Differences between buyers:
- Values
- Protocol
- Buying assumptions
- Purchasing hierarchies
- Views on rank and age
- Views on gender and roles
The key to successfully selling to culturally diverse buyers …be prepared
Values Are the Core to Every Culture
Values are the lens from which cultures view:
- Politics
- Economics
- Religion
- Aesthetics
- Relationships
- Morality
- Environment
“The hand of God is with group” – Arab proverb
“The nail that sticks up will be pounded down” – Japanese value of group conformity
Little business is conducted unless personal relationships exist:
- What credentials are important; which credentials are unimportant?
- What should the conversational dialogue be
- When will “business” start?
- Should questions be asked about the family?
- Should you be equipped with personal photographs?
Social Formalities and Etiquette
- Understanding cross cultural etiquette is vital to selling successfully
- Research the cultural etiquette before hand
- Err in the direction of formality
- Dress appropriately for culture and gender
- Verbal and nonverbal communication
Tips for minimizing verbal language misunderstanding:
- Don’t equate understanding with accents, the word “yes” or body language
- Create visual aids in the language of the audience
- Be aware of your tone of voice –never shout
- Clarify throughout the conversation and watch how much information is being covered at one time
- Avoid all jargon, idioms and slang
- Avoid negative phrasing
- Carefully select signs and symbols (including colors)
- Avoid all confrontational statements or even direct bluntness
- Choose interpreters and translation service carefully
- Give serious consideration to bilingual marketing brochures or profiles, biographical sketches and historical overviews of the firm
- Be able to speak a few words of the client’s language
- Consider all time spent on recognizing how to minimize verbal communications problems as an investment
Time
“Hora Mexicana” or “Hora Americana”
Polychronic or Monochronic
Ranks and Roles
- Many lawyers are viewed as technicians and not as advisors
- The roles people play in decision-making changes from country to country
- The person negotiating may not be the decision maker
Summary
Keys to successfully navigating cultural gulfs:
- Values and beliefs
- Social formalities and etiquette
- Verbal and nonverbal communications
- Time
- Rank and roles
