Why your native language is a rare asset, how to invoice abroad, and what changes in the brief.
Who these clients are
Three profiles, and they do not buy the same thing.
The foreign brand selling here: it needs a face, a voice and a setting that do not sound imported.
The international agency producing for several markets: it buys a capacity for regular delivery, in an identical format from one country to the next.
And the platform or app launching on this market: it needs explanatory content, not mood images.
One prospecting consequence: the best entry point is not the brand, it is the person managing the local market from abroad. That person has the budget and the problem.
What changes in the brief
Four differences, systematically.
The brief arrives in another language, often English, and has to be reworded before shooting: an instruction translated literally produces a video that rings false.
Cultural references do not carry: an everyday situation obvious elsewhere may not exist here, and the reverse is also true.
The setting has to be checked: a plug socket, a package, a street sign give the country away, and sometimes that contradicts the message.
And approval times lengthen: count one extra round trip, because of the time difference and the translation.
How to invoice abroad
Four points, settled before starting.
The contract currency, and who bears the gap if it moves.
The payment method and the real delay, in days, from which event.
The bank charges, which eat small jobs: say which of the two absorbs them, in writing.
And the regime applicable to a service sold outside the country, which is not that of a local sale and which changes the statements on your invoice.
That last point is not improvised: the tax treatment, the number to indicate, the mandatory statements and any declarations are checked with an accountant before the first invoice, not after.
What to put forward
Three arguments, in this order.
The language: you deliver a video that sounds local, which no translation produces.
Compliance: you know what can and cannot be said here, and you say so beforehand, not afterwards. The applicable advertising rules are checked with a lawyer, and saying so reassures more than a beautiful image.
And reliability: delivery on the date, in a clean folder, forwardable without retouching.
Three things not to put forward: your audience, your equipment, and your enthusiasm. None of the three answers a question the buyer is asking.
What is fixed before accepting a foreign order
| Point | To write in the quote | Effect if skipped |
|---|---|---|
| The currency | One only, chosen | An exchange loss |
| The delivery language | Voice and subtitles | A complete redo |
| The meeting time zone | The client's, written in full | A missed call |
| The payment method | Transfer or platform | Unforeseen fees |
What reassures a client who will never meet you
A clip sent halfway, a delivery date in working days and a single discussion thread. Three habits that replace the trust born of a handshake.
What to ask a professional
The tax treatment of a service sold abroad, the applicable taxes and the records to keep, to be confirmed with an accountant.
What makes you easy to order from abroad
Four habits, and they show from the first exchange.
A quote in English, with the same lines as your local quote.
An answer within the working day, with your time zone stated.
A single link to three examples, with English subtitles.
And a sentence saying what you do not do: the categories you refuse, the impossible deadlines, the rights you do not transfer.
One last marker, often decisive: propose a short first job, paid, rather than a free trial. The paid test sets up a professional relationship, the free trial sets up a habit that then has to be undone.
