Cindy King's International Business Blog » international mindset

A Question Of Mindset

Cindy King — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 23:00:55 +0000

Mindset In International Business Development

It surprises new international businesses just how much their success depends on mindset. And on the mindset of the people in their company and the mindset portrayed by the company as a whole.

French Hurdle To An International Business Mindset

What I encounter here in France is the opposite. Almost every time I venture down the street I meet a business owner who’s own mindset is stopping his own company from even venturing abroad. Now there might be a slight exaggeration there. But not much. Honestly. This is a very common occurrence.

There is a French cultural aversion to saying it is good to make money.

This cultural aversion has some funny quirks. You see, when there is a cultural difficulty to speak openly about something, sit back and watch.

Two things usually happen:

People will not be able to find the solutions easily. Simply because they cannot ask the best questions to find the best solutions.

Or they find different solutions. And this is where you usually realize just how differently your thought processes are.

Here in France, I have met many a business owner who was almost physically unable to say that he wanted to make money.

Instead the business owner usually diverts conversation back to how it is good to provide jobs for others. And if I dare prod and ask how much money he would like to make, no matter how gently, there is usually an immediate anti-American or anti-capitalist response. Veiled or unveiled.

In addition to the cultural aversion in talking about making money, companies here in France are expensive to run. From government taxes to 37 and a half work weeks… with 5 weeks statutory vacation.

So it is understandable that French businessmen appear more hesitant to attempt international business development.

So, French businessmen probably have a higher hurdle in adjusting their mindset to acquire an international business mindset.

But it is only a hurdle. And this hurdle is the hardest. Once you get over it, it is usually easy for them to acquire an international mindset.

Your International Mindset

Cultural handicaps aside, it is usually easy to start acquiring an international mindset. You simply need to jump in and take action to develop your international markets. As you come into contact with different cultures, you will need to respond.

And it is how you respond that develops your international mindset. You cannot really develop an international mindset through procrastination and inactivity.

You need the cross-cultural connection to develop your skills. It is not something you can outsource.

Read more about how you can develop your international mindset here on Get International Clients.

International business success depends on personal mindset development just as much as on good business practices.

And there is a trend in businesses needing to adapt their mindsets. If you rely on international web marketing to reach your foreign markets you will also need to adjust your mindset to do business with social media.

A flexibility and willingness to adjust your personal mindset is of great value in international business development today.

Don’t Miss The 31 Day Cross-Cultural Communication Challenge:

Take the 31 Day Cross-Cultural Communication Challenge to expand your mindset:
Download the free Cross-Cultural Communication Challenge Calendar

How To Acquire The Right Mindset For International Sales

Cindy King — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 06:00:54 +0000

Mindset In Cross-Cultural Communication

In my experience, your mind-set is more important in international sales negotiations than in domestic sales negotiations. In fact, as you gain more experience in international sales negotiations your own mind-set will change.

In your sales negotiations in your domestic markets, there are several other equally important key elements: the offer, your prospects needs, and your prospects objections.

These key elements are also important in cross-cultural sales negotiations. But before these key elements you need the right international mind-set.

Without it, others will simply not take you seriously. Even worse, they will adjust their own communication and put up communication screens.

If you do not fully open yourself to international negotiations, others sense this and you will lose your sales advantage.

The Right Mind-Set

You see, international sales need a different mind-set.

If you are just starting out in international sales, you will probably not understand what the right international mind-set is. An initial experience in international negotiations will take the blinkers off.

But it takes time and practice to fully develop your international mind-set. Even with lots of experience, you will probably only see the full dimension of the right mind-set after you witness a seasoned international salesperson in action firsthand.

What you can do: Notice good international negotiators.

In The Field Practice

We use different definitions and vocabulary to describe good cross-cultural communication. You cannot pick up the right mind-set through study.

Cross-cultural miscommunication happens almost continually. You will often not even be aware of any miscommunication in your own negotiations.

You learn this skill through practice.

What you can do: Get as much field practice as you can.

Self-Knowledge Is Key

Practice is not everything, you also need good self-knowledge.

The right mind-set opens your mind to other cultures. It is not an easy exercise. People easily feel threatened in unfamiliar territory. Cross-cultural communication opens the door to your own identity.

The right mind-set side steps your own natural prejudices that contaminate your international communication.

You can do something to adjust your own communication.

Good international sales negotiators know themselves well. They understand their own reactions and are able to momentarily put aside any reactions or prejudices that would block effective negotiations. As they put on their international mindset, they

Become curious about other cultures
Develop their ability to empathize with others to its maximum

You can only do this if you are confident in your own self-knowledge.

Good international negotiators are able to open their minds without prejudice to other cultures because they feel confident enough about their own self-knowledge.

What you can do: When something surprises you, question your own reactions and thoughts. Learn about yourself.

Personal Adjustment

Picking up the right mind-set for good international sales negotiations demands personal adjustment.

Good international sales skills go beyond your own desk. You need to practice. It is like riding a bike.

And just like bike riding, once you pick up the right mind-set, you will be able to use the same skills throughout all cultural communication.

Don’t Miss These Other Article On Mindset

Mindset

The Right Mindset For International Negotiations

Cindy King — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 16:11:42 +0000

International Business Negotiations

Good preparation is the key to good international sales negotiation practices.

After that it is all a question of your own mindset or attitude. The right attitude will reap dividends. It is hard to describe but it is easy to recognize people who do have the international mindset.

It is also blatantly obvious when someone thinks he has mastered international communications…and hasn’t. This is often because he has only dealt with one foreign country, or only has a superficial experience, either in length of time or in personal cultural investment.

So here is my short definition of the intrinsic element to a good international mindset:

Quiet Unassuming Confidence

The key to succeed in international negotiations is having a quiet confidence of your own capabilities. Assume your position without infringing of the boundaries of the others. But do it with quiet confidence.

Knowing you are well prepared will give you confidence. Having the right mindset will lead you through your negotiations.

The smoother your communication the easier it is to appear professional. The more professional you appear the more credibility you have. And the right mindset is important in creating this credibility.

Cross-Cultural Vision Is More Important Than Learning International Habits

Cindy King — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 09:32:54 +0000

Mindset In Cross-Cultural Communication

Studying different habits and learning how to shake hands in different cultures has a value. But this is not this skill that will help develop your international business.

Cross-cultural vision and an international mind-set will give you a skill set to communicate better with your international clients. This skill set will also help you to evaluate your international business potential in foreign markets. Here is how this will help you:

The ability to see from different cultural points of view
An increased ease of adapting to different cultures
An understanding of different forms of politeness
An understanding of cultural differences in respect
An awareness of different professional behaviors and their meaning
An ability to adjust your own behavior to these cultural differences within seconds
The ability to navigate through different cultures without communications, and business, coming to a halt

Don’t Miss These Other Article On Mindset

Mindset

More In These Get International Clients Business Guides

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

Cross-Cultural Vision Is More Important Than Learning International Habits

Boost Your Company Way Out Of Your Local Recession Field

Cindy King — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 07:52:08 +0000

Mindset In International Business Development

Do you automatically assume your business will follow the flow if your local economy was going through a recession? Do you lack ideas on how to keep your company sludging through rough times?

How would you like to be able to free your company up out of any sticky recession your local economy might be in?

Let’s take a closer look at how your marketing team functions during recessions. Your marketing team is your lead generation tool, right? How can a seasoned marketer help you during recession?

Traditional Marketing Outlook In A Recession

Generally speaking, during a recession most offline marketers get their budgets cut. This appears to limit their choice of actions. Marketing life can seem pretty gloomy without the budgets companies become accustomed to.

But this will not deter the seasoned offline marketer. He will look for and find creative solutions he can implement on a decreasing budget. The seasoned offline marketer will learn to manage, if his company and products have staying power. And if this is not his first recession to ride through, he will have prepared for hard times.

Creativity is part of the key. Traditional marketers have to lift their heads up and look out at the whole world to try to find their solutions. Communication is live.
They have the upward and outward outlook. They might lack the tools or opportunities they desire in-house and will naturally look outwards to find them.

Online Marketing Outlook In A Recession

During a recession the online marketers will naturally look to increase their conversion rates. They will want to get even more out of the money they have. Good online marketers often still have weapons up them sleeve to get better conversion rates. Recession stimulates them into action.

But this leads the online marketer down one narrow road, totally fixated with numbers, and testing, concentrating on the math and science of online sales conversion.

His vision is totally focused, and can be narrow in scope during a recession. Increased conversion rates can help during a recession.

Fly Above The Crowd

The pressures of survival on low budgets can narrow your vision.

What happens when you get a marketer with both online and offline experience marketing during times of recession? What would he come up with?

Probably a solution that will give your company a big boost, taking you out of the whole recession arena.

A little creativity with focus…and the low-cost friend, the internet.

What will you see if you were to look upward and outwards with focus?

There are other countries which are not operating under the same economic constraints as you are.

Creativity?

In a recession, dare yourself to find or create a product to sell further afield. Any company can. It just takes a little bit of imagination. Let the traditional marketer help you.

Powered Focus?

In a recession, dare yourself to find those clients fast. Of cours, you can. Let the online marketer help you.

Recession Proof Your Business By Getting More Foreign Clients

Flying above the crowds is a mindset, don’t let your mindset get caught in your local economy.

Developing clients further afield will help your company expand in the long term.

In a recession? Use both Traditional Marketing and Online Marketing skills to give you the power you need to get up and out of any local recession your company may be in.

Don’t Miss The 31 Day Cross-Cultural Communication Challenge:

Take the 31 Day Cross-Cultural Communication Challenge to expand your mindset:
Download the free Cross-Cultural Communication Challenge Calendar

Define International Business

Cindy King — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 09:39:51 +0000

International Business Development Strategy

I came across quite a few questions lately on the subject of defining “International Business”. Here are some of the questions and my thoughts on how to find the best answers for your business.

UPDATE: After reading this article many international business students ask me to spell out international business theories for them. This is not what this article is about.

My blog tries to raise awareness of cultural differences and how this impacts international business professionals in the field. It is based solely on my own personal experience and it’s about developing the personal skills you need to be successful in the field.

One of the very first cultural differences international professionals encounter is the cultural differences in what international business represents to people from different countries.

What Is International Business?

Dealing with so many different cultures and with extensive field experience, I tend to apply the simplest of definitions:

International business =
Business transactions crossing national borders at any stage of the transaction.

But then very often other questions crop up.

When I Export Products Do I Have An International Business?

There are distinctions to be made between:

A company that sells their domestic products to different countries through export/import agents, and
A company that knows how to adapt its marketing, sales, products and business strategies to sell to clients in different countries

A company with in-house international expertise across all business activities has an international business without a doubt.

Some people would say that a company, where a third party international sales agent takes care of all aspects of the international sale, is not an international business.

There are of course companies at varying stages between these two scenarios. And companies often progress through these different stages as they develop their international business.

There is no real “yes” or “no” answer here. It depends what definition you give to “international business”. But you do need to know your definition of “international business” and no matter which one you use you should also convey this definition to others when speaking about it.

What Is International Business Versus Global Business?

To answer this question it really depends which hat I decide to put on.

If we are going to discuss the theory of international business, there are some fine differences. But this is not a university and my response is based on my many years of field experience in international business.

Here is my current reality: In conversations across cultures the terms “international business” and “global business” refer to the same thing.

The question of different meanings for these terms has its place in classrooms and also for in-depth strategy sessions.

Today, if you are in the field, academic definitions of “international business” are not easy to translate into the cross-cultural reality of business. The boundaries of definitions become fuzzy and inadequate.

Remember, both “international business” and “global business” mean that you have to adapt your business to the outside world. Herein lies the true meaning of international business for me.

You need to learn how to adapt your business to your markets in different cultures

Successful international businesses or global businesses seem to become free of their own national boundaries. They simply become very competent at navigating through the whole world market.

The Differentiating Factor: An International Mindset

When determining whether a business is international or not, and when comparing how one business could be “more international” than another, perhaps the best thing is to look at the company’s mindset:

How real are your international client relationships? Do you connect with your international clients?
Is your “international business” only about your company? Or do you make an effort to understand your international client?
What do you do to adapt your business to your international markets?

International business has more to do with a mindset and the answer to these questions will give you a company’s real international business value.

Communication Across Cultures Is Better With A Whole Brain Approach

Cindy King — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 16:07:55 +0000

Mindset In Cross-Cultural Communication

Cross-cultural communication is not an exact science. When you begin a cross-cultural business conversation for the first time, you cannot be sure where it will end.

Within cultures, people are different. Within the same cultural group:

There are different ways of saying hello
There are different ways of being polite
There are different ways of being respectful

Most people do not fully understand the way in which differences in cultures, and even within cultures, impact communication. Let’s look at how people approach cross-cultural communication.

Different Approaches In Developing Cross-Cultural Skills

On one end of the scale, some people enter a cross-cultural conversation without making any concessions. Some go as far as behaving as if everyone is from their own hometown.

This does not help you pick up good cross-cultural communication skills quickly.

On the other end of the scale, some people are excessively studious and read up on specific local habits. They want standardized answers on what to bring if you are invited to dinner, how to dress, when to arrive, what to say. They look for exact literal translations into their own cultural habits and language.

This also does not help you pick up good cross-cultural communication skills quickly.

Reformat Your Approach

Although both of these methods have their downfalls, practice often gets everyone to pick up good cross-cultural skills.

If you want an easier place to start, you can find a better place to start developing your international mind-set.

The best way to go into your first cross-cultural communication is use a whole brain approach

With your right brain learn to relax.

Be confident
Be yourself
Become aware of your own communication

Then, with your left brain let yourself open to meeting this different culture.

Recognize your own different personal feelings and beliefs
Consciously put them to the side

A whole brain approach leads to a positive meeting.

Right Brain

Allow your right brain to become in tune with the other person’s emotions.

Can you pick up any emotional signals?
Does your communication appear to be in the same place?

Open yourself up to communication with this other person. Adapt your response to his. Let your right brain open your communication.

Left Brain

With your left brain, look at the scene from a different perspective.

Is this an interactive dialog?
Are you in the same dialog?

If something seems out of place in your conversation, ask your left brain if there is something you can do to improve communication. Do not go overboard. Let your left brain keep control of your actions.

A Whole Brain Approach

Appearing warm and communicative, ready to open conversation and taking suitable actions ensures great communication.

Remember, respectful and polite communication works well in all cultures.

The trick is know how to adjust your own definition of respectful and polite to fit in well with other cultures. A whole brain approach will guide you to do this.

Don’t Miss These Other Article On Mindset

Mindset

More In These Get International Clients Business Guides

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

Communication Across Cultures Is Better With A Whole Brain Approach

Cindy King's International Business Blog » international mindset

A Question Of Mindset

French Hurdle To An International Business Mindset

Your International Mindset

More On Mindset In Cross-Cultural Communication:

Don’t Miss The 31 Day Cross-Cultural Communication Challenge:

More In These Get International Clients Business Guides:

How To Acquire The Right Mindset For International Sales

The Right Mind-Set

In The Field Practice

Self-Knowledge Is Key

Personal Adjustment

More On Mindset In Cross-Cultural Communication:

Don’t Miss These Other Article On Mindset

More In These Get International Clients Business Guides

The Right Mindset For International Negotiations

Quiet Unassuming Confidence

More On International Business Negotiations:

More In These Get International Clients Business Guides:

Cross-Cultural Vision Is More Important Than Learning International Habits

More On Mindset In Cross-Cultural Communication:

Don’t Miss These Other Article On Mindset

More In These Get International Clients Business Guides

Boost Your Company Way Out Of Your Local Recession Field

Traditional Marketing Outlook In A Recession

Online Marketing Outlook In A Recession

Fly Above The Crowd

Creativity?

Powered Focus?

Recession Proof Your Business By Getting More Foreign Clients

More On Mindset In Cross-Cultural Communication:

Don’t Miss The 31 Day Cross-Cultural Communication Challenge:

More In These Get International Clients Business Guides:

Define International Business

What Is International Business?

When I Export Products Do I Have An International Business?

What Is International Business Versus Global Business?

The Differentiating Factor: An International Mindset

More On International Business Development Strategy:

More In These Get International Clients Business Guides:

Communication Across Cultures Is Better With A Whole Brain Approach

Different Approaches In Developing Cross-Cultural Skills

Reformat Your Approach

Right Brain

Left Brain

A Whole Brain Approach

More On Mindset In Cross-Cultural Communication:

Don’t Miss These Other Article On Mindset

More In These Get International Clients Business Guides