Many businesses treat export strategy as purely a planning exercise instead of an iterative decision-making process.
Planning is important but it won’t guarantee success in a new market.
To compete effectively abroad, you need a structured process that helps you test assumptions, make clear choices, and adapt as real market feedback comes in.
Put another way: Strategy isn’t a document, it’s a choice.
That’s why you need to follow a process that leads you to taking effective action.
For example: If you’re looking to export to a new market, you can’t just complete an export plan document (although this is a crucial step!), call this “business strategy”, then cross your fingers and wish for success.
Ultimately, you’re going to need to reality-test your assumptions.
Just like business planning, the best plans are ones that were executed and iterated upon in real-time, by engaging with real people with real needs – not imagined ones.
As Steve Blank has famously said, “No business plan survives first contact with customers.”
How can you get started on strategizing better and making smarter choices?
One great method comes from IDEO U’s human-centered strategy playbook:
The Strategy Process Map
The SPM is a framework you can use to reduce risk and increase your chances of success.
Here’s a brief rundown.
1. Identify Your Strategic Problem
- Definition: Clarify the core decision to be made, not just the symptom.
- Example: A Manitoba healthy snack company wants to enter the U.K. market. Strategic problem: “How can we launch our granola bars in a way that maximizes early adoption without overextending production or marketing spend?”
- Consideration: Avoid framing the problem too broadly, e.g., “We need to sell in Europe.” Narrow focus prevents wasted resources and scattered pilot tests.
- Why This Is Important: A clearly defined problem ensures every subsequent step is aligned. Without it, pilots, marketing, and resource allocation may target the wrong priorities, wasting time and money.
2. Frame a Strategic Question
- Definition: Transform the problem into a guiding question that drives exploration.
- Example: “Which U.K. consumer segment is most likely to pay a premium for functional, protein-packed granola bars?”
- Consideration: Don’t assume your Canadian market translates directly. Test your question with local insights or market intelligence first.
- Why This Is Important: A well-framed question focuses research and testing. It prevents scattered efforts and ensures the team is exploring relevant, high-value opportunities.
3. Generate Strategic Possibilities
- Definition: Brainstorm multiple viable options without judging them yet.
- Example: Sell in organic grocery chains, partner with online snack subscriptions, or launch through gyms targeting active consumers.
- Consideration: Avoid defaulting to the largest, most obvious channel. Smaller niche channels often provide faster feedback and stronger early adoption.
- Why This Is Important: Generating multiple options increases the chances of discovering a high-potential approach. Limiting possibilities too early can miss unexpected, lucrative opportunities.
4. Ask “What Would Have to Be True?”
- Definition: Identify the assumptions required for each option to succeed.
- Example: Gym distribution assumes consumers value protein content, natural ingredients, and convenience.
- Consideration: Don’t skip this step — untested assumptions are where most export failures begin. List them explicitly.
- Why This Is Important: Testing assumptions early prevents costly mistakes. If a core assumption is false, the strategy fails before it scales.
5. Identify Barriers
- Definition: Map operational, regulatory, cultural, and market obstacles.
- Example: U.K. food labeling requirements, import tariffs, cold-chain logistics, and strong competition in the protein bar segment.
- Consideration: Avoid underestimating logistics and compliance. These can kill profitability even if demand is high.
- Why This Is Important: Knowing barriers upfront allows proactive mitigation. Ignoring them can derail even the most promising market entry.
6. Test to Learn
- Definition: Validate assumptions with small-scale experiments or pilot runs.
- Example: Ship a small batch to one U.K. gym chain and online customers to test flavors, packaging, and pricing.
- Consideration: Don’t overinvest. The goal is learning, not perfection. Keep pilots small, fast, and measurable.
- Why This Is Important: Testing reduces risk and informs decisions. Real-world feedback reveals gaps you can’t see on paper.
7. Make a Choice
- Definition: Decide on a market entry strategy based on validated insights, prioritizing options with manageable risk and high potential.
- Example: Focus on organic grocery stores and online sales; delay gym partnerships until evidence supports it.
- Consideration: Avoid “analysis paralysis.” Use pilot data to make a clear decision, then commit resources to execute.
- Why This Is Important: Decisions guided by evidence maximize ROI and accelerate market traction. Without committing, momentum and resources are wasted.
This approach turns exporting from guesswork into a repeatable, evidence-driven process, helping you scale internationally with clarity and confidence.
If you’re looking to make a winning export strategy, use the Strategy Process Map framework and apply it while you work through your export plan.
Don’t have an export plan yet? All good – we’ve got you covered!
Download our free Export Plan Template and we’ll reach out for additional support if needed.
