Although most of the work at Battlefield Sports is done as a team, when it comes to marketing it is Nicole who bears the brunt. Marketing is mostly done online, and in the days before pay-per-click Nicole often used search engine optimisation and networked online communities to get the company name out.These promotion tactics enabled Battlefield Sports to develop strong exports in their major markets—the US, Canada, Britain and European Union member countries. “If you’re marketing via the internet, as we did from day one, you don’t really have a border,” says Lander. “We’ve got a niche product with global appeal. So how does one communicate with these diverse people all over the world cost effectively? Without the internet we would not have existed.”Battlefield Sports has also experimented with other marketing methods, including trade shows, but with less successful results. “Trade shows can be a great waste of money if you don’t get the right show,” says Lander. Now they only target large leisure industry shows.The company’s promotional experiments include applying for numerous awards, which led them to learn about government grants on offer from state development representatives. As a result, Battlefield Sports received the Queensland Industry Development Scheme Grant, which they used to develop the current generation of infrared sensor, and the Export Market Development Grant (EMDG), which helped reimburse some export marketing expenses.What Lander finds most fulfilling about exporting milsim, is the customer reaction. “Having a business of successful export is really important, but it’s the games that make an impact on people’s lives. In 20 years you can look back and say: remember we did that?”When fun-loving Lander considers this point a little more, he also mentions the obesity epidemic and the benefits of combining physical exercise and gaming, in what he calls exertainment. “The biggest challenge is, there are so many entertainment options available to children and teens that don’t require them to be active,” says Lander. “It really won’t work just by telling them they should exercise more. Very few people respond to that sort of push.“One of my drives is to make the gaming experience more readily available and more compelling so we actually make a serious inroad into this level of fitness and calorie use.”Besides the abundance of unhealthy and unwilling gamers, Battlefield Sports also faces the hurdle of exporting a product that essentially resembles a gun. “The only country we’ve had a complete stop on was Brazil. They have a ban on toy guns,” says Lander. They eventually gave up on that export destination. Another challenge was a delivery to Thailand just after the military coup. There the M16 copies went through a stringent series of checks, though Lander says this is not a common occurrence. “To the rest of the world they’re just harmless toys.”Through all the mishaps, Lander has learned some valuable lessons. “You’ve got to become an absolute expert at evaluating other people. I think it’s something which isn’t learnt in business school, but it’s probably the most important thing.” Ignoring early indicators can lead to export disaster. “You choose to ignore them at your own peril,” says Lander. “With the right people involved, you’re most of the way there.”Also from experience, Lander tells entrepreneurs to forget anything resembling work-life balance during the first two years of a new business. Balance can only be achieved when sufficient policies and employee training systems are in place. Lander recommends writing up a complete job description, so employees understand even the most minute details in the process.With 140,000,000 gamers worldwide fervently awaiting the newest, most realistic experience, Lander is constantly focused on research and development. “The complete gaming experience is still quite immature. More can be done to create truly compelling venues, so our strategy is starting to move towards really piloting mini theme parks.” And this includes improving Battlefield Sports’ technology and player experience. “You can always do better.”
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