Market Entry
6 MIN READ
How To Build Trust When You’re an Unknown Foreign Supplier
A company successful in its home market that enters Germany or another European market may discover that very few potential customers know its name.
Werner Poiger
Founder and Managing Director of PBS Sales
September 2026
QUICK ANSWER
A foreign supplier entering a new market may be unknown locally while bringing decades of experience, proven technology and strong customer relationships from elsewhere. The challenge is to make that experience relevant locally. The right market representation, technical competence, responsiveness and consistent customer contact can help turn an unfamiliar company into a trusted business partner.
Being unknown is not the same as being inexperienced
I have seen this situation many times in more than 30 years of international business development. A company is successful in its home market, has excellent technology and works with demanding customers. Then it enters Germany or another European market and discovers that very few potential customers know its name.
That is normal. Especially in the DACH region, customers often have established suppliers and long-standing relationships. A new supplier therefore has to answer some very practical questions: Do you understand our requirements? Can you support us locally? Can your technology deliver what you promise? And will you still be there when we need you? These questions cannot be answered by reputation alone.
Bring your experience into the conversation
I don’t believe an unknown foreign supplier should approach a new market from a defensive position. If you have spent 20 years developing a technology, supplied demanding customers elsewhere and understand your industry, you already bring considerable expertise to the table.
Show it. A good first conversation demonstrates that you understand the customer’s business. A technical discussion demonstrates competence. Relevant references reduce uncertainty. Fast answers from engineering or management show that the organization behind the salesperson is engaged.
There is another aspect I consider equally important: who represents you in the new market.
A strong local partner can help translate existing expertise into the new business environment. This goes beyond providing contacts or a strong network. The partner needs to understand the product, know how customers in the market operate, communicate with decision-makers at the right level and provide honest feedback when the original approach needs to be adjusted.
For an international supplier, this relationship can become strategic. The local partner connects the experience and capabilities of the company with the expectations and opportunities of the new market.
AI helps us arrive better prepared
Today, companies entering a new market have an advantage we did not have a few years ago. AI allows us to research industries, target companies, technologies and decision-makers much faster. We can understand a prospective customer’s organization before the first conversation and prepare far more precisely.
The customer relationship develops from there. In complex B2B sales, conversations can quickly involve engineering, purchasing and senior management. This is where experience becomes particularly valuable: understanding different interests, recognizing what matters to each stakeholder and moving the opportunity forward.
Technology helps us reach the right people and arrive well prepared. Experience helps us conduct the conversation at the right level.
You do not need to be well known to start a serious business conversation. Know what you bring to the table, choose the right people to represent it, and be prepared to demonstrate your value.
CASE STUDY
The right local setup can accelerate credibility
Some years ago, I worked with a US start-up introducing an innovative office product into Europe. The company had no established European distribution structure and very little recognition in the market.
Within one year, we had built a network of 35 distributors, and the product reached more than 24 European countries in well under 12 months. As the business developed, European warehousing and customer service were added as well.
What I find interesting about this case is how the market presence developed step by step. We were building the commercial structure around the company that European customers and partners needed in order to do business with it.
How We Launched Our Client’s Products Into 24 Countries in Under 12 Months →
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Werner Poiger
Werner Poiger is Founder and Managing Director of PBS Sales, with more than 30 years of experience in international business development and market entry for companies expanding into Germany, Europe, and USA. In 2026, Werner received the IUCAB George Hayward Award (Commercial Agent of the Year) in recognition of his entrepreneurial achievement and international business development work.
Under his leadership, PBS Sales has also been recognized for its early adoption of digital tools and artificial intelligence in sales processes.