| The company This British company is a pioneer in designing and manufacturing precision seed drilling equipment. A leader in the international seed drills market for agriculture and horticulture for over 50 years, which had revolutionised the seeding of sugar beet and vegetables, and successfully exported to over 50 countries worldwide - had not yet successfully exported to France.. The products and services The company boasts a comprehensive portfolio of products dedicated to the precise seeding and distribution of a large variety of seeds. The objectives
For two reasons France presents a great opportunity for the company. Firstly, France is the single largest agricultural and horticultural market in Europe with more than 30 millions hectares of production and secondly is its close geographical proximity to the UK. The objective is to establish a distribution network in specific regions in France through independent dealerships. IBT services The Managing Director of the company agreed that IBT Partners should assist the company in developing its business in France. The first step was to assess the market in France for precision seeding equipment. This report would form the basis of building a strategy to enter the French market, having established the market, its size and whereabouts as well as the competitive activity and routes to market. The report includes: the French agricultural landscape, the market for agricultural machinery in France, precision seeding equipment in France, key players, distribution channels for precision seeding equipment, barriers to entry as well as the competitive landscape. The second step was to identify and profile and contact dealers in four specific regions where demand was identified. Over 100 dealers were identified, profiled and contacted, covering the regions and the differing markets. IBT Partners prepared all the commercial documentation that was required, including web information and downloads. All the dealers were telephoned with and prepared questionnaire to ensure that we had the information to analyse the relative advantages and disadvantages. 22 finalists were retained and a series of meetings conducted over the course of six weeks. Visits to the UK manufacturing facilities were organised and presentations in English and French ensured higher levels of understanding, goodwill and the wish to develop the business in France. Pricing was a contentious issue as those practiced by the indigenous suppliers’ ensured competition was strong. After six months, two financially strong and well established and positioned dealers were assigned dealership rights in their respective regions. | 
