International business development is not a contact-list problem. It is a credibility problem. We help leadership teams build credibility in markets where they are not yet known — through warm introductions, sequenced meetings and a discipline around what each conversation is meant to produce.
When clients come to us
When a sales team has tried to open a market cold and stalled. When the founder or CEO is planning a series of market visits and wants the time to count. When a board has agreed an international growth target without a credible commercial plan to deliver it. Often when the in-house team is strong domestically but lacks the cross-border network to scale.
How we work
We start with a target account list built jointly with the commercial team — what conversations the firm needs, with whom, by when. From there we sequence introductions through our network in the target market, brief the firm's team for each meeting, and review what each conversation produced. The discipline is in the follow-through, not the meeting count.
What we deliver
- Target account list with named decision makers
- Warm introduction sequencing plan
- Pre-meeting briefings and positioning material
- In-market support for executive visits
- Post-meeting review and pipeline tracking
- Local hire profile for sustained presence
Typical engagement
A business development engagement runs three to nine months on a retainer basis. On our side, a senior advisor in the target market leads. On the client side, the head of commercial or CEO is the principal counterpart, with the board reviewed monthly. We commit to a small number of mandates per market so that introductions stay personal.
Why CGLA
Our network is built around operating businesses, not directories. When we make an introduction in Tallinn or London, the recipient takes the call because they know us. We are an advisor, not an agent — there are no commissions on the conversations we open.
