How Are the EU’s Border Policies Going to Affect Your Business?

For over a year now, we’ve been deluded into believing that we have the upper hand on the Coronavirus, with reality stepping in and smacking us on the face every once in a while. Now, over a year after it had first appeared, COVID-19 is still heavily influencing how we live our lives – and that’s not going to change anytime soon.

There are a few examples of this disturbing reality that are more prominent than how Europe has changed over the past year. From a liberal union of nations, where the individual’s freedom and rights and are above each country’s sovereignty, the EU has almost completely decentralized its powers, allowing each country the complete freedom to act in any way. This includes a closing of borders between EU member countries – something rarely heard of before the disease.

Nobody really knows how long this is going to last. Each nation sets its own policy, and these policies are ever changing – usually on short notice. This naturally makes business and trade within the EU and outside of it extremely difficult. However, there are a few steps that businesses can take in order to soften this blow, and we’ll try to understand them.

1. Focus on local trade

The first and easiest measure any business can take is to minimize its dependency on international trade, and shift most of its focus to the domestic market. While this usually isn’t as easy as it sounds, it might be a wise decision for the long run – once again, keeping in mind that nobody really knows when this thing is going to be behind us.
Remember, though, you must not completely neglect your international clients, because you’re going to need them at some point. Do your best to explain the situation and to provide them with what you’ve committed to – but not at all costs. Also, it definitely won’t hurt to check if your local government offers compensations for business lost due to travel and transport restrictions.

2. Lead generation as a temporary sales solution

If you haven’t heard of lead generation yet, now is a good time. “This advertising method basically divides the sales process in two, thus enabling a time gap between these two parts,” explained Jonathan Greenwood from Crystalead, a leading digital marketing brand operating worldwide. “The first phase is campaigning on the internet to gain clients, but the advertiser does not aim for an acquisition, but rather to have potential clients leave contact details, like a phone number or an email address.

“At the second phase, the marketing is done directly and personally, through the contact info provided. This way, a deal can be closed in the future, when terms are hopefully be more favorable.” The great advantage here is the ability to start the sales process now, even without physically being able to supply a product or service, and to complete that process once transport is available again. However, there’s a time limit to this method being relevant. If you collect a lead today and only follow up on it after a few months, it probably won’t bring much success.

3. Partner up with other businesses

Here’s an outside-the-box solution: Try and search for businesses which supply the same product or service you do across the globe and partner up with them. That way, you can help them close sales in their nation, while they assist you in yours. Naturally, this sounds a lot simpler than it is, especially legally and financially, but it’s not impossible. “At Crystalead, we believe that the biggest advantage of the internet is that with a bit of creative thinking, marketing can be done from anywhere today. Why not take advantage of that, especially in complicated times like these?” added Greenwood.

However, you must not jump quickly into any type of partnership, but rather form it step-by-step in order to build trust. Start by setting up a contract, determining the conditions and payments for each deal closed. Be very specific about every small detail, especially when discussing payment and commissions. We would also recommend starting out with a trial period, to see if this type of partnership works for both sides, before pledging to a full commitment.