This short list can be your guide to success in wonderful India:
- Bring a culturally aware and adaptable mind to India – you will need both. By “culturally aware” I mean more than how to greet and exchange cards. Cultural awareness is understanding how the other thinks and requires some study and effort.
- Develop some flexible plans for India – they will need to change!
- Commit to India for the long term. One or two years is not enough. I have been going to India since around 2005 and still learning new things and making new connections – to find a way through the maze that is India.
- Make social media a part of your program to build your brand and product awareness in India – the shift to social media/digital marketing there is huge.
- Adapt planning and approaches for the need of your business and sector. You might need a quick market study – or you might need studies over several years. Each is different.
- Learn as much as you can about your potential market – connect with your potential customers and see how they operate and what is happening in their sector.
- Let the market build a relationship with you and learn about your business. Again, like all the other points, this takes time.
CONCLUSION
It is going to take time to succeed in India. But for one of the biggest most dynamic markets with the youngest population on the planet, investing your time will pay off.
Why get closer to India? About 600 million people, more than half India’s population, are under 25 years old; no country has more young people. Remember the economic impact of the western “baby boom”? It is time the west moved closer to India in trade, culture and tourism. What do you think? As the great Indian philosopher Rabindranath Tagore said: “You can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.”
