International Sales Best Practices
Today’s international sales best practice reminds us that we cannot be everything to everyone if we want to be successful. As Jeffrey Gitomer points out, we have to resign our position as the general manager of the universe.
International Sales Success
I have often found noticed how the most successful international salespeople stay focused on their own goals. They do not get into other people’s business.
Quote From Jeffrey Gitomer’s Little Red Book Of Selling
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Principle of Sales Greatness
Resign your position as general manager of the universe |
Last Month’s Cross-Cultural Communication Tip 29
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Let the other person finish speaking. Avoid interruptions. |
Finding The Balance
Some people find it difficult to find the right balance between professional and personal conversation in cross-cultural exchanges. Some cultures need to know personal information and other do not.
- Some people feel if is very personal if you know the names of their children and talk about what they did on the weekend.
- Others do not want to do business with you unless they know these personal details.
I have found the easiest balance is internal. It has more to do with your own internal positioning than what the other person knows about you.
Part of this is also knowing your own personal boundaries. For example, although I would not write specifics about my children, I will share some information with others when face-to-face, but I would never bring my children to any social gatherings with professional acquaintances.
The other part is remaining professional and knowing what your position is and what your goals are.
Remaining Within Your Position
The cross-cultural communication involved in international sales means that you also need to make sure you have all of the information from the other side. It is very easy to get sidetracked and lose your business focus.
And when you become so focused on your own agenda, you can miss the signals from the other side when there is a disconnect somewhere. Hence this weeks cross-cultural communnication tip of letting the other person finish speaking and avoiding interruptions.
Something else happens when you take the time to listen to the other person: it becomes easier to:
- Stay focused on your own position
- Identify common ground and the right path for your conversation
So…
The less time you spend in other people’s business, other people’s problems, and other people’s drama, the more time you’ll have for your own success. – Jeffrey Gitomer
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