Not every country has the same potential, the same challenges, or the same way of buying technology. That is why a software brand looking to expand across the region should start by asking where it actually has a realistic opportunity to grow.
For Carlos Trelles, CEO of AXON marketing+communications, the starting point for any foreign software brand looking to enter Latin America is a more fundamental question: Where should it go?
The answer starts with defining who the customer is and continues with a series of decisions around markets, partners, communications, and local presence.
These are the key takeaways from his experience working with technology brands looking to grow across the region.
1. Before choosing a country, know who is going to buy
For Trelles, the first step is not choosing between Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Peru, or another market.
It is defining the target audience. “If we are not clear about who our ideal audience is—our buyer persona—it is impossible to build a brand ecosystem,” he explains.
The reason is simple: companies do not buy software as an abstract category. They have specific problems, investment priorities, and different stakeholders involved in the decision. Understanding the customer therefore makes it possible to answer two questions before investing in communications: What problem do they have, and where does that problem represent a real opportunity for the brand?
2. Latin America cannot be treated as a single market
The next decision is geographic. Trelles approaches it from two perspectives.
First, from the brand’s perspective: which markets offer the greatest potential, and what does it actually cost to enter them?
Then, from the customer’s perspective: where is there the strongest fit between the product and local needs?
His example is straightforward: an electronic invoicing problem may exist in two countries, but it will not necessarily have the same characteristics in both. The same applies to access to technology.
From this perspective, launching a brand across the entire region at once can be too large an operation for a company that is still growing.
The question companies should answer is which countries offer a real opportunity for growth.
3. A local partner should not be chosen solely for its customer base
Software brands often rely on local distributors and partners to grow in new markets. But choosing the partner with the biggest accounts is not necessarily the best decision.
Trelles sums it up in one word: fit. The brand needs to understand what the partner already has, what it is missing, and what the brand can bring to complement its offering.
“Often, when you are looking for a partner, you get carried away by the appeal of whoever has the biggest and most attractive accounts in a market,” he says.
But that does not necessarily guarantee profitability. What does the partner gain by adding my solution, and what do I gain by entering the market with them?
If the answer is clear for both sides, there is a stronger foundation on which to build the business.
4. Communication starts before the salesperson enters the conversation
One of the most common mistakes is treating communications and sales as separate functions. In software, particularly in B2B, buyers often do their research before speaking with a salesperson.
They search for information, look at testimonials, read news, check reviews, and seek out other users’ experiences. They may also look at what comes up about a brand when they query AI tools.
By the time they enter a sales conversation, they already have an opinion about the company.
If they cannot find information, references, or signals that give them confidence in the brand, the salesperson has to start from scratch.
Trelles puts it simply: “If they don’t know you, they won’t buy from you.”
For the AXON CEO, a lack of brand awareness affects both reputation and purchase consideration.
Communication, then, also helps prepare the ground for sales.
5. Regional expansion needs someone accountable for it
There is one signal Trelles considers particularly concerning when evaluating a company’s plans to enter Latin America: there is no one accountable for the region.
That does not necessarily mean building large local teams. It means having a clear point of contact.
Someone who can answer questions, represent the brand, build relationships with partners, and demonstrate that the company is genuinely committed to the market.
“Who is my spokesperson?” Trelles asks.
The question may sound operational, but it reveals a great deal about the strategy.
If a company wants to build long-term commercial relationships and no one clearly represents its interests in the region, it becomes harder for customers and partners to perceive a genuine commitment to the market.
The final test: proving that the product works
After choosing the market, identifying the customer, selecting the right partner, and building brand awareness, one thing remains most important: proving that the solution actually solves the problem it was designed to address.
For the executive, who has more than 20 years of experience in the industry, this is the ultimate success factor.
It is not enough to claim that a software solution cuts costs or improves efficiency. Companies need figures, data, or real-world experiences that demonstrate those results.
That is why case studies have value far beyond communications.
They give sales teams a concrete argument. They can power a campaign. And they can help explain the product to a new customer.
If a brand can demonstrate, for example, that its solution helped a company become 40% more efficient, it is no longer talking about a promise. It is showing a result.
Ultimately, that is the logic behind a well-planned regional expansion: understanding where it makes sense to enter, who actually needs the solution, who to enter with, and what evidence can demonstrate that the product works.
Trelles sees case studies as particularly valuable—not simply as stories worth publishing, but as substantive proof points that can support both sales teams and communications campaigns.