What works in your home market
stalls in Belgium.
I help international B2B scale-ups break open the Belgian and Flemish market without burning six months on a sales motion that doesn't land here. I run your local go-to-market: from ICP translation and messaging to the first ten Belgian customers, so they aren't also your most expensive ten.
Does this sound familiar?
Belgium looks like a small, friendly extension of your home market. It isn't. Three languages, two strong regional buying cultures, a dense web of mid-market champions, and a buyer who values trust over speed. Most international scale-ups I speak with have spent three quarters trying — and are still waiting on their first five Belgian customers. Not because the product is weaker, but because the approach stayed foreign.
Your outbound playbook (whether American-direct, Dutch-blunt, or German-formal) lands wrong in Flanders. Belgian buyers experience it as pushy, presumptuous, or transactional, and your response rates quietly sink to zero without anyone telling you.
You have no Belgian logos on your website. Belgian buyers want to know which "neighbours" already use you before they'll take a meeting. Without local references, every sales conversation starts from behind.
Your messaging is grammatically correct, but the tone is foreign. Flemish readers feel it instantly. Subtle — but it plants doubt: "do they actually understand us?"
You don't know who the real decision-makers are. Belgian organisations have different hierarchies, different committees, different procurement roles. One wrong stakeholder path and you lose two months.
Your investors are counting on EU revenue, but your Belgian numbers lag your home market. Hiring a Belgian salesperson takes 4 to 6 months — and what do you do in the meantime?
You hired a Belgian rep, but without local strategy and network they don't produce either. The problem isn't the person — it's the absence of a Belgian commercial system around them.
is the typical time international scale-ups burn before they understand the Belgian market — if they don't give up sooner. That's not a lack of intelligence or sales talent; that's the absence of a local architect.
Your local commercial architect for Belgium and Flanders.
I'm Flemish, I live in Belgium, and I have the Belgian B2B ecosystem in my network. At the same time, I know the international SaaS and scale-up DNA well enough to see where the mismatch sits — and correct it fast.
I'm not a sales rep you hire to cold call. I'm the commercial architect who orchestrates your Belgian market entry both strategically and operationally: positioning, messaging translation, target accounts, outreach approach, first pilots, first case studies, local hire criteria. My work ends when your Belgian engine runs without me.
Belgian buying culture, not a translation
No literal translation of your home-market messaging. A repositioning that lands with Belgian decision-makers, written by someone who knows the cultural code intuitively.
First 10 Belgian customers as the goal
No vague "market entry strategy". A concrete pipeline to your first ten paying Belgian customers, with named accounts, intro paths, and outreach cadence.
Local network, fast access
Access to my Belgian network across B2B SaaS, manufacturing, energy, and services. Warm intros where possible, structured cold outreach where needed.
Senior strategy, fractional cost
Hiring a Belgian Head of Sales costs €100,000+ and takes 4-6 months. A Belgian agency doesn't know your product. I offer the strategic depth and operational speed, fractionally.
Four packages, built for market entry.
Specifically built for international B2B scale-ups entering Belgium. Each package solves one phase of the journey.
Belgian Market Entry Audit
One report, two weeks. Belgian ICP, messaging translation, top 50 Belgian target accounts, first outbound playbook, local hire spec. Also useful as a standalone if you're not ready for a retainer.
- ICP translation to Belgian context
- Top 50 target accounts with intro paths
- Messaging audit and rewritten core pitches
- Local hire spec (sales rep / partner)
- Concrete 90-day outbound playbook
First 10 Customers Sprint
90 days, focused on your first ten paying Belgian customers. Outbound + follow-up + warm intros + deal coaching. I run the system while you decide.
- 90-day retainer
- Signal-based outbound (Lemlist + Clay)
- Warm intros where possible
- Deal coaching and stakeholder mapping
- Weekly pipeline review
Growth CMO Benelux
Ongoing commercial leadership for your Benelux expansion, 1 to 2 days per week. Strategy, messaging, pipeline, and coaching of your first Belgian hire(s).
- Weekly strategic guidance
- Pipeline management and outreach methodology
- Coaching of first Belgian sales hire
- Belgian positioning and pricing
- Minimum 3 months
Belgian Sales Hire Programme
For scale-ups looking to hire their first Belgian sales rep. I write the role, screen candidates, run the interview process, and coach the first 90 days.
- Role profile and hire spec
- Sourcing and screening
- Interview structure and debriefs
- 90-day onboarding coaching
- First sales process and CRM setup
Three steps. No surprises.
Discovery call (30 min, free)
We decide together whether there's a fit. An honest conversation about where you are in your home market and what you want to achieve in Belgium.
Market Entry Audit
Two weeks. You get a concrete report with Belgian ICP, target accounts, messaging translation, and a 90-day action plan. Useful on its own.
Sprint or Retainer (optional)
If you want to convert findings into pipeline, we move to a First 10 Customers Sprint or Growth CMO Benelux.
What international founders ask
Why not just extend our home-market approach?
Because you've already tried that and it didn't work — otherwise you wouldn't be here. Belgium is not a "region of your home market". Flemish buying culture is relationship-led where most home markets are transactional. It doesn't require a restart, but it does require a local translation.
We already hired a Belgian rep. Do we still need you?
Probably even more so. A single rep without a local commercial system (positioning, ICP, outreach methodology, CRM structure, deal coaching) burns out in 6 months. My work makes your rep productive from month one.
How fast can I expect my first Belgian customer?
For B2B with ACVs €15K-€150K: realistically 8 to 14 weeks from outreach start, provided the product is ready and pricing is locally calibrated. For enterprise with 12+ month cycles, different ballpark — we discuss in discovery.
Do we need to set up a Belgian legal entity?
Usually not in phase 1. Many international scale-ups start Belgian sales from their home entity and only set up a BV/SRL after the first 5-10 customers are delivered. VAT and invoicing do need to be handled early — that's not in my offer, but I refer you to Belgian accountants who do this every month.
Does your network in Belgium work for our sector?
My focus is B2B SaaS scale-ups, manufacturing, energy tech, and professional services. If you're in those zones, the network is relevant. If you're in retail, B2C, or high-volume e-commerce, I'm not the right partner — and I'll say that honestly in our first call.
How do you measure success of a market entry engagement?
Concretely and early: number of Belgian qualified meetings within 6 weeks, number of Belgian opportunities in pipeline within 12 weeks, number of closed deals within 6 months. No vague "brand awareness" metrics.
Do you work in English, Dutch, and French?
I work in English with international teams, Dutch for Flanders, and have French-speaking partners for Wallonia. For most scale-ups, Flanders is the right phase-1 market — we discuss in discovery whether Wallonia belongs in scope.
Ready to actually open Belgium?
No sales pitch. An honest 30-minute conversation about whether your Belgian market entry is a fit for my approach. If your product or stage isn't a match, I'll say so.
Book a call →