Features of promotion of domestic brands abroad: barriers, goals, tasks. Russian investments abroad Promoting our investments abroad

Anyone can invest in, it is not necessary to have huge capital and special economic knowledge. Foreign investment is not as complicated as it might seem at first glance. Let's consider the main possibilities of official and legal purchase of assets - shares, as well as other ways of investing in a foreign economy.

We will focus only on those options that can be recommended as reliable in terms of protection against fraud. After all, various offshore companies trading binary options and, in the vast majority, are. Participation in them can not be called an investment. They do not buy real assets, but only redistribute money between participants until a certain time.

There are three ways to invest in a foreign economy:

1. An investment account opened with a bank.
2. Acquisition of assets through the services of a broker.
3. Purchase of assets through an insurance company.

Opening an investment bank account

In Russia, banks are the most popular financial institution, so opening an investment account is the first thing that comes to mind when you want to invest in a foreign economy. But this is far from the most optimal way to start investment activities.

An investment account in a bank does not store money, but certain assets. The bank accepts the client's application and acquires, on his behalf, shares, bonds, shares of various funds, as well as other various assets. As a rule, large banks are included in financial groups, which include companies in the financial sector. Therefore, the bank will be able to create a universal private banking service (the so-called Private banking). Thanks to this service, the investor does not need to apply for financial services to other companies. Such versatility, unfortunately, is the only advantage of the Private banking system.

There are more than enough disadvantages of an investment bank account:

- individual banking services are quite expensive and available only to wealthy people. Typically, banks are unwilling to consider applications that are less than $500,000;

- the bank will offer mainly its own investment products, which may be less profitable than similar services from competing financial institutions;

- usually banks charge higher commissions for trust management than other financial institutions offer;

— residents of Russia cannot receive money to accounts opened with foreign banks. Observing the law, you must first withdraw the profit from investing in a Russian bank, and then make a transfer to an account opened with a foreign bank. Violation of this law may result in administrative, and in some cases, criminal liability.

Brokerage account

For those who have experience in the domestic market, brokerage services are not new. In other states, it is arranged in a similar way. It is necessary to open an account with a foreign broker, after which the investor gets access to online transactions. You can make transactions on your own, buy and sell assets, for each transaction the broker takes a certain commission.

The main advantages of this method of investing are independence and efficiency. Transactions are carried out almost instantly, and your liquidity is at the maximum level. The main advantage is that you can always choose when to sell or buy the asset of your choice. The broker's commissions are very small, the financial intermediary takes hundredths of a percent for the service - this is much less than the bank will have to pay.

At the same time, there are also disadvantages: time costs and the presence of a language barrier. Only a few Western brokers provide technical support for Russian-speaking clients, and a thorough analysis of assets on your own will take quite a long time.

In order to start working with American or European brokers, you must have at least 5 thousand dollars. Some brokers are refusing to work with Russian clients due to rising political tensions. But if you wish, you can always find a broker from the United States who will agree to cooperate. Russians prefer brokerage companies Charles Schwab and Interactive Brokers.

A brokerage account will be a good investment tool for experienced traders who appreciate complete control over their assets and high speed of transactions. Some large Russian brokers (for example, Aton, BCS, Finam, etc.) offer their clients access to international investment markets. One thousand dollars will be enough to open such an account. The client receives Russian-language support, but higher commissions will be required, and the set of assets for trading is often limited.

Investing through an insurance company

Investing through an insurance company is also called, it consists in acquiring assets that are legally drawn up in the form of a life insurance policy. Insurance in this case is only a cover that will help optimize taxes and get some additional benefits.

The investor receives a huge range of international instruments: various derivatives, deposits in Western banks, etc. An insurance company is a broker that fulfills clients' orders to buy and sell a wide variety of assets.

The main advantages of the "English method":

- low commissions - the insurance company works with a huge amount of financial instruments, which reduces commissions. A special loyalty bonus is available for investors if you invest for 5-10-15 years - this cannot be offered by any private broker;

- you can accumulate capital - if we consider the "English method" as an analogue of a brokerage account, then the entry threshold for brokers will be lower. Investment programs start at $20,000 - $30,000, but insurance companies offer savings programs with periodic payments of $100 - $500 per month. This makes it the most democratic way to invest abroad;

- Guarantees are provided in case the insurance company has problems. 90%-100% of the investor's funds are immediately transferred to the trust. Therefore, the money of the insurance company and investors is separated, and if the insurer has problems, then the client risks only 10% of his funds. You need to understand that protection does not apply to losses due to unsuccessful investment - here the client bears all the risks on his own.

Non-market advantages of the "English method":

- there is a clear inheritance procedure - according to the law, the heirs have the right to receive an inheritance six months after the death of the testator. The insurance capital is paid without delay to the person indicated in the insurance policy;

- tax benefits - companies that offer investment according to the "English method" are registered offshore, there are no taxes there. But even when transferring money to Russia, taxation can be avoided - the tax is charged only if the profit exceeds the refinancing rate;

– anonymity of investment – ​​the trust fund guarantees anonymity and non-disclosure of information about the investor.

The main disadvantage of investing according to the "English method" is their low liquidity. Contracts are usually concluded for 15-20 years. If the contract is terminated in the first 2-3 years after the conclusion, the investor loses all his investments. You need to think carefully before signing a contract, take into account possible fluctuations in the exchange rate. If the investor fails to pay monthly the 100-500 specified in the contract, then he loses his entire investment. Such cases, unfortunately, are quite common, when people sign a contract on the verge of their income.

Naturally, there are no ideal investment instruments, so you need to carefully weigh all the pros and cons before signing any contract.

Keeping money in a foreign bank– an option on how to protect your funds from the surprises of the domestic economy.

Reasons why you should open a deposit in a foreign bank

The main purpose of a deposit abroad is the reliable preservation of funds. Rates abroad are low, mostly 1-2%, and only in some places - up to 5%. Western financial institutions have strict conditions for early termination of deposits, as well as high taxes on interest.

Many set a high threshold for depositing funds (especially in Switzerland) - 10-25 thousand euros. The minimum guarantee amount (payment of compensation to the depositor in the event of bankruptcy) according to EU standards is at least 20,000 euros. In some countries it reaches 100,000 euros, for example, in Lithuania. Placing money abroad is beneficial for those who study or work there, as well as have a business or buy real estate.

Popular countries for deposits in Europe

For many years Russians placed deposits in Cyprus. But after problems in the country's banking system, when many lost money, his popularity waned. Now widespread placement of funds in the Baltic States.

Also known among depositors are countries such as Germany, Austria and Denmark, and the classic of the genre - Switzerland, where there are very low rates and a large minimum contribution. Deposits in foreign banks, the interest rates of which are very low, are considered as a way to securely store money, but not to earn money.

Deposits in foreign banks - TOP 10 most profitable offers *

The proposal for deposits by country is as follows.

1. In Cyprus, the best offers reach 4.5% (individually up to 6%) per annum in $ - Bank of Cyprus, Cyprus Popular Bank Ltd, and AlphBank.
2. In Latvia, Citadele Bank is interesting, which offers up to 3% per annum in $. BIGBANK announces in euros up to 2.65%.
3. USA: Edward and Jones Vanguard Group are offering up to 2.96% in dollars.
4. In the UK, the Bank of London and the Middle East announce up to 2.8% in terms of pounds sterling.
5. Italy. ING Direct Italia in euro - 1.4%.
6. Belgium - ING Belgium - 1.25% (euros).
7. Deposits in Germany: ING DiBa offers euro rates up to 1% per annum.
8. Sweden – Nordea raises funds at 1% in SEK.
9. Netherlands. ABN AMRO for euro deposits - up to 1% per annum.
10. Switzerland. Bank Postfinance - 0.15% per annum in Swiss francs. Of the deposits in Switzerland, this is the most advantageous offer, taking into account the costs of maintaining the deposit. Credit Suisse has the highest rates in Switzerland (0.72%), but service costs exceed income.

Requirements for non-resident investors

The main requirement of foreign financial structures to non-resident depositors is the transparency of the source of origin of money. Therefore, the verification of this factor is very serious. You will need different types of certificates and statements, different from the usual documents accompanying the opening of a deposit.

Recommendations of a domestic bank are welcome if it is a “daughter” of a foreign one. Recommendations of business partners who cooperate with this institution will also be very helpful. If the depositor has a business in the country where the deposit is placed, this is a big plus.

A high minimum deposit threshold (thousands of dollars) allows you to exclude people with low and medium incomes.

How to open a deposit in a foreign bank

To open an account in a foreign bank, you must:

1. Choose a suitable country, bank (reliability rating "A") and type of deposit.
2. Enter into correspondence to clarify the conditions for opening (in person or with the help of intermediaries).
3. Collect the necessary documents (in person or through intermediaries), translate them, notarize them.
4. Send documents to the bank.
5. Get a positive decision (or rejection).
6. If the decision is positive, sign the contract by going abroad (for VIP clients, the bank can send its own clerk).
7. Place money.
8. Provide local authorities with all necessary information about opening an account abroad.

national legal requirements

Starting from 2015, citizens who placed funds abroad are required to submit information on the movement of funds on their accounts to the tax office every quarter. These reports must be accompanied by supporting documents translated into Russian and notarized.

The opening and closing of an account abroad must be reported to the tax office at the place of residence within a month (otherwise, a fine of 5,000 rubles threatens).

You can transfer funds to a deposit only through Russian financial institutions.

• Count all income / expenses so as not to be at a loss. Low interest on deposits, as well as the cost of its maintenance, commissions for transferring funds and withdrawing them, converting them, lead to the fact that when placing less than 50 thousand dollars, the depositor may be in the red.
• If a foreign bank does not give consent and requests more and more new documents, then in this way it tells the depositor that it is undesirable for them to place a deposit. Abroad, it is not customary to talk about it directly.

*Date of data update – April 2015

I wandered around the American forums and came across such a thing -. Of course, everyone already knows that Americans are more savvy in this, but when you encounter this personally, you still perceive it differently. Many students who 18-20 have been working for years and not just to pay for their studies, housing, take a walk ... but also immediately purposefully develop their career from the first job and are already thinking about investments. So I met more than once 15-16 year olds students asked about the legality of investments for their age.

Americans take money a little deeper or more seriously ... A career for many is a very important part of life that everyone should have. And they begin to build their future much earlier than our people. But do not think that money is their main goal in life, they also know how to spend. Nevertheless, since childhood, they know the value of money and work very hard to achieve success. But there is another side of the coin, they do it practically forced because loans, rent, taxes, tuition fees and other necessary things cost them nothing.

One student wrote on one of the forums:

“... I don’t remember myself that I didn’t owe anyone 6 months and could just save money for a deposit. Are there such people at all? ... "

Of course, there are wealthy people who work little and have everything they want, but they are relatively few.

Investments abroad are not accessible to everyone, since only those who have a minimum 10-50 thousand dollars for this. Shares of large companies are worth one price, but there are conditions under which you cannot buy less than 50 of them, for example. Also, not every person from the street can come and invest money somewhere. For example venture funds in America. There is such an official rating of venture funds:

Venture fund

Venture fund (English venture - a risky venture) - an investment fund focused on working with innovative enterprises and projects (startups). Venture capital funds invest in securities or shares of high or relatively high risk companies with the expectation of extremely high returns. As a rule, 70-80% of projects do not bring returns, but the profit from the remaining 20-30% pays for all losses.

There are many of them in America, but you will not find information anywhere about how to invest money and what profits do they bring. They can only give open official information about their assets and their value. The thing is that only legal entities can invest in these venture funds and they are played by banks, financial companies and state! For example, pension funds (!). Of course, it is more convenient for a venture fund to work with a bank, with a few large investors than with hundreds of thousands of private investors, including students and the unemployed with deposits of 50-100 dollars.

Where do ordinary people invest abroad? The most common way for small investors is to invest in stock through brokers. I would say that they are more players stock market than investors, as they themselves choose through the trading platform of the company, their shares and buy them for a relatively short period of time. All small investors should have an additional source of income, as investing in shares is a very unstable profit that does not exceed 30% per annum as a rule. Larger investors work only through their brokerage consultant, who simply tells where to invest money and has his own commission.

The foreign market itself is very huge in terms of volume, and therefore, to enter it, you also need a lot of money, because in most reliable brokerage houses in America, the minimum amount for investment from 50 thousand dollars , and this, as you understand, is only a minimum.

For example, one of the Russian brokers accepts investments in trading on the stock market. Risks are limited to 10% and an annual return of 30%. Entry threshold - from 10,000,000 rubles.

What are the results? The state spins its money in venture funds, banks - the money of their depositors, and most people are convinced that you need to have a permanent job and never take risks. The middle class works 12-16 hours a day. Investments make rich people richer, every average American strives to break through to the next level in order to be able to work less when money and your work is already working for you. It is interesting that almost everyone knows this, but among my acquaintances there are no such people who were aware of this and purposefully went towards this from the age of 14-15, and those who came to this, most were just lucky or by chance. Everyone knows this, but few people go for it. And probably it should be so, otherwise we would not have a chance to make money on investments at all, since if somewhere there is more money, then somewhere there is less of it.

Not so long ago, I found an interesting alternative - investing in the shares of the largest foreign companies by means of options.

There is no need for huge sums and long periods of time. You can invest from $25 for terms from 1 minute up to a month. You buy companies, for example Google, with growth condition ( THE PRICE IS HIGHER(CALL) - up) or falling ( THE PRICE IS LOWER(PUT) - down) prices within the given time frame.

For example, in the news you learned that Apple is starting sales of a new iPad. This means that their shares necessarily grow up. All you need is on Apple stock at the beginning of the sales day with a CALL condition for an hour. If during this hour the stock price rises even by 0.001 points, you will earn 70% profit. If your investment is $300, then your profit will be $210, and it's only an hour! You can invest for a day to be more reliable.

For example, today I chose stocks Goldman Sachs:

Immediately indicated the closing time of the transaction at 18:30 (in 9 minutes):

Since today a steady growing trend has been fixed for the shares, I am sure that it will not change in 9 minutes. I specified the main condition of the option - UP:

If, after 9 minutes, Goldman Sachs shares will cost at least 1 cent more than at the time of purchase, then the UP condition will be fulfilled, and I will receive a previously known profit of 70%.

Look at the price chart a couple of seconds before the option closes at the time I specified:

Stocks continued to rise, my UP condition was met.

With an investment of $80, I was able to return $136 including a 70% profit or $56 in just 9 minutes:

Opinions of 11 Russian entrepreneurs and leaders.

1. For successful sales, you need to understand the mentality of buyers.

Sergey Menshchikov

Founder and CEO of Simformer

We have had an office in Stockholm for a couple of years now. We chose Sweden because we wanted to test working with European entrepreneurs, and in the Scandinavian countries the level of Internet penetration is high, and small business is very developed.

In general, in many respects, Sweden seemed interesting to us. In addition, we found a suitable person who was ready to take over the development of the office.

Before entering the Swedish market, we already had enough income to invest in expansion. We drew up a separate business plan specifically for Sweden, which included investments in the operating structure, marketing and development.

In terms of the costs of developing and adapting the system for the Swedish market, we made a mistake about two times. In terms of marketing and operating expenses, we hit, but this is not due to our accurate forecast, but to tight control of expenses (we continued to control them from Moscow). In total, they planned to invest about 15 million rubles in the first year.

We faced a lot of difficulties - from ignorance of the language and problems with certification in international payment systems for accepting Swedish crowns, to mentality and a negative attitude towards Russia (sanctions were already in full swing).

We have learned to hide "Russian ears" and present ourselves as an Irish company. Over time, our representative generally took on the role of a payment provider, the site was completely translated into Swedish and they stopped showing anywhere that we are not “native Swedes”. As it turned out, the Swedes really do not like everything that is not Swedish.

It was planned to reach payback in a year, but two years have passed, and we have not yet reached it. The reason is that the barrier to product acceptance and entry to the market turned out to be higher than expected. We ourselves were not ready for a large-scale marketing campaign and large infusions, and it turned out to be not as easy to get 200-300 clients on the sly as we expected.

Without knowing the brand and doubting its “Swedishness”, not a single Swede, or even a former Russian who moved to Sweden, will give even 100 kroons. In addition, it turned out that the Swedes are also quite "fisted", and, unlike the Russians, they are generally not inclined to experiments.

Our main mistake was in the speed of attracting new customers, their average check and the level of income that followed from these indicators. We expected to reach 300 active clients during the year, but we were only able to reach 100. We controlled costs quite tightly from the very beginning, but did not earn as much as we wanted.

Tatiana Kostenkova

We first entered the European market in 2014, when we won the Finnish government's Finlanding competition. We traveled all over the country, got acquainted with the teachers, the administration and decided to play for high stakes.

On the one hand, we modernize education and sell innovation classrooms made up of our developments - equipment that can be used to teach children coding, robotics and 3D printing, and on the other hand, we train teachers and offer a subscription to our educational and methodological materials.

There is a myth that in order to enter the foreign market, you only need to translate everything into English and export the products.

We succumbed to temptation and took the path of least resistance. It was a big mistake. Each country has its own linguistic and cultural characteristics in relation to everything from packaging to the education system, and simply translating into English is, of course, not an option.

Initially, we planned to reach self-sufficiency in a year, but now we see that more time is needed: this is a different country, where even time flows differently. In this regard, we did not meet the budget: initially we planned €200,000, but we will have to spend more.

Now "Robbo" has a representative office in Finland, where employees who speak Russian and Finnish work. They live in this country, understand the needs of the target audience, but services and products are different in Finland and Russia.

Robbo had its own robotics circles - the Robbo Club - which are distributed by franchise, and here we already knew how to act. We sold the franchise, provided materials and, together with a foreign partner, processed and localized them. Now we are negotiating with India, the United States and China, and we are moving in advance along the path of joint cooperation, close work and localization.

Pavel Frolov

Producer of the educational project "Robbo"

Partners are the driving force behind doing business abroad. They will help overcome the peculiarities of the local mentality and business environment. They will be able not only to develop the market taking into account all the nuances of their region, but also to solve most routine tasks, such as taxation, accepting payments, and so on.

Before signing a contract, you must be sure that you have found the right partner and that you will not waste time.

To create a pool of potential partners, ask yourself three questions:

Does a potential partner serve our target audience?

Do partners have a friendly business model? Are they ready to use our directives for doing business, adhere to dictated channel and pricing policies?

Do we understand how our software can help partners achieve their goals?

It is better to process the list of partners face-to-face, no remote communications will convey a “shifting glance”. A prerequisite for success is the involvement of the owner or manager in the primary business communication.

Alexander Gnatusin

2. The product must meet the expectations of local customers

Maxim Opilkin

Grotem Platform Development Director

In 2016, Vocord launched a large-scale international expansion project aimed at entering the markets of the Persian Gulf countries, Europe, the USA and Canada.

When entering foreign markets, we spent considerable effort to understand the specifics of the legislation in each of the countries where we planned to develop our business.

In our field of video surveillance and biometrics, it is very important to take into account all existing restrictions. For example, in some Middle Eastern countries there are bans on taking images of women.

There are also certain requirements for the use of the received data. In addition, at the preparatory stage, we spent efforts on analyzing markets and re-specifying product lines.

For each region, it was necessary to form its own set of products and solutions, which, on the one hand, would meet the needs of the market, and, on the other hand, the requirements of the legislation.

The company's own funds invested in the implementation of this stage did not exceed $200,000.

In most countries, as well as in Russia, we adhered to the partner sales model. We tried to choose one partner, a distributor who would be able to develop business in his country, in different segments.

In large markets, there may be several such partners. At the same time, they can be responsible either for a certain territory or for a segment of the market (for example, for the commercial sector, for transport applications, and so on).

The payback period depended on the specific market. In some countries, in particular in Western Europe, in North America, we continue to invest in development, market research, promotion of our products. In other regions, for example, some CIS countries and India, we already have a stable business.

Our investments in the project are mainly related to certification and localization of products, as well as participation in various promotional events. Now we are within the limits of the previously set indicators: the total volume of investments over the next two or three years will amount to a little over $9 million.

Timur Vekilov

General Director of Vocord company

​In early 2016, we adopted a sales strategy, one of the directions of which is to enter the markets of the USA, Europe, Turkey, South Africa and a number of Latin American countries.

We have clearly articulated the profile of our client in these countries and did not try to cover everyone at the first stage. For the foreign market, partnership agreements with integrators within the country may become.

This allows you to reduce the cost of promoting the product and focus on work on specific projects, the success of which will serve as a driver for further promotion of the product.

When entering foreign markets, you need to clearly understand that potential customers will have different expectations from your product and the motives that encourage them to buy can be radically different from the motives of customers in Russia and the CIS. ​

It took time to adjust our understanding of customer needs. And this despite the fact that we have always tried to find a partner who understands the market. But it was not always possible to immediately find a partner in a particular country or to work with a particular client.

Plus, there were some difficulties with communication if the country is not English-speaking or for the client's representatives, English is not native.

It was planned to reach the payback in 5 years after the start of scientific developments, but they did not meet the deadlines a little. The main reason is the adjustment of monetization models and reorientation to industries where the demand for our solution turned out to be higher.

In addition, following the global development of technologies, we had to adjust their set in the proposed solution. The sales cycle was longer than originally expected. However, this is typical for high-tech venture projects in the B2B sector.

Nikolai Sergeev

CEO of RTL Service group of companies

3. Networking Saves Your Marketing Budget

We flew to the USA to open a sales office for our R&D company. The first thing we understood was that the IT product environment in which Americans live is very different.

For example, a large number of users use Yelp, Snapchat, Craigslist, which are completely unpopular in Russia. In order to create a competitive product in the US market, you need to be imbued with the experience of using local services, study the patterns of consumption of the product and content that are familiar to them.

Well, the portfolio that works for us in Russia is not valued at all in the USA. The experience of working with American companies is highly valued.

As long as we do not have a strong brand in the local market, we can only sell through personal contacts to people who personally trust us and our agents, and not the Technocracy brand.

We got acquainted through Facebook with people in the USA who were interested in opening a representative office of our company. When we arrived in the USA, our partners arranged a networking session for us with American businessmen and representatives of the Russian IT community. From there came the first orders, which then initiated word of mouth. Thus, we did without initial investments in marketing.

Without spending on marketing, we have already been able to earn more than $50,000 in six months. We now have an office in San Diego, however, most of the sales still come from the networking of our partners and agents. The same agency model works effectively for us in Europe. We regularly make deals with companies from Switzerland, England, Germany, China.

To start, we did not need large investments, because the sales office for R&D services is located in the office of a product company that our partners develop together with us.

We do not have statewide costs in the US because our agents work for a percentage of the contract amount upon the transaction. I believe that we are moving in the right direction, and not only do not incur losses, but also earn. In the near future, we expect to invest about $50,000 in marketing activities.

Bulat Ganiev

Managing partner of IT solutions studio "Technocracy"

​One of our Israeli clients, a forex broker to whom we provided electronic payment processing services, told us about a problem he encountered. It's about stealing leads, customer data.

The investments that they invest in attracting new customers are extremely high, respectively, the cost of one lead is also high - starting at an average of $20.

What is surprising, because there was no solution on the market that would protect data from internal and external threats. We have used experience and knowledge in the field of the payment industry, in which the protection of personal data is the basis of business.

Initially, we did not intend to enter the market with our solution, we made it according to the client's request. Accordingly, at the first stage there were no significant investments from our side in the project.

We then realized that with no competing offerings, we needed to bring the Leads Protecting System to market, and we moved into a more active product development phase, which was handled by our in-house developer.

In May 2016, we presented the solution to a wide audience at the industry's largest trade show. From that moment on, active negotiations began with brokers and trading platforms.

We noted an interesting feature: a lot of people showed interest in LPS, product presentations were held with a bang - such a solution did not really exist on the market and still does not exist. The ability to protect ourselves from lead theft was very inspiring for our potential clients, but no one was in a hurry to conclude a contract.

These difficulties were associated with a certain inertia of the business: the players do not want to change, although the predicted gain from such a change is impressive. In addition, it was difficult for us to determine the cost of the solution ourselves. I repeat - there are no analogues of LPS, in fact, there is no competitive market, so pricing is very difficult.

The business environment in Israel is such that for the most part dating matters a lot. Networking helped us present the solution to interested clients. We have had a partner in this country for several years now, who leads the sales of the product and is personally acquainted with the people who make decisions in the companies we are interested in.

We did not have a sales plan, but we expected that by the spring of 2017 we would already have several contracts with trading platforms or brokers. As a result, we signed our first contract only in mid-April 2017.

After signing the contract, the client said that he was ready to buy a solution three times more expensive. This rather pleased us - now we are better guided by the real cost of our solution. Although our expectations for LPS sales were not quite met, we are confident that we will be able to rock the market.

The only investment that we planned and plan to make in the "buildup of the market" is participation in exhibitions. For our target audience, we are not newbies, we are already known there, since we work with several large companies, we provide them with our payment solution. During the year we took part in three exhibitions and spent about $33,000 on it.

Asya Lavrentieva

Payneteasy Marketing Specialist

4. Cooperation with the state helps to save on marketing and taxes

Our company develops cloud services for business under the Dodidone brand. These are Doditrade electronic trading platform, Dodicall cloud telephony and business messenger, Dodimail corporate email and Dodibox cloud storage.

We simultaneously enter the markets of Russia, Great Britain, Germany and the Scandinavian countries. Until the end of 2017, we have plans for France, Italy, Israel and the United States.

Dodidone's business model includes a representative office and carrier in each country of presence, which allows us not only to comply with local laws, but also to better understand the needs of businesses in each region.

Entering a new market, we conduct marketing research and organize surveys of the target audience. The choice of positioning and further strategy depends on this. From our own experience, we have seen that it is necessary to adapt to each market.

Market research can be done by staff members, but only if they have similar experience. It is important to study potential customers, because. their problems differ from country to country, and therefore consumer preferences are different.

Primary information about the market was collected through participation in exhibitions and major international conferences. For example, we recently visited the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The UK will host The Business Show in May, where we will also present our services.

We asked for support from the Department of International Trade of the British Embassy, ​​which helps companies with market research and business adaptation to local realities. We consulted with the Embassies of Germany and France, which made it possible to obtain additional information.

We also joined specialized international associations to establish communication with the business community, participate in events and communicate directly with potential customers and partners. We are already members of the Swiss e-commerce association Netcomm Suisse and the British Federation of communication services.

We came to the conclusion that the positioning of Dodidone services in Russia and in European countries should be different. Our target audience is small and medium businesses, but in Russia we promote cloud services for doing business, and in Europe we focus on international e-commerce.

This conclusion was reached after analyzing the trends and the economic situation in the market of each country. We studied competitors, their numbers and marketing tactics, talked to local experts. Consulting with a person who knows the market from the inside can save a significant budget for promotion and reduce the number of errors.

When planning a budget, you need to prioritize. If a company is just entering the market, then the main costs are associated with obtaining information (market research, focus groups with consumers, participation in exhibitions and conferences). But these costs are quite easy to predict, since there are fixed prices for such services.

It is more difficult when the company is included in the competition. Then we recommend that you estimate the approximate costs of marketing competitors. It is not easy to predict the exact budget for promotion, so initially lay down 15-20% for contingencies and look for possible ways to save. For example, a focus group can be conducted by a marketing agency, through dedicated IT platforms, or on your own. And the costs will vary greatly. There is no universal recipe. It all depends on the capabilities of the team and its international connections.

Vladimir Klimontovich

Co-founder and CTO of GetIntent

Alexander Gnatusin

Founder and Head of Advanced Business Development Agency

"Foreigners will help us!"
Ostap Bender, character "12 chairs"

There are no patriots when it comes to taxes.
George Orwell, Brit. Writer

Investing in Russia is a huge instability. Recall the year 1991, when the savings of citizens in banks immediately depreciated, and it became possible to buy a kilogram of sweets for life insurance payments ... Or 1998, with its growth in the dollar rate several times in just a few months ... Or 2008 when the stock market "safe haven for investors" lost more than 70% in a year (the worst result in the world) ... Recent events also do not add optimism.

Investment is a long-term process. It can take 10-15-20 years to build enough capital to meet your financial goals. And at such intervals, the reliability of investments comes to the fore. What is the use of the average return of the Russian stock market of 25% if it is associated with the possibility of losing everything in a matter of days!

Economic risks of investments in Russia are associated with the one-sided development of the country. The strongest dependence on the export of resources leads to the fact that the profitability of most investments directly depends on energy prices. The price of oil is growing - and you can invest in any shares of the stock market, everyone will grow. The gas price has fallen, and no matter what Gazprom does, its stock quotes will go down.

And there are also political risks. The state owns stakes in key Russian companies. The small size of our stock market allows the state and other major players to direct its movement in the right direction. Often such "interventions" do not take into account the interests of small private investors.

Long-term investments in Russia are a huge risk caused by completely non-market reasons, and therefore unjustified. It is not surprising that interest in investing abroad is growing year by year.

How to invest abroad?

Foreign investments are available not only to the elite. They are not as difficult as it seems at first, and do not require serious capital. Let's look at ways to invest in foreign assets in Russia. We will focus only on those options that can be recommended as reliable in terms of protection against fraud. All kinds of offshore companies in the Seychelles, Nauru, Liberia, Myanmar, etc., trading CFDs, binary options and similar instruments without actually buying assets, have a very approximate relationship to investments.

We will consider the possibility of formally purchasing assets - stocks, bonds, fund shares and other capital creation instruments. And you can choose the appropriate method based on your goals and financial capabilities.

In total, there are 3 ways to invest in foreign assets:

1. Investment bank account.
2. Buying assets through a broker.
3. Purchase of assets through an insurance company (English way).

Investment bank account

Banks are the most popular financial intermediary in Russia. That is why they are the first to come to mind when it comes to investing abroad. Alas, this is far from the most optimal way to invest.

The essence of an investment bank account is that it stores not so much money as assets. The bank, at the request of the client, buys for him shares, bonds, shares of funds and other securities. Large banks are usually included in various financial groups that include companies from the entire financial sector. This allows the bank to create a one-stop private banking service without the investor having to turn to other companies. This versatility, unfortunately, turns out to be the only plus of Private banking.

The list of cons is overwhelming.

• First, private banking is available to very wealthy people. Foreign banks will not consider applications with amounts less than half a million dollars.
• Secondly, the bank is not interested in promoting the services of competitors and, first of all, will offer its own investment products.
• Third, banks tend to have higher management fees than other intermediaries.
• Fourth, Russian residents are prohibited from receiving money in foreign bank accounts. That is, according to the law, the profit from investments must be withdrawn to a Russian bank, and from it to make a transfer to your foreign account. Bypassing this law is fraught with administrative and, in some cases, criminal liability.

Brokerage account

For those who are already working on the Russian stock market, there is nothing new in brokerage services. Abroad, everything is arranged in the same way. You open an account with a foreign broker and get online access to trading on the stock exchange. You make transactions yourself, buying and selling assets, and the broker takes a commission from you for each transaction.

The main advantages of this method of investment are efficiency and independence. Transactions are made online almost instantly, the liquidity of your portfolio is maximum. Plus, you choose when and what assets to trade.

Commissions from brokers are hundredths of a percent per transaction, which is a couple of orders of magnitude lower than in the banking sector.

Independence of decision-making has a downside - the cost of time and the language barrier. Few Western brokers have Russian-speaking technical support, and a thorough analysis of assets for a purchase will take more than one hour, or even more than one day.

The minimum entry threshold for opening an account with American brokers is $5,000 - $10,000. Recently, some brokers refuse to open accounts for Russian investors in light of increased tensions between Russia and the West. However, politics is politics, and business is business.

Among Russians, the most popular are companies and

In general, a brokerage account is suitable for experienced investors for whom flexibility and complete control over their assets are the most important characteristics of a portfolio.

Large Russian brokers (BCS, Aton, Finam, etc.) also offer access to foreign markets. The minimum amount to open such an account is $1,000 - $2,000. You have Russian-speaking support, but higher commissions and often a limited set of assets for trading.

Investment through an insurance company

English investment method (unit-linked plan)- the purchase of assets, legally formalized as a life insurance policy. There is no insurance, as such, in the English method - in fact, this is an ordinary brokerage account, and the policy is just a way to optimize taxes and obtain additional non-market benefits.

A unit-linked plan allows an investor to access an unlimited range of international instruments, including deposits in Western banks, mutual funds and ETFs, securities and derivatives, structured products, etc. The insurance company works as a broker, that is, it simply executes an order for the purchase and sale of assets, and at the same time combines the possibilities of private banking in terms of choosing investments and legal protection of capital.

The main market advantages of the "English method"

• Reduced commissions.

The insurance company works with financial instruments in bulk, receiving a lower level of commissions, which is not available to private investors. In addition, insurance companies give investors a loyalty bonus if you invest for 5-10-15 years. No broker will offer you such payments.

There is a possibility of capital accumulation.

If we consider the "English method" as an analogue of a brokerage account, then the entry threshold for brokers will be lower. Insurance companies will open an investment program for you from $20,000 to $30,000. However, insurers offer savings programs with periodic payments of 100 - 500 dollars per month. This makes the Unit-linked plan the most democratic way to invest abroad.

Guarantees of safety of capital in case of problems with the insurance company.

90% of your funds are immediately transferred to a trust. Thus, the money of investors and the money of the insurance company are separated physically and legally. Any financial problems of the insurer affect only 10% of clients' funds. But you need to understand that this protection does not apply to market losses of investors - if you invested in an unsuccessful instrument and lost 50% of your capital, no one will return these losses to you.

Non-market advantages of the "English method"

• Clear inheritance procedure

. By law, heirs are entitled to receive an inheritance six months after the death of the testator. The insurance capital is paid without delay to the person indicated in the insurance policy.

Favorable taxation.

Companies offering investment according to the English method, as a rule, are registered in offshore zones, and there are no taxes at all. But even if the money is returned to Russia, there is tax optimization. According to the law of the Russian Federation, payments from insurance companies under life insurance policies are taxed only to the extent that profits exceed the refinancing rate.

The anonymity of capital.

A trust or trust fund ensures the anonymity of your investment. The money is managed on behalf of the trust, and information about its participants is not subject to disclosure.

The main disadvantage of insurance investment programs is low liquidity. Unit-linked plans are usually long-term contracts, concluded for 15-25 years. Termination of the contract during the first 2-3 years is fraught with a complete loss of investment - the insurance company will not even return the money that you deposited to your account. And for some more period, you can terminate the contract, having received only part of the capital.

You need to be especially careful when concluding funded programs. Don't forget about currency risk. If suddenly, due to a sharp jump in the exchange rate, you cannot pay the agreed 100-500 dollars per month under the contract, the contract will be terminated and you will lose money. In the last two years, this situation is not uncommon, because naive investors, succumbing to the persuasion of consultants, often entered into such programs on the verge of their financial capabilities.

In times of crisis and uncertainty, such advice does more harm than good.

The course "How to become an investor" will relieve you of many illusions about investments and teach you the basics of effective money management in any conditions.