How does an American business win clients and partners in the UK?
By being introduced rather than pitched. British buyers respond far better to a recommendation from someone they already trust than to a confident cold approach, so the fastest route in is a person who knows both sides. The rest of this guide explains why, and how to find that person.
Isn't a shared language enough?
It helps, and it misleads. Because Americans and Britons use the same words, each side assumes the other decides the same way. They do not.
American business tends to reward a bold ask and a fast yes. British business tends to reward understatement, patience and, above all, being recommended. An American email that would land well in Atlanta can read as pushy in Leeds, and a British reply that sounds politely interested may mean no.
How much does the time difference matter?
Less than people fear. London is five hours ahead of the US east coast for most of the year, so a morning call in New York or Atlanta is an early afternoon call in the UK. The west coast is harder, eight hours apart, but a first conversation still fits at the start of the Pacific day.
What do British firms look for in an American partner?
Proof that you will be around, that you understand how things are done in the UK, and that someone they respect has worked with you. The last one matters most, and it is the one no website can provide on its own.
And UK firms heading to the US?
They face the mirror problem. The American market is enormous and fast, and a British firm can spend a year and a budget without meeting the one buyer who would have said yes. A warm introduction into the right state and the right industry saves most of that.
The USA-UK Business Bridge
The USA-UK Business Bridge exists to make those introductions. It runs on My Most Trusted, a business introduction network where people meet only through someone who knows them both.
The American end is held by Dr Sreelatha Meleth, a business coach based in the Atlanta area and founder of Freeing Ourselves. The UK host seat is open. Nobody buys lists, nobody is pitched on arrival, and an introduction that would not help both people is not made.
If the other side of the pond is in your plans, start with who you want to meet, and who might already know them.
The USA-UK Business Bridge
What Americans and Britons both call the Atlantic, as if three thousand miles of ocean were a small thing to cross.
Take a tour of the USA-UK Bridge