International Sales Best Practices
Today is first of five posts on how to simplify your cross-cultural communication to get extreme clarity.
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CCCC Tip #16 -
Adapt your communication to make it easy for others to understand. |
This month’s series takes last month’s tips to get extreme clarity in cross-cultural communication and brings them into an international sales perspective. Remember to download the free calender for an easy reference to all of the 30 Cross-Cultural Communication Challenge Tips on clarity. Get the complete International Sales Best Practices series here.
A set of rules on how to simplify your cross-cultural communication is not the best way to make it easier for others to understand you. You see, it depends on who you are trying to communicate with. For example, most European countries understand latin-based words easily, and yet you would probably look for a shorter word when speaking with children in your own country.
The best way to learn what is easy for others to understand is to pay attention to the person you are speaking with. A good dialogue will tell you how you need to adapt your communication.
A word of warning: When we try to simplify our language to speak to children, we often speak extremely slowly and we sometimes raise our voices. This is not advised when speaking to non-native English speakers. You do need to speak clearly, and to avoid speaking fast. But you should not speak so slow that it implies a learning disability.
Here are two easy ways to adapt your communication:
- Change your vocabulary
- Use the same words the other person uses
Cross-Cultural Communication Skills & Sales Best Practices
Here is something to remember, taken from Jeffrey Gitomer’s Little Red Book Of Sales Answers.
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“Go out and invest in the most important person in the world — YOU!” – Jeffrey Gitomer |
It takes a little effort to:
- Adapt your communication
- Find the easiest words that others understand
- Find the right speed to talk
- Avoid culturally specific words and phrases
- Speak each word clearly
If you ever feel impatient, remember the quote from Jeremy above. With practice, this is how you improve your international skills. This is the effort you need to put in. It is an investment in your own skills.
What Is Your Experience Of This In International Sales?
- How much time do you invest in improving your cross-cultural communication skills?
- When do you get frustrated with cross-cultural communication in international sales?
- How do you simplify your cross-cultural communication and develop your international sales skills?
Please share your comments below. I’d love to hear your stories!
Want To Get The Cross-Cultural Communication Tips?
Two Cross-Cultural Communication Challenges are currently available:
Get all of the tips from these 30 & 31 day challenges, and learn more about the other planned later this year:
All International Sales Best Practices
You can find the complete list of International Sales Best Practices published to date here:
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