Cindy King's International Business Blog » negotiation

International Links: Week 11 2010

Cindy King — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 10:34:09 +0000

I‘ve started a weekly roundup here on this blog of all of the useful and interesting links I share on Facebook and Twitter. As I explained last week, I have several Facebook Business Pages and have started using them a bit like how I’ve used Delicious in the past: to share useful links. The links for the different Facebook Business Pages are below if you want to follow them there.

Here are the international and cross-cultural links for this week.

Cross-Cultural Topics

The art and science of cultural difference – An insightful read into cultural differences. Below is the “most wanted” picture in Holland. Read the article to see how this is different to the “most wanted” picture for Americans. A great illustration of cultural differences found via Christian Hoeferle.
Irish American Culture: Pass the Colcannon – In case you missed reading up on St. Patrick’s day this week, here’s a good read on PocketCultures
Cultural Competency – Where Do You Begin? - Amadou M. Sall reminds us that we don’t start by talking to “cultures”, we start by connecting with individual people.
China Blogs by Western Women who Love Chinese Men – Here’s a great resource to get insights into different perspectives of Chinese culture.
Dubai: The Identity Crisis Next Door – This is an interesting read by Arun Rajagopal. I expect several countries to go through identity crisis as our demographics sift over the next few decades. I wonder what it’ll take for these countries to come through these changes for the better. What do you think?
Google partners with Italy for groundbreaking book scanning deal – Google has similar arrangements with Oxford University, Madrid’s Complutense University, the Bavarian state museum and others.

Facebook Business Page on Cross-Cultural Communication:

Cindy King on Facebook

International Business

Why MBAs are Going East – This trend in looking for better jobs in the east is definitely one to watch.
The Biggest Roadblock to Upping Exports – Here’s a good read on the challenges of developing business abroad. “The biggest hurdle stopping most companies from doing business abroad is fear”. Do you agree with this?
Mobile Phone Subscribers Earn Money In the Developing World - As usual, here’s an interesting read on international business by Laurel Delaney. What other international business stories do you have to share?
Despite Digital Crackdown, Brands Still See Growth in China – This is also a review of Google’s story, the mistakes they made in China and why other companies should still consider developing there.
How can I use partners to internationalise when the supplier-buyer relationships are key? – Some great advice from Donagh Kiernan to Get International Clients

Facebook Business Page on International Business:

International Business on Facebook

International Marketing

A transparent world through face recognition and the great challenge for privacy – Christian Kreutz brings up some great points in the cultural differences in how people are using facial recognition. What do you think about this? Is it a good thing all round or not?
9 Killer Tips for Location-Based Marketing – As more location-based tools and platforms are coming out, how can you use these technologies for better marketing. Do you think these tools will help your International Marketing?
The Future of Publishing - Great video on two different perspectives of the future of publishing.

Facebook Business Page on International Marketing:

International Marketing on Facebook

International Sales

gE Blog Series: Planes, Trains and Automobiles – Here’s an interesting series by globalEDGE on transportation and how this impacts International Business : Planes, Trains and Automobiles – Transportation
European Union Looks at Vietnam – globalEDGE shares how the European Union Looks at Vietnam for free-trade negotiations. Are you aware of all the International Business opportunities available through trade agreements?
Free Market Webinars Now Available! - Here’s yet another great resource on globalEDGE. This time it’s a list of free webinars to help you make more international sales and Get International Clients. It’s worth checking out.
Keeping an Open Mind will Open New Markets - Here globalEDGE shares a link to an interview with the US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and reminds us of the export opportunities to Get International Clients there. “China, India and Russia have recently earned over $19 billion in business that has traditionally gone to American firms.”

Facebook Business Page on International Sales:

International Sales on Facebook

International Social Media

Data Shows Articles with Digits May be Shared More on Facebook Than Those Without – Dan Zarrella always shares some interesting stats. This one shows why it’s good to include numbers in the articles you share on Facebook… Do you often write article titles with numbers? Do you think works across all cultures?
Are You Taking Social Media Shortcuts? - In this article Jay Baer gets us thinking about the big picture of social media. Outside of the big 4 mentioned here I like the social bookmarking site BizSugar for it’s business community. Plus, for international audiences I also use the French Viadeo and the European XING. Are their any international social media platforms you like to use?
Social Media In Philippine Tourism – It’s always interesting to have a look at ideas on using social media in different countries. Although there are not any new ideas here, it does show that opportunities are not exploited.
Twitter’s Leadership Promises The Impossible – After following Google’s story in China, here’s the take on Twitter. Do you think we’ll have many social media platforms operating all over the globe? Or will there be more of a tendency towards specific platforms for different countries?
‘Enemies of the Internet’ Countries Include Iran, Saudi - It seems this is a list we’ll need to watch for a while as the web continues to develop. Are you surprised to see any of these countries listed here?
Chavez: Twitter and websites may soon be blocked in Venezuela - And after the last link, here’s another interesting bit of news from Venezuela. How much do you think political restrictions in different countries will impact international social media across the globe?
Bloggerati versus Literati - A good read by Yang-May Ooi on the rise in popularity of Malaysian blogging and bloggers. Are blogs changing the reading habits in your country?

Facebook Business Page on International Social Media:

International Social Media on Facebook

Now It’s Your Turn

What about you? Did you find any interesting links recently?
What do these international and cross-cultural links inspire for you?
Which international link is your favorite?

Cross-Cultural Strategy In Sales Negotiation

Cindy King — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 23:00:56 +0000

International Business Negotiations

The most important cross-cultural strategy in sales negotiations is the same for your domestic sales negotiations.

Preparation

Do not forget to prepare for your sales negotiations beforehand.

Identify Sales Basics

Can you set the parameters:

What do you want to sell?
What is the lowest price you can accept?
What price do you want out this sale?
What else do you want to get out of this sale?

Different businesses have a few variations to these questions.

What are the other questions you need to ask yourself?

Before a cross-cultural sales negotiation, take the time to clearly answer the questions you need to set the right parameters before you enter into your negotiation.

You need to keep this information in mind during your negotiation. During a cross-cultural negotiation you can easily fill your mind with bits of information of secondary importance.

Identify Your Business Strategy

Get the basic outline of your company’s business strategy.

Identify key points you can adapt
Identify key points you cannot adapt
Are you aware of your company’s international strategy?
Do you know of any limitations you have?
Do you need to touch base with your management first?

Again, this is a little like identifying your sales parameters. Adapt these questions to your business.

If you do not clearly keep this information in mind, your cross-cultural negotiation can go off track. Or it may take longer than you need, simply because you are not focused.

Identify Their Business Strategy

Give some extra thought about your client. Dig as deep as you can.

What does your client really want?
What would he like in addition to this?

This can help save you time. And it can be the difference in making a sale or not.

The faster you can identify the real reason why your prospect is, or may be interested, in what you have to offer, the faster you will be able to adapt your own communication and make the sale.

Focus For Success

Now, most sales professionals will say that they already do all of the above.

And this is true generally. However, things seem to crop up in cross-cultural sales.

All too often, I have seen a seasoned sales professional get caught in the field without basic preparation. The result is often:

A delay in making the sale

Additional costs for additional meetings

A win-win cross-cultural sale needs more focus. And not necessarily more negotiation skills.

Clarity And Consistency

There is also another very important reason why you must not forget to do your basic sales negotiation preparation.

Your preparation brings clarity and consistency into your sales negotiation.

Clarity and consistency are your two key trust-building tools in cross-cultural communication.

If your sales negotiation style does not include clarity and consistency, and you are not closing sales, look no further.

Chances are you need to change your style for more sales.

When you have identified the framework you have to work in, and you know what your client wants, it is easy to apply clarity and consistency into your usual sales negotiation tactics. It also makes it easier to adapt to unexpected cross-cultural barriers, or international sales hurdles.

Don’t Waste Your Time Negotiating With The Wrong Person

Cindy King — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 06:00:32 +0000

International Business Negotiations

Don’t fall into the first cross cultural communication minefield of not thoroughly identifying the right person you need to negotiate with.

International business negotiations are not easy to navigate. Sometimes even the simplest of assumptions right at the beginning can lead you astray.

It’s true, wasting your time negotiating with the wrong person does not happen often. But when it does, it can lead to a fiasco. You waste a lot of your time and increase your foreign lead costs. But you might even jeopardise your future business relationship.

Do not automatically assume you know whether you are speaking with the right person or not, especially if this is your first international business negotiation or if you are dealing with a culture extremely different from yours on several levels. You don’t want to everyone around you to see you on a wild goose chase.

Cultural differences can complicate simple communication. It is not always obvious to understand how a foreign company’s management is structured.

You might assume it is similar to what you are familiar with.
A key word might have been translated poorly.
A job junction simply might not have an accurate translation into your language.

And in some cross cultural communication it can take both parties some time in understanding who should be speaking to who.

You might be perceived as not being the right company representative to meet with the appropriate person in your prospects company.
Politeness is easily misinterpreted in any cross cultural communication and in business environments the correct way of doing things varies from culture to culture.

This is one of the advantages of teamwork in international sales. Two people see more than one person. Often one person is specifically assigned to picking up cross cultural communication signals.

Remember to verify whether you are indeed negotiating with the right person early in your communications.

Some people may take offense if asked outright. Most people will even accept a straightforward question if it is early in your communication. But there are always more polite ways of verifying. And you can include a short follow-up cross verification in any of your correspondence in writing shortly afterwards.

Good cross cultural communication skills are all about clarity and trust. Establishing the right negotiation partner is the first part of the international sales process.

Is The Expense Of Foreign Travel Stopping You From Getting International Clients?

Cindy King — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 06:00:14 +0000

International Business Development Strategy

Some businesses never establish an active international business development strategy because they think they will need face to face meetings with their prospects before any international sales come through.

It’s true; in the past some sales people reacted to an international customer inquiry by immediately scheduling a meeting, and then hopping on a plane.

Yes, face to face sales negotiations are important in establishing real client relationships.

In many cultures and in some industries it is the only way you can do business.

But times have changed a lot.

E-business is leaving traces of new negotiation practices all over the world. Even in cultures with strong face to face negotiation practices.

There are now many industries across a variety of cultures where international sales negotiations can take place without any foreign travel. And in many cases, business negotiations can take place with less foreign travel than in the past.

All companies worldwide are sensitive to economic competitiveness. Internet and good international telecommunication practices are affecting traditional cultural business negotiation habits in many countries.

Brick and mortar businesses are finding more and more instances where they can make international sales without travel. Prospects are more willing to do at least part of the sales negotiations by phone, by email, and by teleconference.

There will always be times when you will need to meet your prospects in person. But in today’s marketplace most businesses should not consider international travel a necessity for international sales.

At the very least, there is often a greater cultural acceptance of better foreign meeting planning.

Coordinating mutual travel schedules to coincide at industry events, for example, cuts costs and saves time for both parties.

Sales companies use yearly road trips combined with a regular communication strategy to keep costs down. You can do more through various telecommunications than you expect.

Don’t automatically assume that you need to travel to get international clients. And if you do feel your business needs foreign travel, improve your cross cultural communication skills to optimize the various communication channels available. Your foreign travel budget will drop drastically.

More In These Get International Clients Business Guides:

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

Is The Expense Of Foreign Travel Stopping You From Getting International Clients?

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.

International Sales Negotiation Tips For American Women

Cindy King — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 16:51:30 +0000

International Business Negotiations

As a North American International Sales & Marketing professional in Europe for over 20 years I have a fair bit of negotiation experience between North Americans and Europeans. As I was often the most multilingual person in the office I was often called in desperation when my colleagues thought all communications had be permanently severed with their clients.

There is one essential thing I picked up: if you are well prepared you will be able to navigate the cross-cultural negotiation challenges that inevitably pop up.

So, before any cross-cultural meeting don’t skip the essential preparation. Set aside enough time to sit down, think about the person you will be meeting and clearly identify:

· What does your client want?
· What do you want to sell him?
· What cards can you play?
· What cards he may want but you can’t play or give at any cost?
· What are you prepared to negotiate?
· What win-win outcome possibilities do you see?

After that it is all in your mindset. 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 superficially.

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

Quiet Unassuming Confidence

Knowing you have done all of your homework will help you be confident. Doing your homework will also make it easier to immediately identify any cross-cultural communication difficulties. You will be able to ask questions to clarify the agenda and get the ball moving again in the direction you want. The smoother your communication the easier it is to appear professional.

The more professional you appear the more credibility you have.

Here are a few more tips I picked up along the way for other North American – European negotiations:

Dress

Industry operating environments can change dramatically from country to country. In one country navy suits for men will be the norm and the same industry in another country will be more tolerant. This was the case when I worked in television in London. As a woman I had it easy, but I did wear a blue suit during all out of the office negotiations when I hadn’t previously met my client.

Perfume

Here in France I have gotten used to wearing more perfume than my North American counterparts. I am careful of adapting these habits when traveling to North America. I just would not be able to carry out a good negotiation if I were to wear perfume as I do in France. Smell just seems to be something people notice in others they do not know well.

Smiles

Being North American I smile a lot more than most Europeans. Smiling can be taken as being threatening, or over-provocative, yes, even here in Europe, without going further east. This is something I did not change very often. I smile as I would normally do in North America. But I might change this if I were to have different responsibilities. Too many acquaintances come up to me here in France asking me not to smile, or why I’m smiling.

Cheek Kisses

Smiling leads into the habit of greeting everyone with kisses on the cheeks. I would much rather shake hands or just smile rather than having to stick out my cheek for greetings to everyone I meet. There is an art to it which I will not go into here. The number of kisses depends on the region you are in, the age of the people, and other factors the locals don’t seem to agree on anyways.

But remember that it is a practice that is assimilated to simply saying hello. If you come across someone you would normally say hello to in a country where cheek kisses are the norm, it means no more than saying hello. But if you don’t give yourself in to the practice some people can be offended that you did not say “hello”.

Using Your Cultural Advantages

Being North American living in France and speaking French, I have often gotten away with addressing all of my colleagues as “tu” instead of the more formal “vous”. But I would never do this by force. And I always call people by the given name they were introduced to me with.

Americans have the habit of calling others nick names. This can work for you or against you. You will have to adapt. Personally, being a woman, I find it easier to avoid.

Adapting To Different Cultural Practices

There are two examples that immediately come to mind because they are the two things I don’t like. In France eating and drinking seem to be an obligatory part of every negotiation. Having a glass of wine at lunch when you know you have a full afternoons work to do afterwards is always challenging. There are times when it is possible to avoid drinking. However there are also times when it is well advised to have that glass of wine to fit in with the key players.

The second example is the dress code for North American women to wear stockings with skirts at all times of the year even during a heat wave. The offices are often air-conditioned so it is easy to deal with a jacket, but stockings are an oddity.

Men & Women In Negotiations

Be aware that a male/female sales team works differently in different cultures. On occasion I will hear of a well-dressed woman being invited into a cross-cultural negotiation meeting without any clear role in the negotiation process. Each time has led to the other (male) party asking for the woman to leave the room. I have never personally been in one of those meetings.

Team Play

This has been a source of great fun and success for me. Multicultural sales teams who are aware of the different way they are perceived in a given culture have the opportunity of using and playing on a very wide range of natural skills. This works extremely well if you work together outside of the negotiation.

Cultural misunderstandings do happen. Sometimes more than we would like. The good news is that the more practice you have the easier it gets to develop good cross-cultural communication skills. The rewards are both personally enriching.

If you follow these tips your web site will be friendlier for all of your international visitors.

Cindy King's International Business Blog » negotiation

International Links: Week 11 2010

Cross-Cultural Topics

International Business

International Marketing

International Sales

International Social Media

Now It’s Your Turn

Cross-Cultural Strategy In Sales Negotiation

Identify Sales Basics

Identify Your Business Strategy

Identify Their Business Strategy

Focus For Success

Clarity And Consistency

More On International Business Negotiations:

More In These Get International Clients Business Guides:

Don’t Waste Your Time Negotiating With The Wrong Person

More On International Business Negotiations:

More In These Get International Clients Business Guides:

Is The Expense Of Foreign Travel Stopping You From Getting International Clients?

More On International Business Development Strategy:

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:

International Sales Negotiation Tips For American Women

Quiet Unassuming Confidence

Dress

Perfume

Smiles

Cheek Kisses

Using Your Cultural Advantages

Adapting To Different Cultural Practices

Men & Women In Negotiations

Team Play

More On International Business Negotiations:

More In These Get International Clients Business Guides: