S2 E2 - Cracking the French Market with Natascha Chamuleau of WeTransfer, Facebook, eBay

The International Expansion Podcast with Ramsey Pryor

This episode is focused specifically on best practices when entering France, and I’m really happy to have Natascha Chamuleau as my guest. Natascha is currently the Chief Advertising Officer of WeTransfer, a position she has held since July 2020, having joined as Vice President of Sales in 2017. Before WeTransfer, Natascha spent three years at Facebook as Head of Sales and Client Solutions for Benelux and Central Europe. Prior to this, she worked in a variety of leadership roles including eBay Classified and Marktplaats, ranging from Sales to Growth and Product Innovation.

Natascha and I were introduced when I began asking around about companies that had done a world class job of entering the French market, which as many know is one of the most challenging in Europe and in the world for foreign companies in terms of localization, building the right strategy, and winning the hearts and minds of customers and partners in the country.

We’re here today to dive into WeTransfer’s story and the approach that they followed to thrive as a foreign company in the French Market.

Links:

Port of Entry Partners - www.portofentrypartners.com Helping companies thrive and scale in international markets

WeTransfer

Natascha’s LinkedIn profile

Topics Discussed:

3:00 - Natascha’s background and early influences that led to an international career

8:15 - How France is different from other markets in Europe - things to know before you start

11:15 - How to build relationships in France - what to do, and what NOT to do

13:00 - The Eiffel Tower strategy - landing a well known local client to start the snowball rolling

16:00 - Navigating B2B relationships - corporate hierarchies and the importance of roles and rank in France

18:00 - Striking the right chord with French end users with B2C businesses and the importance of trust

20:30 - The importance of language, cultural nuances and a funny example of getting the French wording WRONG.

23:00 - Setting yourself up to succeed in France culturally and when communicating. Small changes that make a big difference.

25:30 - Entry pre-reqs, the work you need to do BEFORE you begin hiring, and the challenges for employers in France

30:00 - Spoken and written language - when and where using the French language is essential when doing business in France - in meetings, with clients, events, and in contracts.

38:45 - Where does France rank in terms of priority for companies entering Europe? When should you start working on entering France?

44:00 - Where to find top talent in France, how to write local job descriptions, and how to set employee expectations properly

49:00 - Getting started entering France. Some practical first steps, timing expectations, and the importance of on the ground research.

51:00 - Resources to help you get started in France - WeGrow, The Culture Map