外国品牌如何在美国取得成功？巴黎贝甜告诉你

许多国际品牌都垂涎于登陆美国的前景。这里是全球最大的消费市场。然而，该国高度管制的法律环境、苛刻的投资要求、激烈的竞争和复杂的多文化的人口特征，也让很多公司望而却步。人们往往认为美国市场昂贵、危险而复杂。不过对某些人来说，为了赢得增长和壮大的机会，这些障碍不足为惧。Pret A Manger、Best of the Best Quality Chicken、Nando’s、100 Montaditos和我的公司巴黎贝甜（Paris Baguette）都在进军美国市场上取得了一定的成功。其他品牌应当如何复制我们的努力呢？

把握趋势

如果你想让自己的概念在美国发展起来，成功的关键，首先在于了解市场趋势和消费者的习惯。你需要当心，避免成为时尚的牺牲品。重要的是，不仅要理解竞争格局，还要掌握文化背景。别指望着把原来的行事标准照搬到一个新国家还能取得成功。

例如，中国的星巴克咖啡店就比美国的设有更多座位和空间。美国人喜欢买了咖啡带走，但中国人不同，他们更多地把咖啡店看做一个目的地。星巴克需要据此做出调整，才能确保在中国拥有竞争力。尽管公司不需要在扩张时完全改变自己的品牌，但他们必须调整适应新国家的文化——而不是指望对方适应自己。

准备好应对监管上的挑战

公司必须做好准备，应对法律和监管上的挑战。公司第一次登陆美国时，往往会期待一切都像在本国一样进展顺利。然而，美国的法律和监管体系是全球最模糊、最复杂的，每个州、每个郡乃至每个城市都有不同的规定。

在遵守各州不同的特许经营法、了解房地产政策等方面，这些公司将遭遇难题。授权人需要拥有开放的思维，灵活处理问题，避免被欺负。解决这些难题的一个好办法，就是聘用美国律师，而不是使用本国的代表。

了解和适应法律和监管体系，是一个持续的学习过程。特许经营咨询委员会可以让许多品牌得到慰藉。这些委员会让特许经营者有机会发声，坐下来表达自己的担忧和遭遇的困难。特许经营的管理者可以直接处理这些问题。

管理好期望

美国市场存在着激烈的竞争，这让公司的初次登场变得十分困难，即使他们拥有周全详尽的启动营销计划。公司必须控制对成功的期望，设立合乎实际的发展时间表十分重要。例如，我们一流糕点品牌巴黎贝甜在韩国本土，开设一家门店只需要30天，而在美国则需要将近六个月。因为监管方的要求完全不同，整个开店流程要长得多，还需要与总部的高管进行沟通。

这可能会很有难度，不过管理期望极其重要。巴黎贝甜在韩国拥有超过3,000家门店，从消费者的角度来看，你可能很难找到一个不知道该品牌的人。然而在美国则相反，你很难找到认识这个品牌的人。在美国，一切要从零开始，而公司的领导层却可能很难回忆起创业时的境况——那段时期，公司可能需要非常努力才能赢得增长。避免期待过高的最好办法是，在公司内部进行公开坦诚的交流，请谨记，国际购买力未必能转化为在新国家的成功。

根据研究公司Technomic的数据，在美国市场，青睐外国概念的地区包括迈阿密、洛杉矶、华盛顿特区和纽约。掌握正确知识，得到恰当支持、采用合理方法的情况下，外国品牌就可以成功地打入这几个世界上最大、最有利可图的市场。（财富中文网）

译者：严匡正

作者拉里·斯多提系巴黎贝甜的首席发展官

Many international brands salivate at the prospect of entering the United States, the world’s largest consumer market, but many companies are discouraged by the country’s highly regulated legal environment, high investment requirements, fierce competition, and complicated multicultural demographics. The U.S. market is often viewed as too expensive, risky, and complex, but for some, the opportunity to grow and prosper far outweighs the barriers. Companies such as Pret A Manger, Best of the Best Quality Chicken, Nando’s, 100 Montaditos, and my company, Paris Baguette, have had some success expanding into the U.S. How can other brands replicate our efforts?

Get the trends

For concepts looking to expand in the United States, understanding market trends and consumer behavior is the first key to success. You need to be careful not to fall victim to fads. The critical issue is not just comprehending the competitive landscape, but the cultural landscape as well. Companies cannot bring their own norms to a new country and expect to find success.

For example, Starbucks cafes in China have more seating and space than in the U.S. Unlike Americans who grab their coffee and go, the Chinese view coffee shops more as destinations. Starbucks needed to make this adjustment to ensure it was competitive in China. While companies do not need to completely change their brands when expanding, they must adapt to fit with the new country’s culture—not the other way around.

Prepare for regulatory challenges

Companies must also prepare upfront for legal and regulatory challenges. When companies first enter the U.S., they often expect that things will move as quickly as they do in their home country. However, the American legal and regulatory environment is the most ambiguous and complex in the world; it varies state-by-state, county-by-county, and city-by-city.

These firms face challenges such as obeying regulations of states with different franchising laws and understanding real estate policy. Franchisors need to have an open mind and be flexible in order to avoid being taken advantage of. One of the best ways to navigate these challenges is to hire a U.S.-based attorney rather than utilizing representation from their home country.

Understanding and adapting to the legal and regulatory environment is an ongoing educational process. Many brands find solace in franchise advisory councils. These councils give franchisees a voice and seat at the table to express concerns and challenges, which allows franchise executives to address them head-on.

Manage expectations

The U.S.’s hyper-competitive market makes a debut challenging, even if a company comes in with a strong and sophisticated launch marketing plan. Expectations for success must be managed and it is important to set a realistic timeline for development. For example, Paris Baguette, our premier baking franchise, can build a store in 30 days in its home country, South Korea, while it takes nearly six months to build in the U.S. Because the regulatory requirements are completely different, the entire process takes significantly longer, which needs to be communicated with executives at the home office.

This can be challenging, but managing expectations is incredibly important. Paris Baguette has over 3,000 locations in South Korea, and from a consumer standpoint, you would be hard-pressed to find one person there who did not recognize the brand. In the U.S., though, you would be hard-pressed to find one person that did. It can be difficult for the company’s leadership to recall its entrepreneurial beginnings—during which it may have struggled to gain traction—while starting from scratch in the U.S. The best solution for outlandish expectations is open and honest communication within the company, and remembering that international buying power does not necessarily translate to success in a new country.

Popular U.S. markets for international conceptsinclude Miami, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and New York, according to Technomic. With the proper knowledge, support, and approach, foreign brands can find success tapping into one of the largest and most profitable markets in the world.