UK to North America
Meetings with US and Canadian buyers for UK companies.
If you are a UK company expanding into the US or Canada, Vivin can set up first meetings with buyers, distributors or resellers there, so you test demand before you commit to staff or premises.
Vivin is run from Ottawa and our callers include people based in Canada and the US, so outreach happens in the buyer’s working day and meetings can sit in the overlap between a UK afternoon and a North American morning.
Why UK firms look across the Atlantic
The US is the UK’s largest export market, worth £202.5 billion in the four quarters to the end of 2025, and Canada was 13th at £19.2 billion, according to the UK government’s business.gov.uk market pages (checked 4 October 2026). The CPTPP trade agreement has also applied between the UK and Canada since 1 September 2026.
Those numbers say the market is there. They do not tell you which buyers will take a call from a UK supplier, which is what a first meeting campaign is for.
End buyers or distributors: decide first
A software firm usually needs end customers. A maker of components or consumer goods may need an importer, distributor or rep firm that already sells into the right channel. They are different briefs, and distributors will ask about margins, minimum orders, lead times and how you handle after-sales support from the UK.
Pick one country and one segment to start. Industrial buyers in Ontario and in Texas are separate lists, and the US alone spans several time zones.
Working across the time difference
For most of the year, 14:00 in London is 09:00 in New York and Toronto and 06:00 in Los Angeles, so East Coast meetings fit a UK afternoon and West Coast meetings run into your evening. The clocks change on different dates, so for about a week around the start of November and for two to three weeks in March, London is four hours ahead of New York rather than five.
Every invitation should show both local times, so nobody joins an hour early or an hour late.
What stays with you
Vivin opens conversations. We do not handle customs, product certification, tax, immigration or setting up a US or Canadian company. The UK government’s Export Support Service and the business.gov.uk market guides are the place for those questions.
Meetings are billed per attended appointment, USD $100 to $500, and no-shows are not billed. The ICO says that when you market to people outside the UK you must also comply with the laws of their country: PECR’s rules on naming the sender and giving a valid opt-out address still apply, the UK GDPR covers how your company handles the contacts’ details, and North American rules such as CASL and CAN-SPAM apply too.
Written enquiry
Would you rather write to us first?
Tell us what you sell, which US or Canadian buyers you want and when your team can take calls. We will reply by email with the next step.
All three models side by side.
Contracts and invoices are in US dollars. Your written quote names the buyer you want, what makes a lead or meeting count and every fee before you sign.
See UK pricing in fullQuestions about working with us from the UK.
Short answers to common questions about how we work.
Should a UK company start in the US or Canada?
Start where your product fits and you can serve customers well. Some firms test Canada first because it is a smaller market; others go straight to one US region. We can scope either.
Do we need a US or Canadian company before you book meetings?
Not to hold first conversations. Whether you need one before you start selling depends on what and how you sell, so ask your legal and tax advisers.
Can you find distributors in the USA for a UK product?
Yes. We build a list of distributors, wholesalers or rep firms that sell into your category and region, then set up meetings with the ones open to a new supplier.
Can you book meetings around a North American trade show?
Yes. Share the show, your stand number if you have one, your travel dates and the roles you want to meet, and we work on meetings for the days you are there.
What time will the meetings be in the UK?
East Coast meetings usually fall between 14:00 and 17:00 UK time. Central and West Coast meetings run later. You choose the windows your team can take.
Does PECR apply to outreach to US and Canadian buyers?
Yes, in part, and other rules apply as well. The ICO says that when you send marketing to people outside the UK you must also comply with the laws of their country. PECR’s rules on naming the sender and giving a valid opt-out address apply to any marketing email, the UK GDPR covers how your company handles the contacts’ details, and the buyer’s country adds its own rules, such as CASL and CAN-SPAM, which our Canadian site explains.
How much does appointment setting for the US market cost from the UK?
USD $15 to $500 per accepted lead, exclusive to you and replaced if it falls outside your written criteria, and USD $100 to $500 per attended appointment, with no-shows not billed. Pay per close is 5% to 20% of attributed contract value plus USD $497 per month, and your team closes. Every fee is listed in your written quote before you sign. Contracts and invoices are in US dollars; the UK pricing page has a dated pound guide.
How long before a UK company sees its first US meeting?
We do not promise a date or a number of meetings. The time depends on how quickly your buyer profile, exclusions and quote are agreed and on how reachable the buyers are. When meetings do happen, East Coast ones usually sit in the UK afternoon. A meeting is billed once it is attended.
Will US buyers know we are a UK company?
Yes. The outreach says where your company operates, and we never present you as a local business. Expect questions about how you will quote in dollars, contract and support customers across the Atlantic.
What do you need from a UK company before you start?
A written buyer profile (role, company size and US or Canadian region), your exclusion list of customers and open opportunities, a plain USD offer, references you have permission to share, a named person to take the meetings and the UK hours that person can cover.
What happens if a US buyer does not turn up?
A no-show is not billed. If the buyer rearranges, the new date is tracked as a reschedule and the meeting becomes billable once it is held, and attendance is evidenced before it is counted. This applies to pay per attended appointment.
Book a discovery call at a time that suits your diary.
Thirty minutes on who you sell to and where your pipeline thins out. If a colleague in New York, Toronto or anywhere else is joining, check the time zone the calendar shows before you choose.
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