Of all the considerations to think through entering the US market, how high is having a local office? We work with a lot of companies who want to establish themselves here and some rank this as most important and others feel this is not important at all (both have been very successful I would add). I think it depends on the model – of the mindset that “there are no best practices since your company / situation is unique”. Here’s what a few on LinkedIn thought:

Cindy Mazza wrote:

Good question and your right the model has a lot to do with the approach. Having been on both side of the ‘desk’ as a merchant and in manufacturing I find that most U.S. companies like to have someone in the U.S. to speak to in real time if a problem arises. 24/7 Blackberry use has helped to make this less pervasive but in the long run having a person who the customer feels connected to makes sense if only for peace of mind.

On the other hand if most of the customer base has a global viewpoint and is very experienced working and traveling globally then it may be possible to not set up a U.S. office. It really depends on the industry. Personally I would set up the office to handle process work and give my team somewhere to base when visiting the U.S. then if it was not used take it apart later.

Tara Baten wrote:

Great question. Many people feel comfortable knowing the team they are working with is local – whether it is in the same city, state or country. The benefits are many – time zone considerations, responsiveness and simple awareness of what the trends are and latest news in the US. It all boils down to the simplest element of customer satisfaction and retention – relationship building.

Brett Jarvis wrote:

In addition to the other comments, which are valid regarding customer service and the logistics of transacting business, you also have to deal with the mindset. You need to consider whether the U.S. markets in question will even consider a company relevant to them at all if they don’t have a presence here.