Find clients and sell your products in the United Kingdom

Finding clients abroad is always a challenge, and business development in the United Kingdom is not different. You need the right contacts and once you reach the decision maker, you need the right sales pitch.

A lot of companies that want to enter the market in the United Kingdom do this with their general sales pitch. However, if you don’t know the local regulations, pricing levels and your competition’s product, sales meetings may be difficult to conclude successfully.

How to sell your product or service in the United Kingdom?

The United Kingdom is one of the larger economies of Europe, although not being part of the EU any more.

As of 2024, the United Kingdom’s population is estimated to be approximately 67.96 million. The population has shown a modest growth rate of around 0.35% from the previous year. It has a diverse set of overseas born populations, with the largest contributing countries being Poland, India, and Pakistan.

The UK has a mixed economy, which is the sixth-largest national economy in the world by nominal GDP. It is characterized by a highly developed and market-oriented sector. The largest city and capital is London, which is a major global city and financial center.

WHAT ARE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM?

Foreign direct investment (FDI) to the UK slumped during the economic crisis. Fortunately, it has been improving significantly. In 2014, UK ranked as the 11th largest recipient of foreign direct investment. Main sectors that attract FDI are:

Financial services
Professional, scientific, technical services
Mining
Metal products, machinery
Computers, electronics, optics
Food, beverages, tobacco

WHERE THE ACTION REALLY IS IN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS IN UNITED KINGDOM

Respectively, imports and exports make up 25.8% and 19.2% of the total economic output. This is a country that should be included in your marketing plan. The top five imports and exports are as follow:

Imports	% of total	Exports	% of total
Machinery	13.2	Machinery	14
Oil	11.3	Oil	11.2
Vehicles	11	Vehicles	10.6
Electronic equipment	8.9	Gems, precious metals, coins	10.3
Gems, precious metals, coins	5.2	Pharmaceuticals	6.6

THE UNITED KINGDOM ICT MARKET: E-COMMERCE, E-HEALTH, IT SECURITY

According to the European Information Technology Observatory, the UK offers the largest ICT market in Europe. Areas where imports are expected to grow include tablets, cloud-computing, real-time data analysis, and business software.

The UK is a market for new technology and design along with a sophisticated group of consumers who are patrons of new innovations in technology and well established channels for distribution.

Who actually decides?

Business development abroad fails more often on the wrong contact than on the wrong product. Decide first whether you sell to end users, to a procurement department or through a partner: each asks for a different pitch and a different price level.

Expect to adapt three things per market. The language of your materials, your proof — local references count for more than global ones — and your price positioning against the local alternatives.

Do you need help in the United Kingdom?

Our service providers are local specialists. They know the market, the regulations and the parties that matter, and they can support you with the steps on this page.

Ask a professional

Finding your first clients in the United Kingdom in three steps

Step 1

Define the target group

Describe the companies or consumers you want to reach, the budget they have and the problem you solve for them. Skip this and every later step costs more time.

Step 2

Build a list and approach

Collect 50 to 100 relevant companies, find the person who decides, and reach out in the local language by email, LinkedIn or telephone.

Step 3

Follow up and localise

Track what you hear back and sharpen the pitch on it. Add local proof: translated pages, references from the region and a local number or partner.

Find clients and sell your products in the United Kingdom