International market entry & expansion
Evans Sales Consultancy helps manufacturers and specialist B2B companies enter and develop new markets across the UK, Europe, North America and Australia.
From market assessment and route-to-market strategy through to direct business development, specification, distributor recruitment and commercial representation, we help clients move from ambition to actual market presence.
From £3,950 + VAT per month + 2.5% commission
Most market entry stalls for commercial reasons rather than logistical ones.
The product is right, the certification is in place and the pricing works. What is missing is a decision about who will sell it, on what terms, to whom — and who is going to manage that relationship once it exists.
We treat a new territory the same way we treat a new sector: assess it honestly, choose a route, build a named target list, and work it consistently. The difference is distance, not principle.
The process
Market attractiveness
Competitor landscape
Customer structure
Route-to-market options
Commercial barriers
Regulatory and compliance considerations where relevant
Direct sales
Distribution
Specification
Contractor and project route
Partnerships
Commercial representation
Hybrid models
Customers
Distributors
Architects
Consultants
Contractors
Developers
Partners
Other relevant decision-makers
Direct outreach
Meetings
Project identification
Specification opportunities
Tender opportunities
Distributor recruitment
Account development
Develop live opportunities
Support negotiations
Build repeat business
Expand geographically
Recruit local capability when commercially justified
Not every category applies to every industry. The route is decided by how the sector actually buys.
How businesses engage us
Some businesses need only the first stage. Others start at the third because the decision is already made. Nothing here is a mandatory sequence.
Is this market worth further investment at all? An honest commercial read on demand, competition, route-to-market options and what entry would realistically involve — before anything is committed.
The route to market, the named target accounts, the competitor picture, the commercial positioning and the first moves worth making. A decision document, not a research report.
The plan carried out: approaching customers, distributors, specifiers and partners directly, building relationships and creating early pipeline in the territory itself.
Ongoing senior commercial leadership while the market matures — managing the activity, the forecast and the people, and reporting commercial progress at board level.
When traction justifies headcount, help defining the first role, the commercial remit and the experience that genuinely matters — then recruiting for it.
A company does not need to recruit a Country Manager to find out whether the market is worth one.
Validating and developing the market first reduces the risk of the hire, sharpens the remit that person is given, and means they inherit relationships and pipeline rather than a blank territory.
Next stage
Researching your options?
Everything above is the International Market Entry service in brief. The material below answers detailed buyer questions — costs, implementation, comparisons and related issues.
Reference library · International Market Entry service
In short
Enter a new market by treating it as a sales problem, not a logistics one: assess the opportunity honestly, choose a route to market, build a named target list, and work it consistently until the territory converts into revenue. Manufacturers and specialist B2B businesses usually need this groundwork before a distributor, agent or local hire makes commercial sense.
This is usually the work that happens before a distributor, agent or export manager exists — see how the main routes to market compare below.
Planning a new market?
Tell us what you sell, where you operate today and where you want to grow. Evans Sales Consultancy will build a personalised initial plan covering route to market, market sequencing, whether distributors, project partners, commercial representation or direct sales fit best, and the first commercial moves worth making.
Takes a few minutes. Your personalised plan is ready immediately, on screen and as a PDF you can keep.
The 2027 report
Before you choose a market, read how we assess one. The 2027 report covers market selection, routes to market, the true cost of entry and a 180-day plan for manufacturers.
Free · No registration required
Digital infrastructure for the market
Where are you trying to grow?
Route to market
None of these routes is inherently better. The right one depends on how the product is bought, how technical the sale is, and how much control over price and customer relationship the business needs to keep.
| Route | What you keep | What it usually suits |
|---|---|---|
| Distributor | Fast local presence, but lower margin and little direct customer contact | Established products with wide customer bases and standard specification |
| Agent | More price and relationship control than distribution, commission cost only | Relationship-led or technical selling where local presence matters more than stock |
| Direct | Full control of price, relationship and customer data | Long or technical sales cycles, key accounts and strategic markets |
| Hybrid | Direct control on strategic accounts, distribution for the transactional tail | Products needing both specification-led selling and wide physical availability |
Some consultancies tell you whether a market looks attractive. Evans Sales Consultancy can help build it.
The engagement can continue from strategy into direct commercial execution, relationship development, project generation and ongoing market representation.
Territories shown represent markets in which Evans Sales Consultancy supports or develops international commercial opportunities, not office locations. Evans Sales Consultancy is UK based.
Direct business development, specification and territory work the length of the country, from a base in Cumbria.
UK market entryExperience developing markets and commercial relationships across France, Germany, Scandinavia and wider European territories.
Explore EuropeEntering the United States and Canada as two separate decisions: assessment, route to market, partner identification and first pipeline.
Explore North AmericaEntering Australia state by state: opportunity assessment, landed cost, distribution, agency, direct and specification routes, and partner qualification.
Explore AustraliaEverything in Enter New Markets
International Expansion is From £3,950 + VAT per month + 2.5% commission, with travel invoiced at cost where applicable. Most businesses use only the stages they need.
Prefer to talk it through first?
Talk through your target market, route to market and timing with Tom Evans before committing budget.
Tom Evans
Founder, Evans Sales Consultancy
+44 7873 883854
info@evanssalesconsultancy.co.ukCall Tom directlyMain line: +44 330 043 8477
Once the market is chosen, the first target accounts and conversations can come from target account research and managed prospecting.
From £3,950 + VAT per month + 2.5% commission. The final scope is agreed around the market and work required; travel is invoiced at cost where applicable.
No. This is usually the work that happens before any of those exist — proving the territory is worth the investment and building the structure a permanent hire would inherit.
The UK and Europe most often, with experience developing markets and commercial relationships in France, Germany and Scandinavia. North American market development is supported through assessment, route-to-market work and direct business development. Evans Sales Consultancy is UK based and has no overseas offices.
It suits manufacturers and product businesses best, because route to market is a genuine decision for them. Engineering and specialist B2B businesses expanding into new regions use the same territory-development approach.
Not as a precondition. A simple, consistently used CRM is enough to start — what matters more early on is disciplined tracking of named accounts and conversations in the new territory. A global CRM rollout is worth planning once several markets are live and need shared visibility, not before the first pipeline exists.
Most clients fund this from existing trading profit or a dedicated expansion budget, sometimes alongside export or trade-growth grants and finance available in their sector or region — Evans does not provide funding or grant-writing advice directly, so eligibility should be checked with the relevant trade body or adviser. The commercial scope is agreed to fit what a business can realistically commit before results are proven.
It depends entirely on the sector and product — Evans Sales Consultancy's stated experience is strongest in the UK, Europe, North America and Australia, so a genuine view on Middle East timing needs a specific market assessment rather than a general answer, and may draw on partners with direct regional experience where Evans' own does not extend far enough. Treat any Middle East plan as its own market-entry decision, not an extension of a European or North American one.
Not to start a conversation, but formal proposals, contracts and technical documentation in Italian materially improve how seriously a buyer takes a first-time supplier — the same pattern seen in France and Germany. There is no dedicated Evans Italy market hub yet; the general principle of preparing local-language commercial materials before serious outreach still applies.
By agreeing realistic working windows up front — some overlap with the target market's business hours, rather than expecting a market to adapt to a UK day. For Australia and the Middle East this usually means structured early-morning or evening contact rather than daily full overlap; for North America it means part of the UK afternoon. This is agreed as part of scoping, not discovered once the engagement starts.
The sales-problem discipline is the same, but the route to market differs: SaaS usually suits a direct or inside-sales motion into named accounts, or a reseller/partner model where local billing, support and compliance matter more than physical distribution. Evans applies the same market assessment and route-to-market process; data residency, currency and local contracting norms should be checked with appropriate legal and technical advisers.
Usually by proving one additional market properly rather than spreading activity across several: assess demand, pick a route to market, build a named target list, and convert enough live opportunities in that territory to justify the next one. Growth of this scale through international sales is a multi-year sequencing decision, not a single campaign.
The most common is applying UK pace and informality to markets that expect more formal documentation, longer relationship-building or a different negotiating rhythm — seen clearly in France and Germany, for example. Evans brings commercial negotiation experience in-market rather than formal cross-cultural training; where a deal carries specific legal or contractual risk, that should still be reviewed by a local adviser.
That is decided commercially rather than contractually. Some engagements end once the route to market and first relationships exist; others continue into ongoing representation and account development.
Still working out the right approach?
If your question is specific to your company, product or target market, we can help you work through the commercial options.
Discuss your market entryClient evidence
Two manufacturers who built a UK position from no prior presence, in their own words.
Tom helped us with finding the right companies to work with, both distributors and direct customers.
Lars Tinghuus
Former Export Sales Director, Glassline
Tom helped us see the business from the UK customer’s side and adapt our approach where necessary.
Siggi Strandeng
Export Sales Manager, Glaseksperten
Evidence
International Market Entry · Ontario, Canada → United Kingdom, Germany & France
A Canadian architectural-components business wanted to establish a route into the UK and wider Europe. We rejected a conventional distributor model, built a project-partner network across the UK, Germany and France, and helped generate approximately £2.2m of new-market turnover within 12 months.
£0 → £2.2m New-market turnover in 12 months
UK Market Entry · Scandinavia → United Kingdom
A Scandinavian glass manufacturer wanted to sell into the UK for the first time. There was no presence, no customers and no distribution to build on.
0 → UK Market entered from no prior presence
Distributor Development · Germany → United Kingdom
A German balustrade manufacturer needed a route into the UK. Distribution alone was not the answer — the distributors had to be found, onboarded, trained and then supported in selling.
5 UK distributors established
UK Market Entry · Lithuania & Slovenia → United Kingdom
A European architectural-glazing manufacturer wanted to establish a genuine UK operation. We helped set up the office and showroom, build the sales strategy and pipeline, support staffing and launch the business commercially.
£0 → £1.4m UK turnover in 9 months
Market expansion insights
Practical thinking on market entry, international sales, distribution and building commercial traction in new territories.
Import, export & market access
Winning customers is only part of international expansion. Import requirements, product compliance, logistics, landed cost and local commercial structures can materially affect whether a market is viable and how it should be approached. Evans Sales Consultancy considers these issues as part of the wider commercial market-entry picture, working alongside appropriate specialist advisers where required.
UK customs, duty and origin, VAT, conformity marking, stockholding and what they mean for UK pricing and distribution.
Customs, duty, origin, VAT, conformity and landed cost across the EU customs territory — and what they do to your commercial plan.
Importer of record, classification and tariffs, standards and listings, warehousing and the channel margin US distribution expects.
Canadian customs and origin, GST/HST, bilingual labelling, provincial requirements and the cost of serving a dispersed market.
Explore markets
Start with the region, or go straight to the market you are considering. Each country hub covers route to market, distribution, market access and what a realistic entry involves.
United Kingdom
A mature, English-speaking market — and usually the first territory overseas manufacturers try to build properly.
Europe
Five distinct national markets, each with its own route to market, distribution structure and buying culture.
North America
Two very different commercial markets that should be prioritised and entered separately, not as one region.
Asia-Pacific
A distant, English-speaking market where landed cost, local stock and approvals decide whether entry works.
A market entry plan eventually needs people in the territory and a commercial presence buyers in that market can find, understand and trust.
People
Country Managers, Sales Directors, business development, specification and technical sales people recruited for the commercial task a new market actually presents.
Digital
Market-entry websites, multilingual and country estates, international search architecture, commercial tools, research assets and lead capture built around your route to market.
Not sure what needs fixing?
Practical sales help for founders, owners and Managing Directors — organised by the problem, not by the service. Start with what sounds most like your business.
Playbooks & frameworks
This engagement builds one market: assessment, route to market, partners, outreach and first pipeline. Where several markets are planned, the Evans International Expansion Playbook is the system behind them — how markets are compared and sequenced, how demand is validated before cost is committed, and how each entry informs the next. The playbook sets the approach; this engagement does the work.
Explore the International Expansion PlaybookEvans Opportunity Engine
The Opportunity Engine can research and monitor commercial triggers inside an agreed market, so your team approaches organisations with a reason rather than a list. If you need Evans to establish and execute the complete route-to-market strategy, use International Market Entry.
From £695 + VAT / month
Evans Authority Content Engine
New-market buyers judge an unfamiliar supplier on what they can read. An ongoing authority programme builds market-relevant content around local buyer questions, terminology and conditions. Each market and language is scoped separately.
From £995 + VAT / month
Evans International SEO & Localisation Pack
Where the website is fundamentally sound and the requirement is to adapt it properly for one new country — search language, commercial proposition, native copy, localised URLs, hreflang and local forms — the Localisation Pack is the defined, fixed-fee piece of work.
£2,995 + VAT · one market, one language, up to 10 pages
Market Entry takes an existing proposition into a new country. If the bigger question is a new route to revenue — for example a manufacturer creating a distributor model or a D2C proposition — see Channel Creation. Some projects involve both.
Distributor & Partner Search
Distributor & Partner Search identifies and assesses the credible distributors, agents and commercial partners in one target market — 25 to 40 candidates where the market supports it, around ten profiled in depth, with conflicts checked. If you want Evans to approach the shortlist and develop the relationships, that is this engagement.
£1,950 + VAT · fixed fee, one market
Evans Market-Entry Landing Estate
International Market Entry can be supported by a Market-Entry Landing Estate where the existing website does not provide enough market-specific digital infrastructure — market proposition, product and sector pages, proof, local search architecture, partner routes and conversion journeys. The commercial engagement remains the lead.
From £4,995 + VAT · fixed project, one market
Choosing correctly
Nothing here is compulsory and no stage has to be bought before another. Find the sentence that matches your situation and go straight to the engagement that answers it.
We know growth needs attention but we are not sure what is actually wrong.
Commercial Growth SprintWe need researched live commercial opportunities to approach.
Opportunity EngineWe want more revenue from the customers we already have.
Customer Expansion EngineWe need Evans to actively develop target accounts and opportunities over time.
Project Generation & Business DevelopmentWe need broader commercial growth execution across more than prospecting alone.
Growth PartnerWe need senior ownership of the wider commercial function.
Fractional Commercial LeadershipWe need a one-off independent diagnosis of our website.
Commercial Website AuditWe need regular, serious authority content.
Authority Content EngineOur website is good; it needs properly adapting to one new market.
International SEO & LocalisationWe need a substantial country-specific commercial digital estate.
Market-Entry Landing EstateOur digital platform needs major structural work or a rebuild.
Digital InfrastructureWe need partner intelligence only — we will handle the approaches ourselves.
Distributor & Partner SearchWe need Evans to help execute the commercial entry into a market.
International Market Entry — you are here
We need a Country Manager, Sales Director or technical commercial hire.
International & Commercial RecruitmentWe are entering several countries and need one repeatable system.
International Expansion PlaybookA focused service solves one defined component. A flagship engagement is where Evans Sales Consultancy owns, or materially supports, a broader commercial outcome. Where a focused service would not honestly be enough, we say so before anything is invoiced.
Start here
Start with the Commercial Growth Sprint — a fixed-fee commercial review of the market opportunity, the route in and the first 90 days.
An early commercial view on a territory is considerably cheaper than a failed launch. Start with a conversation about the market.
Prefer to speak directly?
AI Workflow & Commercial Automation
International expansion often multiplies repetitive commercial administration across countries, languages, prospects and reporting. Evans can identify where workflows should be standardised, automated or supported by AI before inefficiency scales.
