Just how different sales work can look depending on the market becomes clear when you take a closer look at our international sales teams. While everyone works with the same products, brands and quality standards, each market brings its own customer structures, processes and conditions that shape the day-to-day. That diversity is what makes international sales at PICARD what it is – and why no two days are ever quite the same.

Alejandra Reyes is responsible for PICARD’s Latin America business, as well as the markets of Spain, Portugal, the USA and Canada. For this article, we focus on the Latin American countries. Olaf Oberbossel leads the sales team for the Nordic countries, Great Britain, Ireland, the Baltic States, Eastern Europe and the Benelux region. In our conversation, we focused on business within the EU.

Two Teams, Two Market Worlds

Alejandra’s team consists of eight colleagues, five of whom directly look after customers in various Latin American countries. Responsibilities are deliberately broad: each team member supports customers end-to-end, from initial enquiry through to delivery

Olaf’s team is larger, with eleven members, and is structured around several regional focuses. This setup allows for greater specialisation within Europe and ensures that regional differences are taken into account.

Different team sizes, different structures – and yet one shared goal: to support customers reliably, competently and as a true partner.

What Both Teams Have in Common

Regardless of region or structure, one thing holds true: sales at PICARD means far more than just product knowledge. A good feel for customer needs, strong communication skills and a solid understanding of logistics are part of everyday life in both teams. So is cultural awareness

In the Latin America business, this plays a particularly important role. Even where Spanish is the predominant language, mentalities, expressions and business practices can differ considerably from country to country. In the European markets covered by Olaf’s team, cultural differences between countries are generally less pronounced, making cross-border collaboration more consistent overall.

What clearly unites both teams is their high standards. Olaf Oberbossel puts it this way:

“We don’t just want to satisfy our customers – we want to impress them.”

How Orders Come In

Both teams handle enquiries, quotes and orders every day. The way those orders arrive, however, is quite different.

In the markets served by Olaf’s team, the vast majority of orders come through our online shop. Customers order independently, with full transparency on prices and availability, and make heavy use of digital processes. Competition in these regions is strongly shaped by market transparency. That makes it all the more important to communicate our strengths clearly: an exceptional product range, fast availability and a personal point of contact make the difference – and that’s exactly what the team actively conveys.

In the Latin America business, large consolidated orders dominate. Customers frequently send their enquiries as structured Excel lists directly to their account managers. The reasoning is primarily economic: shipping and import only make financial sense above certain order volumes. At the same time, this approach allows for the efficient handling of large line-item orders.

Working Across Time Zones

Time differences are a factor in both teams, though to very different degrees. Within Europe, the time gaps are small and barely affect day-to-day work. In the Latin America team, however, some countries leave only narrow windows for direct communication. To stay accessible to customers across as many time zones as possible, the team works in staggered shifts and adapts flexibly to customer needs.

Customs, Logistics and Export Expertise

Customs, freight options and export documentation are part of the day-to-day business in both teams, albeit to different degrees. Close cooperation with the Customs team, which prepares the necessary export documents and is familiar with country-specific requirements, plays a key role.

These issues are particularly important in the Latin American business. Almost every delivery requires individual coordination, from the choice of shipping method to palletization and consideration of the origin of the goods, as this can have an impact on import duties.

In the European markets, customs and export issues arise primarily for deliveries outside the EU, such as to the UK or Norway. Proof of origin and national regulations are also relevant here, albeit less frequently.

Close internal cooperation

Both teams work closely with the same internal departments: Order processing, logistics, scheduling and PEBSY as an internal solution for short-term procurement in the event of bottlenecks and Digital Sales Solutions as an interface to IT.

The priorities differ, however. In the Latin America team, coordination with Customs and Logistics is particularly intensive, as every order involves a range of export and transport logistics decisions. In the European team, digital processes and the online shop take centre stage, given that the majority of orders come through that channel.

Products, brands and sectors

There are many overlaps on the product side: Deep groove ball bearings, cylindrical roller bearings and spherical roller bearings are among the most sought-after items in both regions. There are also clear similarities in the brands. Regional peculiarities can be seen in complementary product groups and additional brands, which are in greater demand depending on the market.

PICARD exclusively supplies the technical specialist trade. The sectors that these dealers serve differ from region to region. In Latin America, demand is dominated by agriculture and industry, while in Europe it is construction, energy, the food industry, mining and textiles, among others. Both teams monitor market changes closely and adapt their focus flexibly.

Same basis, different priorities

The comparison shows: Both sales teams work on the same professional basis, but their markets have different emphases. Behind every order are people who know their market, speak the language of their customers and know what is important regionally. It is precisely this combination of specialist knowledge, market understanding and teamwork that defines international sales at PICARD.