1. Who is your first local customer?
Start with a customer you can identify, reach and serve. A country is a useful boundary for research, but the first sales plan needs a segment: a particular type of business, in a relevant region, with a reason to buy your product.
For greenhouse technology, that could mean commercial operators whose crops, production systems and scale fit the product. For a furnished-housing marketplace, there are two sides to investigate: suitable property owners and the people who would rent their apartments. Supply without demand, or demand without suitable supply, does not create a working marketplace.
Write down who makes the buying decision, who uses the product and who benefits. They may be different people. Use this to build the first account list.
2. Who already serves them?
Map the alternatives customers use today. Include direct competitors, local providers and the existing way of doing the job. A grower may compare your software with another product, an adviser or a spreadsheet. A landlord may use a local agent, a listing site or repeat tenants.
Compare the offer, target customers, territory, pricing and onboarding. Where reliable information is available, investigate footprint, funding and growth signals. Separate verified facts from estimates; record the source and date.
The aim is a specific positioning choice. Which customer need can you serve particularly well, and why would a customer change? For housing, a seasonal supply opportunity may be worth testing. It still needs evidence of suitable properties, demand and viable terms.
3. How will you reach customers and partners?
Turn the market map into a contact plan. Decide which relationships are essential: customers, distributors, property operators, integration partners or suppliers. Prioritise a manageable group and define the reason to speak with each one.
Some offers can be sold remotely. Others benefit from local calls, a site visit, a demonstration or a partner introduction. Match the channel to the people buying, using or supplying the product. Agree a suitable and lawful outreach approach before contact.
Record who was approached, what was learned and the next action. Local business development becomes useful when conversations are followed through into demos, proposals, trials or partner onboarding.
4. What needs to change for the local market?
Review the offer beyond its language. Customers may need different proof, contracts, pricing presentation, support, integrations or onboarding. Identify what is essential for the first pilot and what can follow as the market develops.
Research also needs to identify regulatory questions early. For a housing platform, lease structures and the roles of the platform, landlord and operator may matter. For an operational product, sector requirements or installation conditions may affect the launch.
An initial market brief can flag these questions. Specific legal or tax conclusions should be checked with the appropriate local specialists before the relevant commitments. Their scope and fees belong in the entry plan.
5. What will the first pilot establish?
Define a small commercial test around the chosen segment. Specify the work, the people responsible and the evidence you want: customer conversations, practical product fit, a working partner route or progress towards a paid pilot.
Agree what the result will change. It might justify more outreach, a different offer, another region or a larger local operation. If a key requirement cannot be met, revise the plan before committing to a broad launch.
The useful output is a first-market plan: priority segment, competitor map, target accounts, adaptations, specialist questions, pilot scope and local ownership. That gives your team something concrete to execute.