market, with a foreign-sounding name. The customers might prefer to buy from local suppliers.

This is a significant entry barrier, and you have to break through it.

? Don’t underestimate off-line marketing activities such as: trade fairs, conferences. But my humble suggestion is: consider ‘active’ participation, as a panelist, speaker, lecturer. In this way you position yourself in a slightly different role: as an expert, a partner.?

? Consider joining local chambers, business meetups. Network as much as possible, to build some connections and partnerships. Talk to local professionals - they provide truly valuable insights into the local markets, from cultural nuances to hard market data concerning taxes, wages and the whole legal environment.

"Probing" the market before establishing your presence there for good is one of the key factors determining your successful market entry.?

Do it wisely, but be prepared. GOOD LUCK!

Do you need local help with your Go-To-Market strategy in Poland? Check my portfolio & references. Contact me!

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