by Cindy on August 11, 2008
Cross-Cultural Communication Differences
When developing your international business, one of your first challenges will be creating trust with your foreign prospects. You may not recognize this as a challenge. You probably do a great job in creating trust with your current customers.
But there is a big difference. Your definition of trust will be different to your prospect’s definition of trust if he lives in a different country.
I just had a very inspiring conversation with Liz Strauss on the use and misuse of translation online. Liz is the best person I know capable of inspiring interaction on her blog. She also knows a thing or two on the differences in the interpretation of the meaning of trust.
One of the things you are confronted with when you live in different countries, is different interpretation for a few common words. You may be able to translate them, but they have totally different guide books on how to apply them in different cultures. Nothing you can learn in a book can teach you everything.
Some of the words are always a challenge to apply and identify an accurate meaning: [click to continue...]
by Cindy on August 11, 2008
International Business Development
When I got my first business websites I spent several weeks looking for the right hosting service. Of course, I wanted to sign up with a host with great service and reliability.
There were two other issues buzzing in my head:
A Business Hosting Solution
I had used the American company GoDaddy before. There have a good service.
They also have a 24 hour telephone customer support service, with American style customer service. This means you usually feel like they care about trying to help you.
I can call North American phone number for free with my telephone service. So a service with an American phone number is not an issue for me.
But I just did not like the idea of setting up an international online business with a company whose sole branding campaign is to flash a pretty young woman’s big boobs all over the place.
Pictures do speak a thousand words. What if they are the wrong words? [click to continue...]
by Cindy on August 10, 2008
Uniquely Cindy - Sunday Book Reviews
All of the book and product reviews here are totally unsolicited… spontaneous …and without affiliate links. These are books and products I share with close friends. So all of the reviews you find here will be about things I highly recommend.
Influencer: The Power To Change Anything, by Kerry Patterson - Joseph Grenny - David Maxfield - Ron McMillian & Al Switzler, is dedicated to scholars and practitioners that have made each of us a powerful agent of change.
Influencer is an easy read that uses a variety of examples; medical, kids, health, professional and more. The wide variety of examples make it easy to understand how each person can be a positive part of the change process. The different type of examples also makes it easy to understand that this can be used in my life, or my business. No matter what your circumstances are and no matter what business you are in.
The Book is divided into 2 parts. The first section is The Power To Change Anything. This section gives the general examples that are used through the rest of the book. Examples in which the authors were active participants and other examples that that are easily referenced in the rest of the book. [click to continue...]
by Cindy on August 9, 2008
by Cindy on August 9, 2008
Uniquely Cindy - International Marketer Review Blog Carnival
Here is a list of links to other interesting articles elsewhere on the web
Welcome to the August 9nd, 2008 edition of the International Marketer Review.
Last week Are you Fishing with Bird Seed? & Email Promos Exposed! tied for best post. Congratulations Fred Black and John Furst. [click to continue...]
by Cindy on August 8, 2008
International Web Marketing
Most company marketing executives do not have a hands on role with their company’s web marketing, or e-marketing.
eMarketing is another word for web marketing
Geek marketers are few and far between. The varying skill levels of eMarketers make it difficult to assess. But there appears to be disparity in eMarketers depending on which continent your live. North American marketers definitely have more hands on experience with web marketing than French marketers for example.
I have not seen a survey on this, and this is simply based on my own observations.
No Web Experience
There are a few reasons why marketers still do not have the “e” in front of their profession: [click to continue...]
by Cindy on August 7, 2008
International Web Marketing
I have a translation widget on Get International Clients which is becoming popular and also generating some response from…translation agencies.
The translation agencies obviously want to keep their break buttered. But I sometimes wonder if the translators that get all huffy over a translation widget live in the real world.
Why don’t I ever run across an article from a translation agency on how and when to use free translation tools?
As I speak a few languages fluently I have often been asked to translate all sorts of documents. I do recognize the full value of human translations. [click to continue...]
by Cindy on August 6, 2008
International Business Development
To be successful in international business you need to spend a lot of time opening yourself up to different cultures. This is an ongoing exercise. You learn to put your own cultural prejudices aside in order to be able to create authentic cross-cultural communication.
Prejudice
Yep. I just said prejudice. We all have them. Even when we think we don’t. We acquire cultural prejudices through our up-bringing, the environment we live in and our own experiences. [click to continue...]
by Cindy on August 5, 2008
International Business Definitions
I recently wrote that I have noticed a trend here in Europe towards seeking web marketers with traditional offline marketing experience.
I have also already mentioned I’m currently reading Akin Arikan’s book Multichannel Marketing. It is a great read and I highly recommend it to all internet marketers. Akin Arikan uses a great way to describe the difference between Offline Marketers and Online Marketers. This is what he says:
Online Marketers have a mind-set comparable to the film Matrix.
= They know how to deal with lots of data streaming in from all different sources.
Offline Marketers have a mind-set comparable to the television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
= They know what the best questions to ask are.
This is a great analogy. Offline marketers have more experience, or at least there is more history to reference. This is why they have learned how to ask the right questions. [click to continue...]
by Cindy on August 4, 2008
International Content Creation
Many small businesses would like to develop their business internationally. But they always seem to put it off. The reasons for putting off international business development are varied and multiple.
All businesses have had to adjust to many different marketing channels. But are they using the different marketing channels effectively for their businesses? This is the challenge businesses of all kinds face today.
I am currently reading Akin Arikan’s book, Multichannel Marketing. Akin says there are very few businesses currently using the different channels available to them effectively.
When small businesses are still grappling with effective multichannel marketing for their domestic markets, it’s no wonder international marketing today appears to be confusing.
That’s when a simple marketing strategy works best. [click to continue...]
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