Monthly Series – International Sales Best Practices
A funny thing happens in some cross-cultural encounters. Here’s the scenario:
- Two people who do not speak the same language meet
- One speaks his native language. Let’s call him the “native speaker”
- The other person speaks this same language, but it isn’t his native tongue. He can communicate well enough, but his language skills in this language could be improved. Let’s call him the “non-native speaker
There is a tendency for the “native speaker” to treat the “non-native speaker” like a child… or an elderly person with hearing difficulties, but I’ll stick to the child in this example.
When you speak to a “non-native speaker” like a child, this is in response to the language level you hear. As a “native speaker” you are speaking your own language, you hear the language you are used to… and if you are not careful, you listen with your usual filters. This sounds like a child speaking. So you assume the “non-native speaker” is not able to fully understand what you say and respond accordingly.
You need to be careful of this. Just because your international business partner may sound like a child, this is only due to insufficient language skills in your language. Who knows, his communication skills might even be better than yours when he speaks his own language. Don’t let your primal response jump in and start treating him like a child. You will quickly learn that most people understand foreign languages much better than they speak these languages.
The problem is when you treat someone who is your equal like a child this does not lead to effective communication. Now, imagine what this does when trying to build trust. And now let’s go even further… imagine what this does to the “non-native speaker”. What if you are the “non-native speaker”? How would you feel if you were having a normal conversation and someone started speaking to you as if you were a child?
Hint: a “non-native speaker” will hear you treating him like a child… and, if he is there doing business with you, he probably understands you well enough when you speak normally. If he has trouble following your accent or the speed at which you speak, the best thing is to speak a little slower and tidy up your own communication.
This is a long story to show that there are many tiny incidences during a cross-cultural communication that can undermine your trust in yourself if you are not careful.
Building Trust In International Sales – Tip 8
A man who doesn’t trust himself can never really trust anyone else. – Cardinal de Retz
International Sales Best Practice
- Trust Yourself First
This series is about reviewing the cross-cultural communication tips to build trust and how they fit into international sales. So trust is a core topic in this month’s series. Today we look at the very first step we need to take to build trust.
Trust Yourself To Be Credible
Even though people from different cultures may do things differently and they may not speak your language well, they will be able to sense your trustworthiness. In international business, others will always ask themselves whether they can trust you.
Trust and credibility are linked. And so is your professional reputation in international business.
Trust Yourself To Be Trustworthy
Credibility is linked to trust through the different ways of proving your trustworthiness.
- You need to be competent and worthy of trust
- You need to do what promise to be worthy of trust
Trust Yourself To Be Trusted
Trust is personal. The good news is that there is something you can do to get more trust. You see, trust does not start with the other person, it starts within yourself. Before others can trust you, you need to trust yourself.
Do what it takes to get yourself to trust:
- What you say
- Your actions
- Your beliefs, opinions and decisions
How? This is easy:
- Be honest with yourself
- Do what it takes to complete the actions you say you will take
- Build the trust you have in yourself by discovering who you are and accepting this.
Once you trust yourself, the next step is to trust someone else. Giving trust is a way to get others to notice the trust you have in yourself, in your decisions. Giving trust is powerful too in cross-cultural encounters… but don’t forget this first step of trusting yourself. And remember to find the resources within if ever your trust in yourself is undermined by situations created through cross-cultural differences.
Now it is over to you…
- How does your trust in yourself effect your international sales?
- How do your international clients perceive your trust in yourself?
- Why do you need to trust yourself to make more international sales?
Please share your stories in the comment section below.
More Cultural Skills For Today’s Tip
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Last month’s Cross-Cultural Communication Tip
- Trust yourself first |
This month’s series takes reviews last month’s tips to build trust in cross-cultural communication and adds 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 trust. Get the complete International Sales Best Practices series here.
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