International expansion for B2B SaaS ft. Semir Jahic, Clari

This time, we’re hosting the industry leader Semir Jahic from one of our favorite B2B SaaS products, Clari. Semir is the Head of International Growth Strategy Operations and Sales Engineering at Clari. For this episode, we’ve discussed strategies for the global expansion of SaaS businesses, with Semir sharing insights from his extensive experience in the field.

Points Covered:

• Nuances of market expansion involving physical presence or remote expansion, and how they impact your place in the market.

• Understanding local markets, customer behavior, and local competition

• Challenges of localization that go beyond just translation and how to overcome them

• Role of VCs in not just monetary terms, but for strategic planning, advice, partner introductions, and customer relationships

Learnings to take home:

• Start Small, Scale Big: Start with small, focused efforts on building relationships with customers and stakeholders. Build on the initial successes to scale up!

• Understand Local Problems: Local security and privacy concerns may vary according to region. You need to factor that into your market expansion strategies.

• Leverage VC networks: Ensure smoother entry into markets by taking the help of VCs to connect to local experts, get resources, and attract customers.

• Build on Customer Success: Take cues from Semir’s own experiences on how valuable customer feedback is in adapting your product offerings to local needs.

You get a comprehensive look into taking your business global, managing cultural adaptation and resources for sustained growth. You ALSO get to listen to Semir talk about his personal growth in startups and the lessons he can impart from his experience in expanding businesses internationally.