u/Legitimate-Elk980

A couple of referrals helped you get into Asia.
That was 3-6 months ago. Since then, not much happened.
 
Referrals are a great sign. They mean you’re doing something right and someone trusted you enough to put their name behind you.
 
But they’re not a pipeline strategy.
 
You can’t schedule them. You can’t forecast them. And when leadership asks what the Asia pipeline looks like next quarter, “we’re waiting on a few introductions” is not an answer that holds up.
 
The companies that build real traction in Asia don’t abandon referrals. They add an outbound layer that runs in parallel so new conversations are happening whether or not someone passes your name along that week.
 
A focused list of the right accounts. The right people inside them. Outreach that fits the market. Done consistently, it compounds. And it gives you something you can actually predict.

Hundreds to thousands leads won’t get a deal that reached the wrong person.
One conversation with fewer people but the right ones will close it.

Most outreach lists are built on firmographics. Right company size. Right industry. Right title. And on paper, that looks like a solid list.

But a contact that fits your ICP criteria and a contact that is actually worth reaching out to right now are two different things.

High-intent leads aren’t just the right profile. They’re the right profile, at a company where something is happening a new market entry, a leadership change, a fresh budget cycle, an initiative that maps directly to what you solve. A trigger that makes this the right moment.

When you have that context, the message is easier to write up. You’re not pitching cold. You’re reaching out because you have a genuine, specific reason to.

Without it, even a well-written email or LinkedIn message or calling script to the right person will have no impact. There’s no signal that you understand their situation. No reason for them to stop and respond.

We do a detailed and deep research before an outreach starts. That’s what turns a list that sits there into a list that generates real conversations.

The "China+1" narrative has reached peak hype. Tariffs on Chinese goods are sitting at 47%. Every consultant is telling clients to pivot to Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia.

And the opportunity is real — Asia Pacific is projected to overtake North America as the world's largest consumer market by 2035, with private consumption reaching $36 trillion. The fundamentals are genuinely strong.

But here's what's getting lost in the excitement:

"Southeast Asia" is not a market. It's 11 countries with 11 different legal systems, languages, buyer behaviors, and regulatory environments.

Companies that entered China in the 2000s learned this the hard way. The same pattern is repeating right now:

• Teams get approved budget for "SEA expansion"
• They pick Singapore as the hub because it's easy to set up in
• They hire one regional BD person and aim them at the whole region
• 18 months later: some pipeline, no closed revenue, board asks hard questions

The companies actually winning in Asia right now are doing the opposite — one country, one vertical, one buyer profile — before expanding anywhere else.

Vietnam for manufacturing. Philippines for mid-market outsourcing buyers. Indonesia for consumer plays. India for enterprise tech. These are completely different strategies, not one strategy.

The tariff window is real. The rush is real. But entry without a market-specific go-to-market is just expensive tourism.

What market are you building in right now, and how did you decide?

Relying on your Account Managers to fill the pipeline… but they do not really prospect?
 
This is more common than most sales leaders want to admit.
 
Account Managers are great at managing relationships, expanding existing accounts, and making sure clients stay happy. That's what they're built for.
 
But asking them to also go out and open new conversations cold, with unfamiliar companies, in a market like Asia they don't know well is a different job entirely. And most of the time, it quietly doesn't happen.
 
The pipeline looks like it's moving because existing accounts are active. But new logos aren't coming in. And that only becomes a real problem when you realize it six months too late.
 
The fix isn't pushing your AMs harder. It's separating the two jobs properly.
 
New business prospecting especially in Asia needs its own dedicated motion. Its own list, its own outreach, its own follow-up rhythm. Separate from the renewal and expansion work your AMs are already doing well.

Thinking about expanding into Asia… but unsure whether the market is ready for your product?

That’s a very valid question to ask before a company starts investing.

The challenge is that the question is hard to answer from a desk in Europe.

Market reports will tell you the region is growing. Industry analysts will tell you the opportunity is massive. But none of that tells you whether your specific product, at your specific price point, solves a problem that buyers in Singapore or Indonesia or UAE actually feel urgently enough to act on right now.

One of the proven ways to really know is to have the conversations with the right prospects.

Not a formal research project. Not a several month consulting engagement. Just structured outreach to the right people in your target market and seeing how they respond. These kind of conversations will tell you more about market readiness than any report you can buy.

We do this for European companies. It's often the 1st thing we run before any serious pipeline building starts. A short, focused low-risk validation round that gives you real answers based on real buyer reactions.

If you're at that stage, it's worth a conversation.