English language

consultancy
achieves business
growth in Turkey
Fast facts
Company: Best Business English
Industry: Education & Training
Target Market: Turkey
UKTI Services: M
 arket Visit, Passport to Export, Export
Communication Review
www.bestbusinessenglish.com

With the help of two UK Trade &

Investment (UKTI) market visits to
Turkey, Best Business English is now
doing successful business in this
market.
The English language consultancy has
announced deals with several businesses
based in Turkey. For example, Viking LifeSaving Equipment, the Turkish branch of a
Danish maritime safety company, is working
with Best Business English at its office near
Istanbul to improve the business English
language skills of staff. Best Business English
is developing their business English for
communications with their parent company
and with non-Turkish customers.
With a background in marketing, media
and publishing, Nick Keith established Best
Business English as a consultancy to train
non-English speaking businesses in English
language and Western culture.
From speaking English to writing emails,
from website content to writing reports and
presentations, Best Business English offers
specialised and tailored consultancy based

on the objectives and industry sector of its

clients. The company offers group training
sessions or one-to-one coaching.
Growing Global
When Best Business English first
approached UKTI, Nick was assigned
an International Trade Adviser to assess
his export strategy and options. He was
advised to concentrate on entering one
market at a time, choosing Turkey as the
preferred market for his business. Nick
chose to enter the Turkish market due to
his fondness of the country and culture, but
also because of the potential opportunities
in his sector:
I found that many European markets
were already saturated with English for
business consultancies. This competition
would make it more challenging for Best
Business English to succeed in these
markets. After some initial research, I
discovered that I offered a much more
niche service in Turkey.

To establish Turkey as a potential export

market, Nick attended a UKTI market visit
to Istanbul in 2014. During this mission,
he was able to experience the business
culture and etiquette first-hand. He
was also able to meet with prospective
partners and clients. As Nick states:
You learn more about a market the more
often you visit it. During my market visit in
2014, I established important differences
between how we do business in Britain,
and how business is done in Turkey. For
example, telephone communication is
often preferred to emails, and building
a friendly and trusting relationship is a
crucial factor for Turkish businesses.

I never dreamed I would

be an exporter before I
began working with UKTI.
The network, services
and products have made
exporting possible for Best
Business English.
Nick Keith, Director, Best Business English

[BCCT] has granted me a great entry point with businesses

who I am now able to build a relationship with and further
assess their requirements for my service.
Nick Keith, Director, Best Business English

Further to these regular visits, Nick again

joined a UKTI market visit to Istanbul in
February 2015. This time, Nick was able to
continue talks with prospects and clients
and gain new business in the market. He
was also able to take advantage of the
business-to-business (B2B) event organised
by the British Chamber of Commerce in
Turkey (BCCT), which saw the market visit
delegates meet with prospective clients.
Overall this years market visit has been
fantastic. There have been some really
interesting networking opportunities
and I have managed to create some great
contacts. In particular, I have a further two
meetings lined up over the next couple
weeks with companies I met at the BCCT
B2B event. This has granted me a great
entry point with businesses who I am now
able to build a relationship with and further
assess their requirements for my service.
In October 2015 Nick is planning stage
another seminar at the British Consulate
for Turkish companies, in conjunction with
BCCT. This will be hosted by a panel of
English-speaking business experts from
different Western countries.
Support Services
In addition to the market visits, Best
Business English has benefited from UKTIs
Export Communication Review (ECR)
service. This can help businesses develop an
international communications strategy. This
was used to refine the SEO and the content,
with advice to translate some pages on the
companys website into Turkish:
The ECR has helped me optimise my
website for Turkish consumption. Having
part of the website in Turkish is very
important, especially as many of my
potential clients do not yet speak English
with confidence. As a result, Turkish
businesses visiting my website will be more
engaged and eager to do business.
Nick has found the support of UKTI
invaluable to his export business:

Published June 2015

by UK Trade & Investment
Crown Copyright

I never dreamed I would be an exporter

before I began working with UKTI. The
network, services and products have
made exporting possible for Best Business
English. They are a vital support service
and held in high esteem in other markets,
giving my business further accreditation to
prospective clients.
The UKTI market visits offer a valuable
experience. The events you attend and
people you meet, as well as the wider UKTI
network available, are inspirational for
businesses looking to export. It has given
me the confidence to get out there and
export. UKTI is the first stop for any business
looking to export.
Best Business English are looking forward
to another successful year of exporting
to Turkey, with plans to expand into other
surrounding markets in 2016.
Turkey is the perfect springboard into
surrounding markets such as South
Caucasus, Central Asia and the Middle East.
There is potential for business opportunities
outside of Turkeys borders which I am
looking to expand into in the future.
Lev Denker, ITA and Turkey market visit
leader, said:
It is great to see Best Business English
making inroads into the Turkish market.
Nick researched and understood the market
well during his first mission to Turkey and
went back with a product that fulfils the
requirements of corporate clients in Turkey a recipe for success.
The UK and Turkey
For further information about business
opportunities in Turkey, please visit
www.gov.uk/government/publications/
exporting-to-turkey

Helping you to do business abroad

Doing business in another country
can be a challenge, so its good to
know that UK Trade & Investment is
there to help you succeed.
Through a range of unique services,
including participation at selected
trade fairs, overseas missions
and providing bespoke market
intelligence, UK Trade & Investment
can help you crack foreignmarkets
and quickly get to grips with
regulations and business
practicesoverseas.
Through our Passport to Export
programme we offer new and
inexperienced exporters:
free capability assessments
support in visiting potential
markets
mentoring from a local export
professional
free action plans
customised and subsidised
training
ongoing support once youre
upandrunning.
To find out more, scan this
code with your smart phone
www.ukti.gov.uk
+44(0)20 7215 5000

UK Trade & Investment is the

Government Department that helps
UK-based companies succeed
in the global economy. We also
help overseas companies bring
their high-quality investment to
the UKs dynamic economy. We
provide companies with the tools
they require to be competitive on
theworld stage.