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Scouting on the web
September 2007
Joseph Baron, International Trade Today
One of the clear benefits of the internet is in making travel arrangements and keeping costs down.
Who hasn’t booked a business flight via the internet? Which one of us hasn’t researched a new trading destination online or the cultural differences in conducting business abroad? And it would be virtually impossible to find any business that hasn’t run a price comparison check on travel arrangements to ensure that they’ve got the best deal.
But what’s the easiest way to ensure that you’ve got the best price for your flight or the hotel that’s in the best location for you and your potential customers or suppliers?
Good general price comparison flight sites include www.cheapflights.co.uk and www. skyscanner.net, depending on where you need to travel. Once you’ve surfed these it’s always worth going direct to your preferred airline’s website to see if you can get a cheaper deal before you book.
It’s always worth booking a fully flexible flight if you think there’s a chance your meeting may be rescheduled. These are more expensive than non-transferable flights but could end up saving you money in the long run as non-transferable flights generally mean you’ll lose the cost of that flight and have to rebook all over again, effectively meaning you’ll pay twice.
In addition, if much of your business is conducted in North America, there are a number of business class only airlines such as Silverjet, Maxjet and EOS that offer frequent direct flights for a fraction of the cost of flying business class on Europe’s flag carriers.
Finding the right hotel for your specific needs can be tricky. Generalist travel sites aren’t set up to offer the level of detail many business travellers require so the best bet is to log on to specialist hotel sites such as www.hrs.com.
Frequently, the best hotels are independently owned and won’t be offered by the generalist sites. In addition, specialist sites offer exclusive corporate rates not available elsewhere and a great deal of flexibility – for example, if you book a hotel through www.hrs.com, you can cancel your reservation without penalty up to 6pm on the day you were supposed to check in.
Once you’ve chosen a specialist site, the level of information to help you choose the right hotel is vast. For example, on www.hrs.com you can choose by location, facilities, price range and star category. You can also specify particulars such as distance to nearest train station, spa facilities and much more.
Once you’ve selected your hotel you can view images of the rooms, all the facilities, a location map and even the local weather.
HRS.com has also introduced reviews of hotels, which, unlike other travel sites, can be written only by business travellers who have booked and actually stayed at those hotels so you know you can trust them!
HRS.com offers an online meeting booking facility, too, which will save you the trouble of having to investigate suitable venues yourself.
Customs and culture
When you’re abroad it’s crucial to have as much local knowledge at your fingertips as possible, not least because you don’t want to breach local etiquette as this could have an impact on success or failure.
However, where do you get all that local information so that you arrive at your destination fully prepared?
There are lots of sites on the Internet that are full of advice on business etiquette such as www.kwintessential.co.uk and www.communicaid.com. Baker Tilly (www.bakertilly.co.uk) also provides a series of downloadable at-a-glance guides to doing business in a number of territories. It’s definitely worth spending a few moments reading through this site’s views on what will be expected of you in a formal meeting situation and what type of reception you can expect from your foreign counterparts.
Another tip is to look at embassy and Chamber of Commerce websites. Those in developing countries in particular often contain useful business and investor information.
The groundwork
The meeting has been finalised, you’ve booked your travel arrangements and organised the right hotel but is there anything else you could be doing to broaden your business opportunities in that particular market in the future?
Why attend just one business meeting? Why not try to combine it with at least one other prospective new client? If you do enough groundwork at home before setting off, there are many other avenues that could potentially open up for you.
If a dual Chamber of Commerce exists in the market, it is worth introducing yourself. Valuable introductions could be made and it might be able to offer business tips.
International networking
As well as doing your groundwork, it can be very helpful to try to link up with other UK businesses operating in the territory you are trying to crack. Some companies have already started putting business people in touch with each other, particularly those dealing in emerging markets such as China and India.
For example, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has started www.clubchina.klm.com, which allows business travellers flying to China on KLM to post messages to enable them to meet other passengers so that they can travel together, swap contacts and generally help each other out.
Other organisations such as the Institute of Directors and the Federation of Small Businesses also provide good opportunities to meet like-minded people, who can help facilitate introductions and, ultimately, increase your bottom line.
Whichever market you’re tackling, or trying to break open, the Scouts’ motto ‘be prepared’ should be your mantra to ensure that you’re always one step ahead of your competitors.
