You have allocated 4-5 days for your first Israel business trip. Will it be just a general introduction or will you be able to achieve meetings with relevant potential business partners?
Experience: The business delegation from Japan to Israel in September 2018 included a manager from Hitachi. There was a business networking event in Tel Aviv. What did we learn in advance about Hitachi’s interest in Israel? The website they offered was in Japanese. The company’s activities are wide – but which part was being introduced to us? We simply didn’t have any information.
On such occasions, how can you connect better and achieve more? As I answer, I will share with you my 40 year + experience in business communications.
Let me assume that soon you’re planning your first business trip to Israel, the Start-Up nation. It’s a long way to come and you wish to make the most of your limited time. You want to meet innovative people who can make a difference to your company. What can you do?
Prepare an introduction text
A short summary (about 160 words about your company, its advantages and what you’re looking for) is the key to opening doors. Such a text should be prepared in advance (let’s say, 5-7 weeks ahead) and carefully created with a good English copywriter. It places the focus on where you wish to be.
Probe the local market
The introduction text gives your person in Israel (probably the same copywriter) the information necessary to look for appropriate innovators in your selected field. In the above example, perhaps Hitachi would choose to focus on their Robotics activities? The writer sends your text to these targets with the intention of finding good matches. The details are sent back to you in Japan.
Make a good presentation
When you arrive in Israel, you have a list of innovators in your field who wish to meet you. So your business trip in Israel is not only to understand the innovation ecosystem but equally to move forward with valuable and relevant meetings.
It’s a good idea to prepare in advance a 5-10 minute presentation in English, so that you can stay directly on target with your meeting partners. When there are presentations from each side, this allows everyone to ensure that the connection is good. If the copywriter can also give you a guiding script in English, this will help to cover all the main points during the presentation time.
Good results from your long trip
These three factors, taken together, help to safeguard the investment that you are making for your Israel business trip. The package of activity combines steps that you take while still in Japan together with steps that you take in the local market. The potential for success is therefore greatly enhanced.
Please also note that while the intended market in this case is Israel, the communications tools that you develop can be applied equally well in other English-speaking markets.
Mike Druttman is a member of the Israel-Japan Chamber of Commerce. An English language business writer and copywriter, he is helping Japanese companies to communicate better with international audiences. His site is www.keyzuna.com
