Overview of the Situation
The client, a tech brand we had been working with across Europe for several years, had seen an opportunity to venture into Indonesia as this was one of their largest markets and continuing to grow. The request was to try and replicate the operational processes from Europe.
The Problem They Faced
There was currently no operational sales or marketing footprint in Indonesia and there was no way of utilising local companies to perform at the same level as the European division. The only way to replicate the historical performance was to use the European model and take that into the Indonesian market – covering everything from recruitment and training, through to reporting and fieldwork. There was a desire to have this managed in an identical manner to Europe which would mean that our team would need to create the company foundation and operate as an entire business. This situation was further complicated by a desire for the brand to have an operational footprint within the market within eight weeks.
The Causes of the Problem
There was a challenge that the business needed a structured footprint in the country however had never a focus to implement this due to the volume of trade happening in the Western world. The biggest obstacle was the need to set up and structure the local business in line with corporate legislation.
The Impact of the Problem
Failing to implement the operation within Indonesia would allow competitors to grow their business further at the detriment of the brand – implementing incorrectly could cause the brand financial penalties and negative press. Therefore, the approach had to be thought through and implemented with a high degree of accuracy.
The Promise / Plan
Our process was to:
- Implement a structure aligned to the European model, but in keeping with Indonesian corporate legislature
- Build a partnership with a local (Singaporean) agency to take care of all operational functions
- Recruit a team through the European assessment centre structure – but deliver this process in Indonesia Bahasa
- Have the team recruited, trained and operationally proficient within twelve weeks
The Outcome
Our plan was implemented in line with the agreed milestones, and we were able to:
- Create a legacy framework for the brand with local agencies, under our management
- Recruit a team of eight individuals to cover sales, marketing, and training functions
- Represent the brand and attend corporate events on their behalf
- Be operationally active within the twelve-week plan (this included a slight delay due to a terrorist bombing in Jakarta whilst we were in our planning phase)
