I regularly see people arriving at my website after searching for “how can i get client from germany”. I suppose what’s troubling many is not so much how to find potential leads, but how to turn those leads into clients. In the age of AI and clearly defined ideal customer profiles (ICPs), people in sales tend to think a quick search will do the trick and that if they just send out enough bulk messages, someone will eventually end up buying from them.
But turning leads into clients takes more than sending bulk messages. It means understanding what potential buyers need and how you can help them. For smaller businesses with limited resources, making that connection can be particularly challenging. The questions I ask about how to make a client happy should be especially helpful for these businesses:
Try to make a difference
When I’m approached by people trying to sell me something, my feelings frequently oscillate between frustration and despair. Why is someone sending me 20 pictures of, let’s say, T-Shirts; or a 12MB company presentation; or even worse, a mixture of both along with a 900-word sales letter beginning with “Dear Sir”?
Maybe these guys have the best offer ever, but I don’t buy garments in the first place and, even if I did, considering everything I already have on my plate, why would I take the time to go through their bulk offer?
If you think about happiness as a starting point, the first question is: Who can you make happy (or happier) with your offer? Meaning, you need to develop an understanding of who your prospective clients are and what the market, in general, looks like.
Looking at Germany, to quote a gentleman from a Chamber of Commerce with whom I recently had lunch: “Whatever product or service you try to offer, imagine it is already there. Germany is a very strong market, i.e. it’s a developed B2B market.”
Who’s unhappy with what they have?
So, why would people be unhappy with the existing offer? Who has or might not yet have access to this kind of offer? Who might be unhappy with their current suppliers?
If you’re adding a special feature or an enhanced service to a standard product (as applicable in your country), to what extent would that ‘extra’ be appreciated in Germany?
Is the infrastructure similar to what you might find in your own country? If, for example, you look at payment methods or internet coverage, Germany might, in some respects, be less developed than other European countries. Trying to answer these questions can help you get a clue about whom to approach in the first place.
How to add happiness to people’s lives?
The next question is how to contact these people. Again, try to think about what would add happiness (or frustration) to a person’s life. For most Germans, frustrating experiences are: you’re wasting my time, you’re not being specific, or you’re trying to hard-sell me something (and I might not even need it).
Happiness or excitement could be triggered by thoughts like: “Somebody is really trying to understand the problems I am facing, and maybe he or she can help me solve them”, “this supplier could be interesting; they seem to be reliable, and, if the price is reasonable, working with them could save me time and money”. And “it’s a great pleasure talking to these people; they’re more concerned about my projects and goals than trying to sell me their products.”
When you have answered the questions of who you can make happy and how you can introduce yourself, you will soon get the feedback you need to take it forward from there. Maybe your product needs some special certification, maybe you need to adapt your service offer; chances are, your prospective clients will tell you…provided you keep them excited.
Don’t push too hard
And don’t forget: things take their time. Don’t push too hard; take things a step at a time, and keep listening. Germans are hard to crack, but once you’ve developed a good relationship with them, you will appreciate that we’re not spontaneously hopping from one opportunity to the next without giving it proper thought. And no, price is not always the bottom line.
If you need help with the “who and how”, please send an e-mail to hello[at]andra-ibf.com .