No Borders Communications – the agency carving the Dutch-Romanian path

The beginning of 2017 brought a new and exciting agency on the Romanian marcomm industry. Founded by Dutchman Marcel de Roode and the very experienced Romanian journalist and PR Consultant Fulvia Meirosu, No Borders Communications is approaching the Romanian market in a very distinct way. BR talked with Marcel de Roode about the agency’s beginnings, the services it offers and what makes it unique and interesting for the future clients.

Romanita Oprea

What was the trigger that made you decide to move to Romania and open your own agency?

The first time I came in contact with Romania was because of the fact that I’ve met a very beautiful and smart Romanian woman at Instagram. At one point we talked about the things we do, and we found out that we were practically in the same business, namely Media. I was working then in sales for TMG, one of the biggest media group in Holland and before that I worked for Reed Elsevier, one of the biggest publishers in the world (now it’s called Relx Group), also doing sales. Some months later I met her in Bucharest and got to know more about her and the working environment she was in. We discovered a big gap in the field of sales/strategy and marketing & communication. That’s when I started to think about making a business out of it, helping people with our experience.

How did you choose the name of the agency?

Because we have the internet and social media to thank for the fact that we met, the name No Borders Communications came up instantly when we thought about the name of the agency. But the name also comes from the fact that we work with different markets, foreign people, various projects and, more important, that we have different and complementary backgrounds and experiences, that’s why we can offer out-of-the-box solutions.

What are the main professional characteristics of your partner that make her the best suited person for the job?

For me personally, she is my guide to the Romanian business and networks. I don’t speak Romanian yet, although I understand 90 percent. She explained to me a lot about the way business is done in this country, she is just as me, curious, driven and always going for the best solution for the customer. And she can be stubborn as well at some point, and that delivers interesting discussions between us.

How is you company positioning on the Romanian market?

We are not a big agency, and we don’t want to be. Our customers can expect of us personal attention, tailor made solutions, we want to stand next to them and look at their business and advice them what could be done about improving business, growing business because of business development and certain sales or marketing strategies. We want them to know that they are not a “number”, but a well appreciated partner.

Who is your competition and what do you do different and more?

There are a lot of PR agencies providing very good services, so they are our competition, on the business segment of communications. From our perspective I think we are different from the others. First of all we are a Dutch-Romanian agency who not only does PR and marketing, but also sales/sales strategy: we can do external sales & marketing services, and not many companies do it here. In my opinion, if you look how important the role of sales is in creating a positive/negative image of your company to the outside world, it’s a factor to be reckoned with. Besides all these things, we can provide in house/external sales trainings. I always say with us you get the “best of both worlds”, the Romanian view on things combined with the Dutch. But our main focus will be sales.

Who do you target?

Our target are the people who want to grow their business or just want to get more out of their business. Most of the time they are in a vicious circle with things. It’s good that you get some fresh blood in from outside because they look at your business in a different way. They can see things that people who are running these businesses for years no longer see. I come from a country where economy has proven itself. I want to help people with their businesses because I know how sales & strategy and marketing strategies work, because of the fact I’ve worked for multinational companies who have benefited a lot from using these strategies.

How is your international experience helping you?

My international experience with clients helps me every day again in my work and my contacts with people. I can very easily switch from one nationality to another, it gives me also a kind of confidence that I can talk to anyone I want, in what country whatsoever. That’s what you also have to do as a good salesperson, pick up the phone and get in touch with people, no matter which country they are in. Sometimes you can find buyers in your own network, but sales is about overlooking the entire market of possible clients and trying to get in touch with them.

Do you intend to work for outside or only for Romania and clients based in Romania?

At this moment we are targeting mainly the Romanian market and especially the real-estate industry, I think there is a lot to be won. Besides, I have experience as a mortgage advisor for one of the biggest banks in Holland, so I know how a client is choosing and buying a house, the phases he goes through. But of course if there is interest from other countries as well, we won’t say no. The more experience you have in different countries and different industries, the easier you come up with solutions.

What were the preconceptions you had to surpass so far?

One of the first things they told me about the way I want to practice sales was “that’s not going work”. You can’t sell things here over the phone, it takes more time and people are not interested. For me all these things don’t matter, I think that in every country people are interested in “solutions” for their problems. Listen well to what people really want and you will find out that people are willing to talk about everything. So at this point I can say I had really only very nice conversations with people here, and maybe it’s also that they are a bit surprised hearing a Dutch guy on the phone.

What did you know about the Romanian business market before opening the agency and how has your perception changed since then?

To be honest, Romania is not very much in the news in Holland. So my knowledge about business in Romania was not really at a high level. What I’ve noticed until now is that a lot of people have a passion for their business here. I see a lot of people being busy with their business, and want to make something out of it. I also see that at some point they get stuck with the question “where do I go now?” And that’s where we with No Borders Communications want to step in.

What is your business goal for 2017? What about the next 2 years?

The business goals for 2017 are very simple, continue to support the very unique Valley21 project with our PR, Marketing and Sales expertise, and make a success out of it an also continue to work with the other clients we have. We want to establish our name further in the market and we would like to collaborate with other clients for a longer term. And this is what we want to do for the next 2 years as well. We want to be a solid partner for our clients, who they can trust and appreciate.

What do you believe to be Romania’s main pros in the field you ventured in? What about the cons?

The economy is growing here, the business culture here in Romania will grow as well, this is for our business a good sign. At some point people want external expertise to see how they can bring their business to a higher level. The competition will be stronger, so you need to stand out with your business from the others. On the other hand if people are staying a bit suspicious about what we do and what we can really do for their business, than it will be tough. It’s up to us to tell clearly what we want to do and how, and also prove them that we are really doing what we said.

What are the most important steps you made in your career so far?

The most important steps for me were always the steps where I got in a total new environment and sector. I had so many jobs in total different sectors, every time I had to adjust to a total new field of expertise. But this is what love, finding out new ways, challenge myself. If people say no you can’t do it, I want to prove it can be done. When most of them go right, I go left. You will find all kind of new and interesting things if you take another turn.

What are the most important things you’ve learnt in your career so far?

The most important things I’ve learnt in my career….well I learnt a lot of important things, but if I have to name one it is that “nothing comes easy”. There is no easy road to success. You have to work for it, every day again. I’m glad it’s like that, at the end if you achieved your goal, doing all the hard work, you look back and you say to yourself I did it! It makes the feeling of success even greater.