During a conference call with a potential client in Chile, we discussed the initiatives that Epunto Interim Management will develop to strengthen our presence in Latin America.
While we were reviewing the competitive advantages of Interim Management, and in particular the differentiation achieved by the Spanish company Epunto Interim Management by deciding to enter the Latin American market, our potential Chilean client adopted several of our phrases and arguments.
This particular client recently entered the Chilean market and, according to him, there would have been a huge difference when you have an Interim Management service from the beginning, upon its arrival in this market.
“The difference is very clear: less time and lower cost to achieve the objective, to fulfill the business plan. When your company enters a new market, the adaptation period is critical. Having the right person is important, but if we add the value of having local support from a company like EPUNTO, we have something truly excellent: management + control = success.”
The client's headquarters are located in Spain, from where operations in the new Chilean market were initially managed. The professional we spoke with emphasized the importance of management control, especially when it comes to operations in unknown and remote scenarios.
“…it is very important to be clear about how much time company managers have to dedicate to their overseas branches. Therefore, having someone 11.000 km away doing their job, reducing their dependence on headquarters, and being locally audited by a company that guarantees service quality, allows you, as a manager, to optimize your time and, why not say it, sleep more soundly.”
At another point in the conversation, the level of specialization of the Interim Manager was discussed. Their knowledge of the assigned task and the resulting short learning curve ahead maximize the ROI of the assignment.
“The value lies in having a professional specialist in what our company needs from the very first moment they start working with us. Unfortunately, we live in a results-driven era, so achieving results in the shortest possible time is highly valued. An interim manager contributes significantly in this regard: effectiveness and efficiency.”
Despite the benefits that Interim Management can offer in terms of effectiveness, efficiency, and versatility, in Chile, as in other Latin American markets, this service is not widespread. This was pointed out by the professional with whom we spoke.
“In Chile, as far as I know, this service doesn't exist. We have the typical traditional headhunters who can handle the recruitment process to hire someone, but their job ends the moment that candidate starts working at the company. And that's not enough.”
Finally, our client's reflection on potential advice to a prospective user of this service involved focusing on the main market and the core business, and the ability to delegate tasks for which there are specialists, professionals with extensive experience in certain fields and tasks, who will be more efficient in achieving certain results, preventing key people in the business from losing focus on what is essential.
“I would tell him to be well informed about the pros and cons. Business development involves increasing our sales volume, customer base, new markets, etc., but without neglecting what we have already achieved. If we lose focus, we lose everything. That's why, just as we hire marketing experts to help us with our branding (even though we could do it ourselves using our own time), we need high-value-added services when we want to develop our business, both domestically and, even more so, internationally.
…and what if it were a multinational corporation?
“Multinationals are much more complex and static. They gain strength but lose flexibility. Interim Management gives you flexibility and agility, so I am convinced that, not globally but at the departmental level, multinationals will adopt this type of service for the processes where it fits.”
It's interesting to know how a service like Interim Management, unknown throughout a whole region (Latin America), can be so useful and profitable in so many professional scenarios and for diverse organizational structuresIt's all about efficiency, effectiveness, and versatility. A short learning curve to carry out specific tasks within set timeframes, with one clear focus: the result.