You have found buyers in Norway or Finland. They like the offer. Then comes the question that stalls more deals than any objection: “What does it cost, in our currency?”
If you have no answer, the prospect hears hesitation. This is how to prepare one before the first call.
Quote in the buyer’s currency
Buyers compare offers in the currency they pay their own bills in. A price in SEK forces them to convert, guess and explain it to a colleague. Every extra step is a reason to wait.
As a rule of thumb:
- Norway: quote in NOK.
- Finland: quote in EUR.
- Sweden: SEK, as always.
Quoting in SEK can work with a few large, international buyers who already deal in many currencies. For a cold market, local currency is the default.
Three ways to set the price
There is no single right method. These are the three we see most often.
1. Convert and round. Take your Swedish price, convert at a current rate and round to a clean number. It is fast and simple. The risk is that you copy Swedish assumptions about margin and market into a place where they may not hold.
2. Fixed local price list. Set a NOK and an EUR list price and keep it for a defined period, for example a quarter or half a year. Buyers get stability, and you decide when to review. This works well for products and packages with a clear scope.
3. Price from the local market. Look at what comparable solutions cost in Norway or Finland and place yourself deliberately: at, above or below. This is the most work and the most honest. It also tells you whether the market can carry your margin at all.
Whichever you pick, write down the assumption. Six months later you will want to know why the number looks the way it does.
Currency risk, kept simple
If you cost in SEK and invoice in NOK or EUR, the exchange rate moves your margin without asking. You cannot remove that, but you can manage it:
- Build a buffer into the list price. A price that only works at today’s rate is a fragile price.
- Set a review rhythm. Agree internally when local prices are revisited, and what rate movement triggers a change.
- Keep contract periods in mind. Long fixed-price contracts in a foreign currency carry more exposure than short ones. Be deliberate about term and indexation.
- Talk to your bank or advisor about whether it makes sense to hedge or hold a local-currency account. It depends on your volumes, so general advice will not do.
The practical details that close the deal
Price is only half of it. Before the first quote goes out, decide:
- Which legal entity invoices, and in which currency
- How VAT is handled for the buyer’s country
- Payment terms and what the buyer expects locally
- Invoice language and the format the buyer’s system needs
- What happens if a customer wants to pay in a different currency
Tax, VAT and registration rules depend on your setup and change over time. Verify the current requirements with an accountant or advisor in the relevant country. Do not rely on a blog post, including this one.
Test the price, not just the market
A new market is also a pricing experiment. During a test campaign, note which objections are about price and which are about value. If buyers push back on the number, ask what they compare you with. If they ask for the price first and then go quiet, your offer may be unclear rather than expensive.
Our 3-month campaign framework shows how to structure a test so these signals are captured. And the lessons from our post on mistakes Swedish companies make in Norway apply here too: the boring bits, like currency and invoicing, are where good conversations go to die.
The short version
Quote in local currency, pick a pricing method on purpose, protect your margin against exchange rate swings and have the invoicing sorted before the first yes. A clear price is part of the pitch.
Planning a move into Norway or Finland? Talk to the pack.