Begin With A Great Glossary

By Cindy King  ·  3 Comments
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International Sales Best Practice #22

Clear explanations can increase the quality of your international communication. This is particularly useful when communicating with people who are not native English speakers… and also with people from different English speaking countries.

Cultural differences can create slightly different meanings and even a different vocabulary. In some industries the same words can be used with very different meanings when used in different countries.

Last month we looked at a great tool to help you communicate with clarity.

Remember to use a glossary on your website and make it a good one.

A good glossary requires a fair amount of work. It gives short, easy-to-read explanations, without a trace of ambiguity.

As a user, a good glossary is often a pleasure to read, even when you do not really need the explanations. This is because a good glossary lays the foundation and makes discussion easy.

Cross-Cultural Communication Skills & Sales Best Practices

Here is today’s quote from Jeffrey Gitomer’s Little Red Book Of Sales Answers.

“The bottom line is conversion. You have to convert their lack of confidence, their lack of trust, and their lack of perceived value into a sale.” – Jeffrey Gitomer

A good glossary is a great international business tool. It builds credibility and trust. Do not underestimate the value of how a glossary can help you build credibility and trust.

As Jeffrey Gitomer says, sales are about conversion. This is true in domestic sales. And it is even more important in international sales, where you usually start with an even lower level of trust, and where cultural differences create an additional handicap. The risk of trust and credibility flying out the window without warning is omnipresent in international business.

This is why you need all you can get to build credibility and trust in cross-cultural sales. A great glossary with clear explanations of the words and terms you use in your business becomes invaluable. In many cases you can also use a glossary to explain procedures which may be different to what your international clients are used to.

Of course, you can:

  • Place your glossary in an easy to find location on your website
  • Print your glossary and include it in your international marketing materials

But don’t forget the extra value this resource gives to your international sales team, and how it can help them in the field when they are confronted with awkward questions.

A good glossary for international clients is part of the international sales guide I recommend for businesses entering new markets.  The glossary is the first step in identifying the right language to connect with your international clients. It comes before learning how to adapt your sales process to make the international sales.

What Is Your Experience Of This In International Sales?

  • When was the last time you came across a good glossary?
  • How often do you need to explain your business to international clients?
  • What cultural differences have you noticed in how your international clients run their businesses?

Check out the other International Sales Best Practices in this series.

What do you think? Please share your thoughts and comments below.

Photos from Shutterstock.

  Filed under: International Sales

                          


Cindy King