When doing this there is no point in testing and using their products (and your own) on a desktop computer if everyone else will be using a mobile, and vice versa. There is no point in packing a product with a graphical “wonder show” that runs fine with super-fast 4G internet, if the average person in this country won’t have that kind of a Wi-Fi available. In short, replicate the average customer experience as much as possible when doing your R+D. You will quickly see for yourself what the best bits of each are and where they are lacking. You will not be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of your own products without having something to compare it to, and not just what things are sold — all companies will have you believe their products are the best — but what is the reality. You will only learn this by being a customer yourself, giving you the ability to compare and contrast. It is unlikely to ever be the best at everything, but you can always be “better” at everything. By having a good product this is really the best (not the only, but the best) way to keep players long term. The best marketing in the world may get people through the door, but they won’t stay without a good product. If you have a good product, the lifetime value of your customers will be higher and your reputation, combined with word of mouth, will be a large part of the battle won for you. REFLECT AND RECONSIDER Be sure to reflect after a year, and again after two years, and ask if this is the right thing for you and your company. It might not be and there is nothing wrong with admitting a mistake and backing out with a small loss, rather than waiting for it to become an even bigger one. Just because you are very good, or even the best at what you do in one geographic region and/or one type of product vertical, it doesn’t mean you can replicate that success elsewhere. There are so many variables that mean your success may not be duplicated. A large one is that your existing staff is not always able to transition to a new project, or even if they can, what they used to excel is now not required and the new skills they need, perhaps, they do not have. You will have to hire new staff a lot of the time, and in some countries, finding reliable and hardworking staff is not easy. If after giving something a good shot, it is not working, for any reason, then pulling out may be painful in the short term, but it is better than allowing this expansion to cost you even more money in the long run. A big loss always starts off as a small one. Whenever growing a company it is useful to remember an old saying, “Profit is sanity, turnover is vanity.” There is no point in being bigger for the sake of it unless it is actually making you more profit. I currently work for the affiliate marketing group Legalbet and we have sites covering around 20 markets (and counting!), so we have experience in launching in a new area and it is not quite the same as being an operator. There are, however, similarities in many areas. The one thing that our most successful sites all have in common is knowledgeable and high quality staff on the ground. A company can have a great core market with a first-class head office running things, but if the satellite operation does not have the right people there, it will always struggle. Take your time to get things right from the ground up, beginning with licensing and regulation. This is probably the th ing that you will have least control over or the ability to change. Originally from Norwich, England, Andrew has been involved in the online gambling industry for almost 20 years in various roles. Currently, he is the site manager for Legalbet websites in the U.K., Australia and Nigeria. Images by LeksusTuss/Shutterstock, Oleh Donets/Shutterstock, NEGOVURA/Shutterstock, ChalidMGM/Shutterstock 31 G P W A t i m e s . o r g
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