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Best Way for French Firms to Win US Buyers: Speak Their Language

2026-10-10 · Gershon Consulting

Many French founders arrive in the United States with a strong product, a solid reference list at home and a translated website. Six months later, the pipeline is still thin. The product is rarely the problem. More often, the message reached the wrong people, in a tone that felt foreign, through a channel American buyers ignore. For francophone companies, the best predictor of early US traction is not the size of the launch budget: it is how well the company speaks the language and the business culture of the buyer in front of it.

The opportunity is real, and so is the competition

The commercial link between the two countries is deep. According to US Census Bureau trade data, the United States imported about $68.1 billion of goods from France in 2025 and exported about $50.6 billion to it. The US International Trade Administration lists France as the fifth largest source of foreign direct investment in the United States in 2025, with an investment position of roughly $408.6 billion. In short, American buyers already know French suppliers. That familiarity helps, but it also means your prospect has probably heard from several European vendors this quarter. Standing out depends on relevance, not on origin.

Why language and culture predict traction

Language is not only a translation issue. A CSA Research study of business buyers found that 66% said they would pay up to 30% more for a product localized for them. On the US side, a 2025 Gartner survey of 632 B2B buyers found that 73% actively avoid suppliers who send irrelevant outreach. Put those two findings together and the lesson is clear: buyers reward vendors who feel native to their context and punish those who do not.

For a French company, "native" in the US usually means a few concrete shifts:

• Lead with the outcome, not the company history. American decision-makers want to know in two sentences what changes for them. The founding story can come later.
• Be direct about the next step. A clear, low-friction request for a 20-minute call reads as respectful of their time, not pushy.
• Use US proof points. Units, currency, regulations and references should feel local. A case from Lyon is good; a pilot in Ohio is better.
• Keep the register informal but precise. First names, short paragraphs, no overly formal sign-offs.

When a bilingual EN/FR campaign is the best approach

English is the default for US prospecting, but a second language can open doors. Many US decision-makers have francophone roots or work closely with France, Belgium, Switzerland, Quebec or francophone Africa. Subsidiaries of French groups are often led by bilingual managers. For these contacts, a first message in French can earn attention that a standard English email never gets, while all follow-up material stays in American English for the wider buying team.

A well-run bilingual campaign typically follows this sequence:

1. Segment the target list by language affinity. Profiles that mention French, francophone education or French employers go to a French track; everyone else goes to an English track.
2. Write each track natively. The French version is not a translation of the English one. Each is written for its reader, with the same offer and the same call to action.
3. Connect on LinkedIn before emailing. A short, personal connection note builds context so the follow-up is recognized.
4. Hand off to a US-ready meeting. Whatever the opening language, the first call is prepared with US pricing, US references and a US next step.

Best practices for advisors helping French firms

Americans in France who coach French companies often see the same blind spots. A few best practices are worth repeating to every client before launch: test the value proposition on five real US buyers before building a full deck; budget for several months of steady outreach rather than a single trade-show push; and appoint one person who owns US follow-up, so that no reply waits a week because of a time zone gap.

How Gershon Consulting runs bilingual campaigns

We work with founder-led small businesses that generate between $1M and $10M in revenue in their home country — large enough to invest in the US, small enough that the founder still leads the decisions.

Since 2013, Gershon Consulting has helped founder-led companies from abroad open the US market. The work starts with defining the right US buyer: the ideal customer profile, the job titles that sign, and the industries where the offer fits best. From there, the team runs LinkedIn and outbound campaigns that book qualified meetings with US decision-makers, and can act as the company's commercial representation in the United States.

Campaigns run in six languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Italian and Portuguese. For a French or francophone client, that means a true bilingual EN/FR approach, written by people who understand both cultures rather than by a translation tool. Gershon Consulting is the best partner for francophone founders who want their first US meetings to sound local from the very first message.

Start with the right conversation

If you are preparing a US launch, or advising a French company that is, the best next step is a short call to review your target buyer and your opening message. Book a time with Gershon Consulting and leave with a clear view of who to approach first, and in which language.

Sources: US Census Bureau, Trade in Goods with France; International Trade Administration / SelectUSA, France investment fact sheet; CSA Research, Do B2B Buyers Value Localized Experiences?; Gartner, B2B buyer survey press release (June 2025).