Business Partner / Distributor Search in Morocco

Establishing good relationships with the right local partners is very important for being successful in Morocco. We have been bringing together hundreds of companies in emerging markets over a wide range of different sectors successfully for more than 25 years now.

About Business Partner / Distributor Search in Morocco

We are offering you our expertise in business partner / distributor / importer search.

You can be in need of partners for different scenarios, such as identifying distribution channels, having a distributor network around the country, distributors holding the local licences to enter tenders, a sales agent that can give you a fast access to the potential customers, distributors for the service & maintenance works, a JV partner or just for easy collection and for logistics purposes. We are locally available to support you to find the best set-up in all cases.

It is very costly and risky to choose the first company that you met as your distributor and deeply evaluate the company afterwards. Systematically screening the whole market in your sector to find the best possible fit to your business & expectations makes more sense in today‘’s competitive & fast environment. We have a 360-degree understanding, from technical & business requirements to the local dynamics & different business mentalities. Our aim is to create a win-to-win situation for all parties only achievable with the right motivation, overcoming the cultural differences and language barriers. We are simply building bridges between you and your local partners.

We continue to support our clients after the partner search part, on demand throughout your cooperation.

Additionally, we can help you to manage your local distributor network by our Employer of Record service, for example having a country sales manager on our payroll but totally working to develop your own business in Morocco and in the region.

Get in Touch with Us

Ms. Berna Y. Gurleyen

Head of Competence Centre-Research Services

Scope of Business Partner / Distributor Search in Morocco

Searching for candidates systematically that are matching to your ideal business partner profile in our own database and by desk research and creating the long-list
Interviewing key customers directly beforehand to understand their point-of-view and asking for direct recommendations & opinions about the local players
Shortlisting the best candidates after prequalification of all long-listed companies
Detailed interviews with the best candidates with a well-structured questionnaire and further evaluation with our experience
Bringing together all information in a well-structured report covering the complete overview of the long-listed companies, details of the short-listed candidates, all interviews, and brief market information
After your feedback, organizing your face-to-face meetings and schedule of your market visit
Attending all the meetings together with you providing support and consultancy
Strategic advice and brainstorming on your distributor set-up directly during the visit
Reference checks
Any further support that might be needed after the business partner search part

Advantages of a Business Partner Search in Morocco with FMC Group

Quick and deep understanding of your business, services / products, targets, and needs.
Building a real team environment with you, as if you have your own eyes in Morocco
Systematic search of all companies in your target segments in Morocco to ensure that the best candidates are found and evaluated carefully
Finding companies in the complementary business areas that matches to your own products / services to create the perfect synergy
Understanding of local culture and markets
Understanding different business mentalities to provide the necessary cultural guidance and translating the messages in between the lines
Providing market information by the interviews conducted with key customers and the candidates

Business Culture in Morocco

Morocco has a very rich culture known mostly with its artistic and culinary heritage. The country also offers various opportunities over a variety of different sectors. It is essential to understand the specific characteristics of your local business partners to maintain successful business relationships.

Indirect communication especially in a negative context, avoiding direct confrontation
Strong hierarchy, decision-making mostly top-down and can take time
Personal relationships and having a network of contacts are extremely important
Starting with small talk about family, sports, weather are suitable. Avoid topics such as religion & Moroccan Royal Family
Be aware the month of Ramadan as working hours are reduced and business is limited. Friday afternoons can also be not suitable due to Friday prayers
Arriving on time to meetings & punctuality are important even though you may be kept waiting for up to 30 min to an hour late for meetings
French influence on especially business is strong; most meetings are in French and the business attire is formal
Business cards could be in French and/or Arabic at least on one side
Like in many Muslim countries, when meeting someone from the opposite sex, allow your counterpart to extend their hand first

A Client Example for Distributor Search in Morocco and Tunisia

Client Situation: Our client is providing highly innovative technological solutions in physiotherapy, rehabilitation, and aesthetics fields. They aimed to expand to Morocco & Tunisia and looking for distributors to serve the whole North Africa market in the best way possible.

Project scope: Project centrally managed by the competence centre located in our HQ in Istanbul giving our client one continuous point of contact. Field works are carried out in parallel by the consultants located in the countries. The progress is monitored by the competence centre, steering the project wherever necessary and updating the client regularly in each phase.

First phase was desk research to check the market conditions, direct competition & their local organizations and possible candidates in Morocco & Tunisia. Long-lists are completed by including the insight obtained from the key customer interviews. After our client’s feedback on the long-lists, all companies are contacted to understand them more in-depth to be able to evaluate their fit and to identify their interests. We come with a short-list of the best candidates.