A webinar recap: building a sales team overseas (without the headaches)
Expanding into global markets is hands-down one of the most powerful growth accelerators for B2B technology companies—but it’s also one of the most daunting. Believe me, after 20+ years in sales leadership, I’ve seen more companies trip over global expansion than nail it. Many dive in too fast, underestimate complexities or just replicate their U.S. playbooks. Spoiler alert: it rarely works.
That’s why I was thrilled to see our team tackle these exact issues in our recent webinar on scaling globally. They hit the bullseye on some critical points—things I’ve been writing about too*—and brought fresh insights to light. Here’s what the team covered on the webinar:
Global expansion: Why so many companies stumble
About 90% of U.S. firms agree that international expansion is essential for long-term growth. Yet nearly half hit a wall. Why?
Most often, it boils down to rushing the process: lacking market expertise, skipping research, and overlooking cultural nuances. It’s easy to overlook the basics when ambition runs high. Questions like: Where should we start? What’s the smartest entry strategy? And do we have the operational backbone to sustain growth?
I’ve tackled these very pitfalls before in my earlier post about why global sales fail, and I can tell you firsthand: companies that succeed always slow down first. They define strategy, conduct thorough market research, and leverage local expertise before making hires or signing leases.
Culture isn’t cosmetic—it’s core
One of my favorite reminders came through loud and clear in the webinar: Cultural awareness isn’t just polite—it’s strategic. In Japan, how you hand someone your business card matters. Miss it, and you risk losing trust before you’ve even started.
And here’s another fact I’ve emphasized before: Native speakers consistently outperform non-native ones in European markets like Germany, France, Spain, and Italy. Even English-speaking countries differ widely in business norms.
The proof? Research shows companies with strong cultural intelligence have a 35% better shot at succeeding in new markets.
Solid tips for rapid—AND smart—global scaling:
- Do your homework. Market research isn’t optional. From legal requirements to pricing strategies, data guides smarter decisions.
- Start small. Don’t spread yourself thin. Pick a market with fewer barriers, test your assumptions, and iterate.
- Invest in partnerships. Local partners shorten your learning curve, saving time, money, and headaches.
- Build the right team. Hiring native-speaking SDRs, AEs, and SEs isn’t just smart—it’s strategic. Think through management locations carefully to avoid productivity-sapping time-zone issues. Ideally, make sure they are used to working with international HQ and are okay with working in the evenings to engage their US counterpart.
- Set realistic expectations. You won’t crush quotas in three months. Global expansion is a crawl-walk-run game, and patience pays off. Most European HQ companies care little about your success and references overseas so you will need to work hard to win your first few clients in each country.
What we didn’t cover (but definitely will soon):
The webinar was so packed, we didn’t get to everything on the list. On future webinars, expect us to dive deeper into:
- Why translating your pitch isn’t enough—how to truly understand regional buyer behaviors and adapt sales cycles.
- Building the right infrastructure before you “just hire an SDR,” to avoid common pitfalls like employee burnout and high turnover.
- The critical roles of onboarding, coaching, customer success, and HR—because global expansion is never just about sales and marketing.
- Navigating international data tool stacks, GDPR requirements, and practical considerations like localized telephone numbers.
Stay tuned for these conversations—there’s so much more to unpack.
In the meantime, catch the full webinar here: [Watch the Webinar].
And here are a few recent articles I wrote on this topic:
The bottom line
Global expansion isn’t optional for ambitious B2B tech companies anymore—but neither is caution. Take it from someone who’s spent decades watching companies scale (or stumble): success comes from smart research, deep cultural insight, and carefully selected local talent. When done right, building sales teams overseas can unlock massive, sustainable growth.
I couldn’t be prouder of our team for surfacing these points—and we’re just getting started.
