Cindy King's International Business Blog » international sales skills

The Multiple Facets Of International Sales Preparation

Cindy King — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 23:00:34 +0000

Cultural differences effect international business practices on all levels. These cultural differences impact the international sales process and they can pop up unexpectedly at any time. The bad news is that these cultural differences often lead to situation that become potential deal breakers.

Wouldn’t it be nice to learn how to side-step these deal breakers and get more international sales?

One of the traits of successful international salespeople is their ability to process a wide variety of information while operating in an environment of change. They know how to keep both their own sales objectives and their international clients’ objectives in focus to close the sale. This is not always easy because of the cultural differences and the differences in the levels of cultural expertise. This is why international salespeople become experts in processing multiple sources of information.

Preparation is crucial in knowing how to deal with these diverse factors and can improve international sales success.

Here are three important steps to prepare for international sales.

Expand Your Cultural Mindset

If this is your first international sales meeting with a particular culture, you need to do a little research on the cultural differences you may encounter. I have noticed two extremes:

Sales people who are complacent in their own people skills
Sales people who get too wrapped up in the cross-cultural differences

Prior research can be critical and is important, but instead of learning a long series of cultural do’s and don’ts, it is often better to prepare your own mindset to adapt to different people. You need to be prepared to communicate and do business with people that think differently than you do. Culture shock can make you react in ways that are counterproductive to your international sales. Do not forget to question your own cultural baggage and how it effects your communication.

The right mindset of being open to different people will get you through most cultural challenges. Even if this takes time and effort to develop, you can simply try to keep the right frame of mind before an international sales meeting and you are on your way to improving your cross-cultural skills.

Strive to maintain an open mindset during your international sales meetings.

Understand The Big Picture

International sales require more preparation than selling within one culture. Not only do you have to prepare for your sales meeting, but you also have to look back and review your business at a more basic level.

This is because different cultures have different ways of doing things. When two different business practices come together there can be surprises: different needs, different limitations, and different opportunities. One of the particularities of cross-culture sales is that your international clients can challenge your business basics. There is no right way or wrong way. There is a path to find towards your international sale.

Sometimes you may even wonder if you live in the same world. This happens when you have not thought enough about the very basic elements of your business. It is not a question of having all of the answers. It is a question of grasping the big picture of how your business works, understanding the why, what this means and where things fit in… in simple terms.

You need the simple terms because you might need to equate your big picture with a foreign big picture which is totally different. If your picture is not basic enough you might not be able to communicate well enough to find the path to the international sale.

Include a review of your basic business framework while preparing for your international sales meeting.

Pave The Way For Credibility

The international salesperson also has the role of representing his company abroad. There are some fundamental credibility issues here.

Although these credibility issues are emphasized more in some cultures than in others, it is always good to be an exemplary representative for your company when dealing with international clients. People always like doing business with other people.

You create your credibility in how you communicate and what you say. This means you need to be prepared to have a credible response for a variety questions and circumstances. The types of questions you need to prepare for depend both on your particular business and on the culture of your international client.

The main thing is to learn:

When and how you need to address the question immediately
When it is best to defer answering the question or state your need to refer to management

This is why cross-cultural selling requires more preparation. A sound and in-depth knowledge of your own business, what your product does and where this fits into your clients’ picture, is an important part of representing your company in foreign countries.

You also need to learn how to communicate this knowledge to build your credibility. The best way to learn this is to listen to your international clients and to ask questions.

Keep your credibility in mind throughout any cross-cultural sales.

Stay Focused And Navigate Towards International Sales

International experience and strong cross-cultural skills are key to successful international sales, but the right preparation is just as important.

Follow the advice above and, during your next international sales meeting you will find it much easier to:

Keep your objectives on target
Address unusual situations smoothly
Come across with credibility

Good preparation gives you the tools you need to stay focused as you take in all of the information around you… even when cultural differences pop up and you need to adjust your sales strategy.

How do you prepare for international selling?
What do you do to prepare credibility in international sales?
What problems do you encounter when maintaining your business focus in cross-cultural sales?

International Sales Best Practice – Cultural Focus

Cindy King — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 23:00:52 +0000

International Sales Best Practices

This is the last post about how to improve clarity in cross-cultural communication through explanations. Today we look at the cultural differences others see in you and what you do.

CCCC Tip #25 -Tell others why you do certain things differently so they can understand your cultural environment.

This is a very common technique used in international encounters. It is a good one to “break the ice” and open discussions. “Ice”? This is when people do not interact because there is a barrier made with cultural differences.

When cultural differences are obvious some people will bring them up, and others will not. This is why it is always a good idea to be forthcoming and give the reasons behind any obvious differences others may not understand. When people do things differently there is usually a good reason behind it. When you can find out what this reason is, this also usually helps you in moving along the path that separates the two cultures.

Remember that cultural differences usually:

Stimulate and create negative reactions in people
Are part of the reason why you need to work harder to build credibility and trust

When people do not understand cultural differences, these differences become trust and credibility barriers. Cultural differences can even become barriers to international business. People like to do business with people they like.

Cross-Cultural Communication Skills & Sales Best Practices

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

“Believe you will, and act as if it’s happened.” – Jeffrey Gitomer

Similarities

Because international salespeople have to focus on answering questions about cultural differences, it is easy to forget that we also have things in common. In international business, this common ground is usually the desire to do business together. The basics rules of business apply across all cultures, if there is a need and desire for your product.

Two Sides

Remember to look at both sides of your cross-cultural encounter.

Pay attention to the cultural differences to take actions needed to maintain and improve trust and credibility
Identify the cultural similarities to find a common ground to take your sales negotiations forward.

We get so focused on the differences, we forget to look at the similarities. And you can often identify similarities in most cross-cultural encounters. For example, there are often similarities in key values in different cultures.

Do not focus your sales strategy on combating cultural differences. Although you will need to address issues brought up by these cultural differences remember to keep your business focus.

Why your international clients like your product and want to buy it.
How to communicate with your international clients in a way that gets them interested in buying
Integrate cultural similarities into your sales strategy

This is where the similarities can help your international sales. Many international businesses also locate the intersection, or sweet spot, between cultures and use this to their advantage.

Keep both the cultural differences and similarities in mind when explaining for clarity. The right cultural focus impacts your international sales.

What Is Your Experience Of This In International Sales?

What do you focus on when selling to international clients, cultural differences or similarities?
What techniques do you use to connect with international clients?
How do you adjust the cultural focus of your international sales strategy?

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:

2009 Cross-Cultural Communication Challenges

All International Sales Best Practices

You can find the complete list of International Sales Best Practices published to date here:

International Sales Best Practices

International Sales Best Practice – Thorough Preparation

Cindy King — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 23:00:07 +0000

International Sales Best Practices

There are several steps in creating clarity in cross-cultural communication for good international sales best practice. A basic step is to remember to take the time to explain things properly. And it is an easy one to forget. This is because when you are communicating with people from another culture, it is easy to think that the communication is just as easy for them as it is for you. Unfortunately this is not always the case.

Good explanations are always appreciated. Even when the other person “understands” you well enough. Good explanations give people from different cultures the time to adapt this information to their own cultural environment.

There is no doubt:

Clear explanations add clarity and improve momentum to your international business negotiations.

CCCC Tip #24 -

Break complex ideas into easy pieces and present them in a logical order.

There are many valid reasons why we might want to skip explanations or cut them short.

Flights to catch
Eagerness to get to the rest of the conversation
The meeting started late
There are only one or two people who might need the explanations
The explanations are in writing and can be consulted somewhere else

But the truth is, in international business when you do not take the time, at the right time, to provide clear explanations you usually have to:

Spend more time catching up later
Sort out additional cultural misunderstandings that crop up
Gain lost momentum
Bring up other issues at the wrong time or out of sequence

Well, I guess you can say that you shoot yourself in the foot when you do not take the time for good explanations.

Cross-Cultural Communication Skills & Sales Best Practices

This reminds me of today’s quote from Jeffrey Gitomer’s Little Red Book Of Sales Answers.

“What is the best way to prepare for a sales call? Be prepared, or be prepared to lose to someone more prepared than you are.” – Jeffrey Gitomer

Good explanations are important in international business. Here are a few things to think about, your explanations should be:

Clear
Timely
Immediate
Given slowly enough to be digested in real time, or provided with the time it takes to understand them

This helps you avoid cross-cultural misunderstandings and helps you to maintain the same understanding with all parties involved. Good explanations come with good preparation.

What Is Your Experience Of This In International Sales?

How well do you prepare your international sales meetings?
How much time to you take to prepare the explanations you need for your international sales process?
What are the common explanations your international clients need ?

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:

2009 Cross-Cultural Communication Challenges

All International Sales Best Practices

You can find the complete list of International Sales Best Practices published to date here:

International Sales Best Practices

International Sales Best Practice – Use Stories

Cindy King — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 23:00:50 +0000

International Sales Best Practices

Extreme clarity in any communication is not easy to attain. In cross-cultural communication a basic level of clarity requires a attention. This is because your international clients may need explanations you are unaware of. Today we are looking at one of the easiest places to stumble into a cross-cultural misunderstanding.

CCCC Tip #23 -

Do not forget to mention the information you think is obvious.

When you constantly try to see things from your international clients’ viewpoint, you will often realize that what is obvious to you is not obvious to everyone else. When you realize this it is easy to provide the explanations and extra information needed by others. This happens often in cross-cultural communication.

The best solution is to pay attention to the conversation and occasionally ask questions to confirm mutual understanding. But there is something else you can do…

Cross-Cultural Communication Skills & Sales Best Practices

First, let’s look at today’s quote from Jeffrey Gitomer’s Little Red Book Of Sales Answers.

“Personally, I believe the testimonial to be the strongest sales tool you can possess.” – Jeffrey Gitomer

When communicating with some cultures it can still not be obvious whether they need further explanations or not. And if they do need explanations, it is not always easy to understand exactly what they need.

One technique is to bring in a testimonial from another client. This works well when the testimonial tells the story of something relevant to your international client. Remember, testimonials are stories and they come in short and long versions:

Quote
Short testimonial
Success story
Case Study

We all respond to stories. When your prospective client hears a story where they can identify themselves, this usually brings their questions to the surface.

When you sense there is a disconnect somewhere, or questions that need to be raised, try telling a story. This can open discussions and help you to find out which unspoken questions you need to answer.

What Is Your Experience Of This In International Sales?

What stories do you tell your international clients to make the sale?
How do you find out what information your international clients need from you?
Where do you look for your international sales success stories?

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:

2009 Cross-Cultural Communication Challenges

All International Sales Best Practices

You can find the complete list of International Sales Best Practices published to date here:

International Sales Best Practices

International Sales Best Practice – Begin With A Great Glossary

Cindy King — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:00:43 +0000

International Sales Best Practices

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.

CCCC Tip #22 -

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.

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?

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:

2009 Cross-Cultural Communication Challenges

All International Sales Best Practices

You can find the complete list of International Sales Best Practices published to date here:

International Sales Best Practices

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

International Sales Best Practice – Begin With A Great Glossary

International Sales Best Practice – Deliver The Right Information

Cindy King — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 23:00:38 +0000

International Sales Best Practices

The next five posts are how to explain yourself to improve clarity in cross-cultural communication and get more international sales. Today we start with the basics because international salespeople need strong cross-cultural communication skills.

CCCC Tip #21 -

Try to rephrase key points and difficult concepts to make them easy to understand.

Many cross-cultural communication difficulties begin simply because something is not explained well enough. This sounds silly, I know. And yet, it happens all the time.

The problem is that it is not always easy to know what you need to explain in more detail and how to explain it properly.

Here is some basic advice to keep in mind:

Listen to the person from the other culture. Listen actively.
Take things one step at a time. Be logical and do not confuse things by talking about more than one topic at one time.
Ask questions to verify mutual understanding at key points during the conversation.

Cross-Cultural Communication Skills & Sales Best Practices

Let’s look at another aspect with this quote from Jeffrey Gitomer’s Little Red Book Of Sales Answers.

“The best way to get information to a prospect is to make the information a “must read” once it’s in the door. ” – Jeffrey Gitomer

In international sales, salespeople do not simply explain things, they also get people to want to listen to them. They rely on strong cross-cultural communication skills. They need to find out when to bring up certain subjects and how to bring them up. These skills are slightly different with different cultures.

When to approach different steps of the sales cycle also differs from country to country.

The explanations you need may not be the same as the ones needed by your international clients. They may need explanations delivered:

In a different format
In a different sequence
At a different time
To a different set of people

As you can see there are different variables involved. International salespeople learn to develop cultural skills to evaluate when and how to deliver information and explanations to different cultures.

What Is Your Experience Of This In International Sales?

How do you adapt the information you deliver to different international clients?
When do you need to explain things in international business?
How do you know what information you need to give your international clients for them to make their buying decision?

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:

2009 Cross-Cultural Communication Challenges

All International Sales Best Practices

You can find the complete list of International Sales Best Practices published to date here:

International Sales Best Practices

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

International Sales Best Practice – Deliver The Right Information

International Sales Best Practice – Use Written Communication Wisely

Cindy King — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 23:00:32 +0000

International Sales Best Practices

This is the last of five posts on simplifying your cross-cultural communication to improve clarity. Obviously what you say is easy for you to understand. And probably to the people around you.

But when communicating to different cultures, your communication may not be easy for everyone to understand. Cultural differences and different thought processes means that we have different meanings for what is simple and easy to understand. Communication between cultures can be difficult.

CCCC Tip #20 -

Keep your written communication simple and to the point.

There are a few different forms of communication: written, verbal and non-verbal communication.

Written communication can be difficult to get right when communicating with people from different cultures. You do not have the body language to help you get your message across. And you do not have the immediate feedback you get with verbal communication.

Despite this, in the international sales process, the right touch of written communication can often help establish good international business relationships.

When doing business with people from different cultures, you will notice how some people will need face-to-face meetings and others are happy to conduct business over the phone. And some cultures are more direct than others.

The truth is that how you communicate within a sales process targeting different cultures is important. In international selling a little thought in how you adapt your communication to different cultural needs can help you make more sales.

Cross-Cultural Communication Skills & Sales Best Practices

This reminds me of a quote from Jeffrey Gitomer’s Little Red Book Of Sales Answers.

“Writing is a key differentiator. I’ve used it for 14 years. Writing will not just lead to differentiation. Writing is the credibility you need to create buyer confidence.” – Jeffrey Gitomer

Throughout all of my experience in communicating in different cultural environments, simplicity and clarity were essential tools in international business. Simplicity and clarity have helped me to adapt to a variety of different cultural environments.

Of course, good business communication is a well-balanced mixture of written, verbal and non-verbal communication. And it takes practice to get a good sense of when you need to call someone, send them an email or mail them a short note.

But today I would like to tell you what I always look for in written communication. Knowing when to write something and what to write is a skill that served me well in international sales.

For example, short email can speed the sales process along when you use it well:

To confirm current position and what is needed next.
To give a status report and let your international client know you have not forgotten about him.

Usually this type of email is best preceded or followed up by a short phone call.

These practices may seem similar to normal sales procedures. With cross-cultural clients, you do need to pay attention to:

What you say
How you say it
When you say it

This is what I review systematically in all written communication:

Establish the context for the reader – why I am writing, reference to any previous event, phone call or meeting, who was involved and when this happened.
Choice of words – to avoid all ambiguity, no acronyms, spell out times and dates fully and if time zones are involved, give times and locations for all parties.
One clear message – with clear topics and lists as required and a clearly defined purpose for writing.
Clearly tell your reader the next step and whether you expect him to do something – highlight this and make it easy to pick up.
Identify whether this written communication requires a follow up phone call, and if so, when and with whom.
Keep it short. One email per subject.

All of these points are rapidly evaluated and adapted to the culture I want to communicate with.

What Is Your Experience Of This In International Sales?

How do you use written communication in your international sales process?
Do your international clients find your written communication easy to understand?
How do you use different forms of communication to get international sales?

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:

2009 Cross-Cultural Communication Challenges

All International Sales Best Practices

You can find the complete list of International Sales Best Practices published to date here:

International Sales Best Practices

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

International Sales Best Practice – Use Written Communication Wisely

International Sales Best Practice – Know What It Takes

Cindy King — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 23:00:20 +0000

International Sales Best Practices

Simplicity in communication requires additional effort. The more you know what you are talking about the more clarity you can bring to your cross-cultural communication… if you take the time to simplify your message.

CCCC Tip #19 -

Know what you want to say before starting.

Native English speakers sometimes make the mistake of thinking they have the upper-hand in a conversation with non-native English speakers. Unfortunately I have often witnessed non-native English speakers spotting a lack of preparation in a native English speakers presentation. Good communication basics apply to cross-cultural communication too.

I have often been in cross-cultural communications where prior preparation has rescued me from unexpected cultural difference. You see when you spend a little bit more time thinking about what you want to say, you identify the basic framework. No matter what surprise in cultural differences pops up during an international business meeting, you will always have a clear framework to work with. It is easy to adapt this to fit in with different cultural needs. Without this framework, you will not be able to respond quickly enough, and you could go down a wrong path or two before finding the right way to take your business forward.

Of course, you also need to know what you need to say to get the international business.

Cross-Cultural Communication Skills & Sales Best Practices

Today’s quote from Jeffrey Gitomer’s Little Red Book Of Sales Answers is a vital one in international business.

“Knowing what it will take to get someone’s business is one of the least used and most powerful techniques to getting new business. Your job is not to use this technique. Your job is to master it.” – Jeffrey Gitomer

This is what the process of cross-cultural selling is all about. To master this skill in international business takes constant effort, curiosity and practice. This is something you cannot study in a book. It is my goal to guide you towards this in all of these Cross-Cultural Communication Challenges and International Sales Best Practices.

As Jeffrey states in his little sales book, this is the least used and most powerful techniques to get new business. It also represents one of the most difficult aspects of international business. This is simply due to different cultures.

What Is Your Experience Of This In International Sales?

What will it take to get business from your international clients?
How does your preparation help you simplify your cross-cultural communication?
How much of what you plan to say to your international clients is based on what they need to hear?

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:

2009 Cross-Cultural Communication Challenges

All International Sales Best Practices

You can find the complete list of International Sales Best Practices published to date here:

International Sales Best Practices

Cindy King's International Business Blog » international sales skills

The Multiple Facets Of International Sales Preparation

Expand Your Cultural Mindset

Understand The Big Picture

Pave The Way For Credibility

Stay Focused And Navigate Towards International Sales

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International Sales Best Practice – Thorough Preparation

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Want To Get The Cross-Cultural Communication Tips?

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International Sales Best Practice – Know What It Takes

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What Is Your Experience Of This In International Sales?

Want To Get The Cross-Cultural Communication Tips?

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