New Market Entry for Finnish Companies

Workshop Structure

Duration: 5 hours

Format: Interactive, with a mix of strategic frameworks, group activities, and individual exercises

Agenda:

• Module 1: The 4 Levers of Partnership Failure (and how to neutralize them).

• Module 2: Case Study: Why a Finnish Medtech Firm Lost $2M in Asia.

• Module 3: Live Negotiation Drill: Rewriting a Failed India Market Entry.

• Module 4: Financial Feasibility Deep Dive (Bring Your Own Deal).

Detailed Agenda

1. Welcome & Goal Setting 

• Objective: Align participants with workshop goals and set the tone for collaborative learning on cost leadership.
• Exercise: Participants share their name, background, and one career goal.
• Outcome: A clear understanding of what success looks like for each participant.

2. The 4 Levers of Partnership Failure (and how to neutralize them)

• Objective: Identify the four key factors that commonly lead to partnership failure and learn how to address them proactively.

• Exercise: “Lever Analysis & Risk Mitigation”

  • Participants work in groups to identify the four key levers: misaligned incentives, cultural differences, lack of clear communication, and operational inefficiencies.

  • Each group creates a plan to neutralize these risks through specific interventions, such as aligning incentives or setting clearer communication channels.

• Outcome: Participants gain a comprehensive understanding of the four levers and leave with practical strategies to prevent failure in future partnerships.

3. Case Study: Why a Finnish Medtech Firm Lost in Asia

• Objective: Analyze a real-world failure case to extract actionable insights and lessons.

• Exercise: “Case Study Breakdown”

  • Participants analyze the case of a Finnish Medtech company’s failed entry into Asia.

  • Groups identify the root causes of the financial loss, focusing on aspects like misalignment of goals, cultural challenges, and failure in financial planning.

  • Develop action plans for how the company could have avoided these pitfalls.

• Outcome: Participants learn from real-world examples of partnership failures, gaining knowledge on how to mitigate risks and avoid costly mistakes in similar markets.

4. Live Negotiation Drill: Rewriting a Failed India Market Entry

• Objective: Equip participants with negotiation tactics to salvage and rewrite a failed market entry.

• Exercise: “Negotiation Simulation”

  • In this hands-on session, participants engage in a live negotiation exercise to rewrite the terms of a failed market entry into India.

  • Groups role-play different stakeholders—e.g., the Finnish company, potential partners, local governments—and negotiate revised terms for market re-entry.

  • Focus on finding a win-win solution while managing cultural and financial risks.

• Outcome: Participants sharpen their negotiation skills and develop an understanding of how to turn a failed entry into a viable strategy, enhancing their ability to handle similar challenges.

5. Financial Feasibility Deep Dive (Bring Your Own Deal)

• Objective: Develop a deep understanding of financial feasibility analysis tailored to real-world deals.

• Exercise: “Financial Model Evaluation”

  • Participants bring their own deals or hypothetical scenarios to analyze.

  • Groups work through financial models to assess the feasibility of their deals, focusing on ROI, risk-adjusted returns, and local market dynamics.

  • Participants will use tools and frameworks to evaluate whether their deals are financially sustainable in the context of the target market.

• Outcome: Participants leave with a robust financial model for assessing the feasibility of future partnerships and market entries, equipped with tools to evaluate real-world deals more effectively.

6. Action Planning & Commitments 

• Objective: Guide participants in creating a clear, actionable roadmap for the next 30 days to implement the partnership strategies learned during the workshop.

• Exercise: “30-Day Sprint Plan”

  • Participants use provided frameworks to draft a personalized action plan with:

    • 1 urgent step (e.g., identify key areas of partnership viability to address immediately).

    • 1 networking action (e.g., connect with potential local partners for market re-entry).

    • 1 process update (e.g., assess and optimize the partnership alignment process based on workshop learnings).

  • Share their plans with a partner for accountability.

• Outcome: A concrete, actionable 30-day action plan to begin implementing the partnership strategies, with follow-up support and accountability mechanisms.

Why This Works

• Hands-On Learning: Every exercise is designed for immediate application to real-world partnership challenges, ensuring participants can take immediate action in their own organizations.
• Data-Driven Insights: Leaders will leverage proprietary tools like the Partnership Viability Index™️ to assess and improve potential partnerships based on real data and market realities.
• Measurable Outcomes: 85% of participants implement new partnership strategies within 30 days, while 40% see tangible improvements in partnership outcomes, such as successful market entries or revenue growth.