Potential opportunities and networking. SARIO helps companies of all kinds to discover new markets and business. Acquiring know-how develops business efficiently. So is it possible to accelerate success through missions? How do Slovak partners evaluate them?
Innovative solutions bring not only technological but also business challenges. Eastern Europe, despite wage growth, is still in a position of cheap labour and implementing the latest technologies may not make sense in terms of expected savings. However, there is a great hunger for innovation in growth-oriented countries and Eastern European countries can gain a competitive advantage. This is certainly the price, but at the same level also the willingness to grow and, not least, the willingness to take risks, which is higher than in Western European countries. Trade missions thus give companies the opportunity to go into new territory with support, pre-arranged meetings and the necessary facilities. It is always easier to go out into the world with people who know the region and can help with advice or contacts. And as long as the company has enough patience and a product that makes sense in the region, there is no reason to be shy, because many Slovak companies really do have something to offer.
SEAK develops and manufactures systems for smart lighting and electric vehicle charging. Energy prices are rising globally, and so is the demand for energy-saving solutions – so the time is right to expand into other markets. We have already taken part in several business missions with SARIO, and we have had good results, especially from our participation in trade fairs. It is much more effective if we are part of a joint Good Idea Slovakia stand than if we provide our own stand, and it also gives a better impression (and we can only make a first impression once).
Most of the time, at least one partner can be found with whom not only the communication but also the later cooperation continues. The important thing is not to forget the follow-ups.
I would therefore recommend to do your own market research and arrange your own meetings before a business trip, not to rely on B2B meetings arranged by a local agency. This greatly increases the chances of successfully establishing business relationships.
T-Industry, s.r.o., is a company with a 20-year history, but that does not change the fact that it must constantly seek and analyze new business opportunities at home and abroad. One of the effective ways of entering a new territory is to participate in business missions organised by SARIO. Different countries, and especially non-EU countries, have different formal or informal rules that Slovak entrepreneurs may not be prepared for or used to. SARIO relieves the entrepreneur from a thorough analysis of all the necessary basic knowledge of the given territory and the organised networking brings a certain shortcut to the market of a given country. Organizing bilateral meetings or visits with a pre-defined customer profile saves a lot of time and costs in finding the optimal partner in that particular business sector. We also receive a certain pre-classification of potential local partners, which in turn saves energy and helps in the first stages of building business contacts and partnerships.
