2025 left us with a very clear message: the international competitive landscape is changing faster than many companies can react. We see it every day. Markets that once felt “safe” are slowing down, new competitors are entering the game, buyers are changing how they buy, and country risk is once again a real factor.
According to the latest WTO estimates, global trade in goods in 2026 is expected to grow between 0.5% and 2.3%, well below the historical average. This is not the end of globalization, but the beginning of a more selective globalization.
In this context, doing export “by trial and error” has become too expensive — in terms of time, budget, reputation, and above all lost opportunities.
WHERE SMEs GET HURT THE MOST
In 2025 I worked with companies from different industrial sectors and I saw the same mistakes repeated again and again:
- entering “fashionable” markets without analyzing their real potential
- focusing only on the product and forgetting that customers and distributors are convinced by many other factors
- attending trade fairs without pre-fair sales activity: after three days you come home with business cards, not real leads
- not thinking in terms of sectors, which — like markets — follow very different growth paths
- approaching new clients, distributors or agents in a standardized way, with little attention to their real needs
These choices are often driven by sales pressure.
But today they are increasingly losing strategies.
THERE IS A HUGE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN “SELLING ABROAD” AND HAVING AN “INTERNATIONAL STRATEGY”
Selling abroad is sales activity.
An international strategy is a structured process, built on:
- data-driven market selection
- competitor analysis from different angles
- a clear positioning
- qualified lead generation
- a personalized first approach: quality over quantity
You don’t need complex plans.
You need method and the discipline to start from data and market reality — not from gut feeling.
WHY A STRATEGY MATTERS MORE THAN EVER TODAY
For two very concrete reasons.
1️⃣ Buyers have changed
They are younger, more digital and more structured.
Recent research shows that over 70% of B2B buyers are now Millennials and Gen Z.
They evaluate suppliers online first: website, references, technical content, LinkedIn.
When they reach out, they are already well informed.
In simple terms: if your value proposition is not clear, you are rejected immediately.
This makes a personalized first approach essential — and here AI can become a powerful support tool.
2️⃣ The global environment is very different from a few years ago
Just as we do an annual financial review, we should also do a market check-up:
- which countries are growing?
- which traditional markets are slowing down?
- should we rethink where we exhibit?
- what new opportunities will open up as the EU–Mercosur agreement is finalized? For some industries — mechanical engineering, automotive, agri-industry — it could be a major opportunity, but only for those who are prepared
Operating without a compass today is dangerous.
Better a few well-chosen markets than many poorly managed ones.
BEFORE TOOLS, A MINDSET SHIFT IS REQUIRED
Italian SMEs have outstanding technical capabilities.
What is often missing is the bridge between the factory and the market.
That is exactly where I work every day as an export consultant:
helping companies choose the right markets, improve their positioning and reduce commercial risk.
In 2026, improvisation will not be forgiven.
Today, improvisation is a hidden tax that SMEs can no longer afford.
Because export is not an opportunity — it is a strategic choice.
And like every strategic choice, it requires method.
If you would like to discuss how to build a more solid export path for your company, I am available.
No hype. Just pragmatic, serious work.