EXPORTING IS NOT A COMPLICATED PROCESS.

Hans Marcuse of Dutch Export Solutions (DEXSS) recently joined Water Alliance. He describes himself as the ‘odd man out’ as a consultant in the mostly technical environment of the Water Alliance. With a background in international manufacturing and equipment construction, he knows how to get technology to the customer. “All training teaches you to work step by step. However, if you’re working with breakthrough technology and want to sell it, the traditional method is much slower. It is important to avoid pinning yourself down to the route, as it changes throughout the process. Test your new technology against the market early, research shows.”

English As The Working Language

Marcuse breaks a problem down into its constituents. For example, the language barrier is much smaller today than fifteen years ago. According to him, this is because of globalization. “Online information is now available in English. If people notice that you are from a different country, they immediately switch to English, even in Germany or France.

Everyone understands each other, even in broken business English. That will get you very far in this industry.”

Shoe Sole

According to Marcuse, many cultural differences can be bridged with good research. You have access to the whole world from your laptop. “You can find out that showing your shoe sole in Saudi Arabia is a serious insult, for example. You can look up the cultural differences on Google and learn a lot in advance. Orienting yourself beforehand is essential.”

Communism

General knowledge also helps. Several years ago, Marcuse was involved with a party whose sales in Vietnam were declining. He helped reestablish contact with Vietnam through a German business relation. “The North Vietnamese are still leading here. Their communist history has strong ties to the former East Germany, where our representative was originally educated. You can’t know this sort of thing beforehand, but you have to see the opportunities. Despite cultural differences, you must sit down at the table with understanding and respect.”

END CUSTOMER OR PARTNER?

Marcuse always asks: do you have an end customer in mind, or do you want to work with a foreign partner who will sell your product for you?

“If you are willing to share some of the revenue with a business partner, it can help bridge differences in laws and regulations. If you know what you want, exporting is not a complicated process. Breaking the process down into bite-sized chunks will get you far.”

Hans Marcuse firmly believes in technical SMEs looking to spread their wings to contribute in other places. He is particularly fond of the water sector. “This sector is more relevant than ever and at the centre of society. What solutions can you provide as a water technology company to address the major societal challenges? It’s amazing to be a part of increasing the impact of water technology globally.”

In many places around the world, including the Netherlands, innovative entrepreneurs are working on products and services to combat climate change and make economies circular. That increasingly involves smart solutions to water scarcity. However, the delineation of the playing field and the rules of the game are largely determined by government and politicians. All the more reason to keep the lines of communication with governments and politicians short and, above all, warm. In this issue of WaterProof, we interview three professionals who deal with this from their own backgrounds.