Speak in the language of your customers

An innovative Staffordshire businessman has provided the solution for any exporter struggling to overcome a language barrier with foreign clients.

Former Staffordshire University lecturer Jim OíNeill set up European Business Exchange to fill any type of recruitment gap with foreign students, enabling exporters to interact with overseas customers and prospects in their native tongue.

EBE brings students to the Potteries from across Europe, and places them with local companies to solve short-term recruitment problems and serve a language need.

The service has already paid dividends for pottery company Sculpta Ceramics, which specialises in producing tableware for people with impaired grips.

Scuplta employed French student Caroline Landes for three months in Summer 2006, as they wanted to trade with European countries but could not speak a second language.

And within a month of Caroline starting her placement, the Stoke-on-Trent-based firm had secured a new trade partnership with Hamburg ceramic retailer Schutte and Breves.

Sculpta Ceramics director Nathan Smallman said: We wanted to grow the business into European markets but the language barrier was a problem.

Caroline joining us made all the difference, because we could talk to clients in Germany and build a stronger relationship through speaking the same language.

The order we received more than covered our outlay, and hopefully the link-up will prove to be very lucrative.

The placements do not just help from a financial point of view, however. They can also affect how customers think of a company.

Another of the EBE students worked for Newcastle-under-Lyme business gift supplier AdGiftsOnline. Celine Loridan spent 11 months at the firm, dealing with sales enquiries from customers in the UK and beyond.

Managing Partner Tony Altham said: Celine was with us for almost a year and helped to add another dimension to our business.

Having a foreign student working for you makes a big difference to how people perceive your business, because it shows you are a forward-thinking, dynamic company.

European Business Exchange currently imports students from France, Germany and China, and places them with a wide range of firms all over the UK.

Existing customers include wine merchant Ruth Lloyd and inspirational speaker Rob Brown.