AndersenB2B, the digital business networking platform from Denmark for SMEs in the Nordics; and ScandAsia, the platform for Nordic News and Business Promotion in Asia, are partnering up to jointly support increased business internationalisation for small to medium-sized businesses, states a press release.
And they are doing so based on the new AndersenB2B approach that enables companies to connect across borders, and to also get professional a-la-carte assistance to further their international efforts. As one of the members, ScandAsia facilitates engagement and outreach, via content marketing and story-telling in an Asian context.
AndersenB2B has started targeting SMEs in Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam with the aim to generate more business both ways between the Nordics and ASEAN. This is within ScandAsia’s core target area, enabling businesses to associate themselves the Asia-Nordics connection. Therefore, the two complement each other well, according to the parties.
“Our mission is to strengthen the access to new clients, markets and information. If you can recognise this requirement, we are relevant for you,” states AndersenB2B’s CEO Lars Siggard Andersen, as he advocates the motto that private sector has to work with private sector.
Export is growing from Scandinavia to Asia, but the number of SMEs exporting remains stagnant. Parallel to the various public support programmes to enhance exports, the time has come for companies themselves to play a larger role, including the sharing of information.
Spearheading this new model for dialogue and exchange of know-how and contacts that AndersenB2B.com facilitates, Lars sees the role for any third party business services to enter at a later stage. And AndersenB2B.com eliminates everything that is today unnecessarily complex and costly.
“Our mission is to eliminate export barriers and accepting the fact that we are all in the same boat. We have to make business much more accessible. This is in my opinion an enormously important step to take,” says Lars Siggard Andersen.
“On our platform we are more than 200 individual companies. We view those and the people behind them, as colleagues. Although they are working with different issues, at the end of the day, they are working towards the same goals: increasing export, finding the next client, and growing your business. Viewing each other as colleagues provides a great networking effect. “
“It’s about enabling our SME colleagues to search for and act on information when this information comes from your own well-meaning community,” says Lars.
Its trademark is about bringing companies together. “We use the crystal clear company information, with personal identity, on the platform to match companies with each other based on the member’s wish list. This could concern finding clients, suppliers or people with knowledge about markets. Or very specific issues such as how to identify the right staff on a strategic market, import challenges, permissions, etc.”
“Talk to companies based on the market, meet those people and discuss about your product or service’s options on the market. Communicate. Your peers provide a straight reply – as unbiased as it gets. This was the starting point of our platform; active networking in Denmark and abroad to grow your business by communicating with people knowing the market and, perhaps, needing to know about your solutions,” he explains the AndersenB2B model.
“If we strengthen communication, we break down barriers immediately. This is a given. The consultants and experts will meet a different company much better prepared. In turn, consultants get involved at a higher value level. Everyone’s a winner,” adds Lars Siggard Andersen.
“Working with the dynamic networking platform AndersenB2B is exciting since we reach more contacts on both sides of the Nordic-Asia divide than in any other way. We can immediately assist other members with small advice and if that was useful, maybe we have more business to do together,” says ScandAsia’s owner and editor in chief, Gregers Moller.
What ScandAsia mainly can do is to assist businesses that join AndersenB2B and go on any delegation trips or participate in any networking activity connecting to markets in Southeast Asia. ScandAsia can enable individual businesses with outreach and to maximise their visibility in connection to such activities.
Being seen in ScandAsia is usually the gateway to wider outreach and market penetration for most businesses, and the perfect platform to generate awareness around one’s products and services, whether one is introducing, or as an established player.
About AndersenB2B
This networking platform is based on the work carried out by Andersen Consult for almost 20 years supporting more than 250 Danish SMEs in their endeavour to find the next good business outside Denmark.
“In 2015, we decided to open up for our client portfolio and tell everyone what we are doing as consultants. In turn, we invited all our clients to be part of the same environment with the objective of letting private sector support private sector. We work towards pooling SMEs experiences, talents and skills together. The objective is for the individual company to manage any challenge simply by communicating with its network colleagues. This is in short what we are doing with AndersenB2B.com.”
The platform is opening up for international members so that the existing members can easily and directly get in contact with new network colleagues on the market they want to work with. The platform is managed from Denmark where a B2B team put companies and people tougher upon their request. The result is a secure platform to gain access to experience and information from peers, increased business among the members.
“Easy access to new foreign opportunities. A member network with more than 70% production companies. We send out our newsletter every Friday with full focus on network members own stories. We reach more than 4,000 companies each week globally.”
Link: What some of the AndersenB2B members are saying
About ScandAsia
Well-established ScandAsia (SA) is a digital news and marketing platform as well as magazine with a focus on all things Nordic in connection to Southeast Asia plus Greater China. SA has been doing coverage and served businesses for outreach non-stop since 2003, both on consumer level and B2B. SA serves as a one-stop source and a focal point; a trusted selector and with a well-defined focus. The readership stays well-informed and keeps abreast of key developments via SA. SA ensures to localise the content, where ScandAsia.com very much functions as newsroom for Asia and search engine outreach.
“ScandAsia can serve Nordic businesses in substantial ways within internationalisation efforts. We offer outreach and engagement; with exposure in the form of news and features, and choices of marketing solutions for businesses to maximise their respective exposure.”
