Three months on the ground in Belgium. No customers. No local network. A brand hardly anyone knew.
That was my introduction to developing RECOM’s Belgian market, right at the start of my solar career.
I knew nobody. I had no sophisticated market-entry framework. But I had a clear job: build the business and generate revenue.
So I picked up the phone, sent emails, travelled from Greece to Belgium and met people.
Over those three months, I spoke with distributors, EPCs and potential customers to understand where we could realistically compete.
Gradually, the answer became clear.
At the time, our pricing was less competitive for large-scale EPC projects. Distribution was a much better fit.
That changed my priorities. Instead of chasing every opportunity, I focused on the channel where we had a genuine chance of winning business.
That’s how I started building the business in Belgium. The Netherlands and Germany followed.
Looking back, the most important thing I did was get close enough to the market to understand what worked and what didn’t.
Today, I’d approach those first 90 days more systematically. But I wouldn’t change that part.
Research and planning matter. But until you speak with actual buyers, much of what you think you know about a market remains an assumption.
Those first 90 days should leave you with more than a long prospect list:
A clear understanding of where you can compete, who has a reason to buy and where your next commercial effort should go.
The result? Less time and money spent chasing the wrong opportunities, and a clearer path to generating revenue.