Connect Malaysia off to flying start as new venture responds to business enquiries and interest

MELBOURNE, Australia - Nov. 23, 2015 - PRLog -- Connect Malaysia principal consultant Joe Perri has announced that the new venture dedicated to connecting Australian SMEs to commercial opportunities in Malaysia is off to a flying start having received an overwhelming number of telephone calls, emails and invitations to work in partnership on a variety of projects.  The volume of interest has quite literally exceeded all expectations since the business officially opened its doors at the end of October.

Joe Perri is confident the attention will result in both commercial mandates for the business and also opportunities to co host/partner seminars, workshops, roundtables and trade missions to Malaysia in 2016.

Reflecting on the level of interest in the new business, Joe Perri attributes it to SMEs ‘getting the message’ being promoted extensively by the federal and state governments that they must turn their attention to the markets north of Australia.  Although praising government for their efforts, the Connect Malaysia head said that websites, strategy documents, reports, brochures and various promotional, social media and information programs can only go so far and SMEs need to get out of their comfort zones and back their entrepreneurial skills in international marketplaces.

Connect Malaysia was established as a boutique fee for service consultancy to assist those Australian SMEs that want to expand their operations into Malaysia.  When asked “why Malaysia” over other countries in the region Joe Perri quickly referred to the long standing political, diplomatic, bilateral trade and cultural / P2P relationships that have evolved, grown and depended over decades between Australia and Malaysia.

He also points to last year’s trade figures where Malaysia moved into 8^th position as Australia’s largest trading partner as a further testament to successful bilateral engagement between the two economies.

But before they race off to the airport with their order books and business cards, Joe Perri cautions Australian business owners that they need to keep their expectations in check as doing business internationally is incredibly different culturally and economically.  In depth research, patience and the right ‘helping hand’ will go a long way to avoiding commercial catastrophe.

“Connect Malaysia was established to assist SMEs with a personalised service by firstly reviewing their operations and strategy then to search, identify and connect them with potential business partners in Malaysia”, affirmed Joe Perri.

Referring again to the success of the government’s marketing activities and Australian SMEs ‘getting the message’, Joe Perri was especially pleased to see that the vast majority of the enquiries received by Connect Malaysia was from the services sector (training, HR, financial services, accounting, legal etc) followed by retail, F&B and agribusiness.

“With Asia proving a booming and very attractive market for Australian businesses, they need to think quickly and realistically to implement strategies that will capitalise on these opportunities whilst time and the benefits of the low AUD are on their side”, continued Joe Perri.

“Many of the countries in our region are expected to grow at unprecedented rates in response to the new boom resulting from the expansion of the middle classes in these economies and in doing so Australian businesses have the chance to export their products and services that will be priced competitively by the lower currency”.

Malaysia is a very attractive option for Australian businesses says Joe Perri as he points to the country’s pro business infrastructure, strategic geographical position within the region and the benefits of the Malaysia Australia Free Trade Agreement (MAFTA) that came into effect in January 2013 as the main drivers of interest from Down Under.

“Nonetheless, Malaysian consumers, retailers and businesses are not waiting for the Aussies to arrive and they need to get a move on as each and every day, businesses from around the globe are beating a path to Malaysia and its neighbours”, said Joe Perri.

However, for any SME seeking to expand into international markets, they need to have the right connections and platform to sell their products / services says Joe Perri.  “The most important thing with Asian countries is that it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.  Connect Malaysia has quickly established itself as the ‘go to organisation’ for SMEs seeking to find a JV partner or explore export / commercial opportunities in Malaysia”.

ENDS

Issued by Connect Malaysia          www.connectmalaysia.com.au

Media enquiries          Mr. Joe Perri
Connect Malaysia
Telephone:          +61 3 9662 2550
Mobile:          +61 412 112 545
Email:          joe@connectasean.com.au