Meet Sulma & Sulma and their idea of understanding the global market

Sulma & Sulma offers services of effective product marketing and dynamic sales generation at three key stages:

1. 1. At the MVP stage, where we verify the idea and indicate the direction of development through sales predictions,

1. 1. At the marketing stage where one has to convince recipients to using a certain solution, create a strategy and develop sales,

1. At the stage of increasing the value of investment where the sales have to become more dynamic, so that the market can be acquired faster, while gaining competitive advantage or finding investors.

We have been managing contracting projects (sales outsourcing) and advice projects for companies operating in over 20 industries and on 4 continents (such as FMCG, industry and life science). Due to the above, we have broad understanding of the global and local markets. We develop sales on markets in such countries as: Europe, USA and East Africa. At Sulma & Sulma, we make sure that projects from the start of product creation, in the process of convincing recipients and at the moment of selling, achieve proper volumes in this scope.

Where did you get the idea for such a service? How did the company start?

While working at my previous job, I was irritated that companies, which compete with one another, focused on reducing prices (I call this “biting ankles”). My experience has shown that it is easy to increase the profit margin for instance by introducing products on the market. I established Sulma & Sulma with my wife in 2013. At first, I helped small entrepreneurs such as manufacturers of footwear from Kalwaria Zebrzydowska. As my first remuneration for providing consulting services to this company, I received two pairs of women’s shoes. Then, we found bigger customers from various areas of the globe. Later, as one of very few companies, we exported security systems to East Africa and became specialists in innovation and new technologies.

How was the service developed towards internationalisation?

From the very start, we were oriented on helping Polish companies operating only in our region. They did not believe in our service as it breaks the mould. Customers from such countries as the Netherlands were more open. Hence, after six months of business operation, we decided to source customers through LinkedIn and chose English as the language of communication. Since our method was well-received on the intentional market, we decided that communication in both languages was justified. We had no time for translating ourselves, so we hired an online translation office. I cannot recall how I came across lingy, but after a short analysis I decided to try out your service. At first, we were not fully satisfied but once we developed our cooperation with Roman (one of your translators), we became a permanent customer. Before that, I chose translators at random, but later I realized that it was best to cooperate with one person. And since the working style of Roman satisfied me the most, I decided to choose him for long-term cooperation. Additionally, this translator exhibited the biggest level of understanding of our work and the markets we operate on.

What challenges come with providing services to customers in foreign languages?

1. 1. Communication with customers – we don’t need translators

1. 1. Translations of marketing materials and publications – we use services from an online translation office, namely lingy.

1. 1. Commercial contracts – we use services of a local translation office.

1. English is our only foreign language used for communication.

Do you plan further expansion onto global markets? If so, what languages do you take into account and why?

Recently, we have been cooperating with customers from Europe, South Korea, USA and East Africa. I agreed with one of our customers that if we continue to cooperate on a long-term basis, I will learn Russian.

When entering such markets, the biggest obstacle is unavailability of people who understand the specifics of our work. Hence, when recruiting new staff members, we focus mainly on teaching the skills we require, and this takes some time.

Generally, the common denominator of all those markets is the dynamics of growth. Certainly, each of them has different dynamics, but all of them are oriented on new technologies and want to multiply their capital.

Tell us a few tips for young companies wishing to take over the world. 

1. 1. “Sales fixes everything” – a company or start-up is established for the purpose of sales and not the ideology, project management or patent.

1. 1. If you want to change the world, you have to “believe to see” something, and most people follow the opposite idea that something needs to be seen to be believed.

1. #GiveBack – give something to your community, country, people who count on you. When you achieve the next level, reach out your hand to pull someone with you.

____________________________

Sebastian Sulma

CEO and co-founder of Sulma & Sulma, a company in charge of effective product marketing and dynamic sales generation at three key stages:

1. At the MVP stage, where we verify the idea and indicate the direction of development through sales predictions,

1. 1. At the marketing stage where one has to convince recipients to using the solution, create a strategy and develop sales,

1. At the stage of increasing the value of investment where the sales have to become more dynamic, so that the market can be acquired faster, while gaining competitive advantage or finding investors.

Sebastian gained over 12 years of experience while carrying out projects in more than 20 industries and on 4 continents (such as FMCG, industry and life science). Due to the above, he has broad understanding of the global and local markets. He developed sales on markets in such countries as: Europe, USA and East Africa. He says that he is “… interested in generating a sales increase at the level of 200% as anything below that is a waste of time”. In business, he follows the idea of Open Innovation. He is a promoter of consultative sales and an initiator of the #GiveBack campaign benefiting the community.

Foreign expansion of your business? We will take care of translations!