Roll Video: Discovering the Silicon Valley IT Corridor at Nexus 2016

Even though the United States is the biggest market on the planet, it isn’t necessarily the easiest to break in to. As such, nearshore companies, particularly those located in Mexico, need to understand the basics of approaching potential clients and collaborators in their neighboring country.
Speaking on this topic at Nexus 2016 were Sanjay Dayal, CTO of Agralogics; Guillermo Gonzalez, Executive Director of MexicoIT; Jorge Villalobos, CEO of 3DMX and Frank Guerrero, Vice President of Product for xTV Networks, with Toby Redshaw, Former CIO of American Express and Partner at Kevington Advisors acting as moderator.
Sanjay Dayal was the first to offer up advice for attacking the US market, suggesting that Latin American technology companies should “get ‘em young, and grow with them…find spaces like the Plug and Play Tech Center in Sunnyvale, California, where you can present yourself to a lot of companies that are looking not just for cost savings, but for partners too”.
Jorge Villalobos agreed, stating that the most crucial part at the beginning was to build a network. “People in the US like to help out, so you have to engage with them to let them know what you’re doing,” he said. “It’s also important to feel out new technology trends, because you may have a good technology, but you don’t want to find out that 25 other guys are doing the same thing in the US.”
Finally, Toby Redshaw stepped in to point out that recommendations from friends are the biggest influencers in purchasing decisions across all sectors, not just products or brands, before explaining how to handle that first meeting. “One thing you should never ask is “what’s your biggest problem”, because your potential client will expect you to know that,” he said. His second point was that even if you have a generalist company, you have to exceptional at one or two things, and then lead with those things in the meeting. And thirdly, many companies don’t realize that small is big. Larger companies might never have time for certain customers, so small companies can offer better service and direct connection with the CEO and decision makers.
Ultimately, the proximity of Mexico to California is creating a wide range of collaboration opportunities, around software, film and animation, and other digital platforms. This year’s Nexus event gave attendees valuable insight about how to seize those opportunities and grow their own businesses in the massive US market.
To see the full panel discussion, click here.