Strategic Management Alliance rolls out new strategy to enter Japanese market

Moving away from the traditional method of displaying products at the exhibitions and trying to lure Japanese buyers, Strategic Management Alliance (SMA) has evolved a new strategy for its clients to make contact with Japanese buyers directly and have B2B meetings.

SMA strategy is to clear the path for effective B2B meetings in Japan by teaming up with their Japanese counterparts a group of reputed Japanese consultants. They jointly carry out the preliminary work having prior discussions with the prospective buyers, presenting samples and product demonstrations. In this manner SMA will set the stage for Sri Lankan entrepreneurs and corporates to come to Japan ‘just in time’ to have face to face meetings with pre selected buyers.

SMA Managing Partner Athulla R.F. Edirisinge says that in the Japanese business culture it is an impossible task to penetrate into key Japanese corporates without a proper introduction at appropriate level. “You need the right and credible contact in Japan to take this first move,” he said and added that his firm with his Japanese associates with whom he had dealings for over 10 years on various assignments have been successful in doing this task for several Sri Lankan clients.

Having launched this pioneering B2B strategy for the first time for their Sri Lankan clients in 2015/2016, SMA has already been successful in supporting Sri Lankan companies engaged in rubber products, IT, sports gloves, household and industrial workwear. Edirisinghe states that this method is a positive investment as only serious parties from both sides will attend the meetings, unlike waiting at exhibitions for a buyer to drop by whilst competing with many other exhibitors. 

Product or a service must be of exceptional quality to secure and should have the correct price tag to gain entry into Japanese markets, he states. It is also important for the Sri Lankan companies to commit themselves for proper follow up workby developing several samples and meeting the buyers face to face on regular basis to establish long standing relationships. He states that his clients who made such bold decisions were able to be successful in entering the Japanese market.

Edirisinghe commenting on his recent assignment carried out for Export Development Board accompanying five ICT companies to Japan states that it took almost three months for his firm and his Japanese counterpart to prepare for this ICT B2B program in Japan. SMA was successful in arranging 12 meetings for Sri Lankan companies with ICT companies in Japan including large corporates such as Dentsu Digital Inc, NSD Co. Ltd., Internet Initiative Japan Inc, CAC Corporation and ATM Japan. Even the Small and Medium Sector ICT companies with whom SMA arranged meetings offered many opportunities to Sri Lankan companies including one Japanese SME showing interest in investing in Sri Lanka. 

He commented that the EDB made a bold decision in accepting SMA proposal for B2B meetings which he is confident will put Sri Lankan ICT companies who displayed exceptional capabilities into the forefront in the ICT sourcing market in Japan. With Chinese production and service costs rising above the expectations of Japanese buyers – now it is the right time for any Sri Lankan high quality product or service to target the entry he said. 

Sri Lankan companies that participated at the ICT promotion program were 99X Technology Ltd., zMessenger Ltd., Evolve Technologies Ltd., Allion Technologies Ltd. and Texonic Information Systems Ltd. Export Development Board facilitated the program. Half day workshop conducted by SMA at the Export Development Board prior to the departure helped the five Sri Lankan companies to face the Japanese buyers with confidence and that the Sri Lankan ICT companies appreciated the overall B2B program conducted by SMA he stated.