Cross-Cultural Glimpses Of Society
I have been approached a couple of times recently by obviously recent adepts of Multi-Level Marketing. These MLM professionals are using the web as a networking tool.
The problem is that the business offers I have received do not contain much of a… well, business offer. The only thing these contacts were trying to sell to me is the MLM bandwagon.
The trouble is some people think that sending out emails is email marketing, and email marketing is marketing. Hmmm… emails can also be confusing.
International Multi-Level Marketing
The last person to contact me, also personalized her email hoping for contacts to an international audience.
Oh boy, no international market research done here.
I have an English sounding name, but I live in France. The easiest way for me to get socially excluded anywhere would be for me to try to sell something using a Multi-Level Marketing sales method.
This email reminds me of those cutesy emails that end with a death wish from the sender if you don’t immediately forward their email to 10 or 20 people.
The problem is, I do not have enough people in my email contacts who I could send these cutesy emails to even if I wanted to. Death wishes of any kind do not usually go down well in cross-cultural communication.
I have tried and tried to explain that to the people who send me these sort of things and with whom I still want to keep in contact. I did not win. So, sure I still let their emails come through, but I never open any of them if they have been forwarded. I don’t like starting my day with death wishes.
An MLM offer is like a death wish to me here in France. I would not be able to sell it to anyone I know if I wanted to. And if I tried, I would lose friendships.
So, using a sales pitch running solely on the value of Multi-Level Marketing?
It needs some serious international market research here.
Marketing Basics
Even then, how about brushing up on some basic marketing.
MLM is part of your sales method.
- People buy products and services, not sales methods. Sell your what you have to sell.
- You need to sell to people in the way they want to be sold. The way how you sell is important. One method will work in some cultures and the same method will not work in other cultures.
This last point is the issue you will have with selling through MLM. You need to identify which people like to be sold with MLM.
I know MLM is popular in some circles in North America. I have also seen a few articles in the press here in Europe about some people trying to adapt MLM here in Europe. It was bad press.
I have seen one North American online company trying to target the French market. They used a template of their North American website and their marketing seemed off target to me.
It’s not an easy task. My advice would be to study Cross-Cultural Marketing to fully understand what you up against.
Sales Methods Versus Products
Don’t confuse your sales method with your products and services.
I understand that MLM’ers will say their method is their product, because people who buy into the method can potentially make lots of money.
But you will not kid many of your foreign prospects. It is primarily a sales method, especially in cultures where this method is not a good fit.
If you are only using one specific sales method, first find out who likes to be sold to like this.
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Want to find out how you can carry out the right international market research? Read this Get International Clients Business Guide: International Market Research |
Read more Cross-Cultural Glimpses Of Society:
- Cultural IQ
- It’s All About The Offer - Let’s Refuel America!
- Example Of Cultural Differences In Italian Politics
- China Has Passed The United States In Online Population
- Foreign Film Festival
- Motivation To Travel?
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Cindy King is a Cross-Cultural Marketer and International Sales Specialist, with over 25 years field experience in international business development.
Learn how you can get more international sales |
