president. Being of a different ethnic background is bound to get you noticed, but you have to show commitment to the group over time if you want the members to do business with you.
Reading ethnic newspapers and magazines
Do you want to know what people from other cultures are thinking, what grabs their interest, and how ethnic businesses are already pitching their products and services to this market? Then pick up a few ethnic newspapers and magazines and flip through them when you have some time. You may need some assistance from a friend or staff member who speaks the language to help you figure out what the headlines say, but the first thing you’re likely to notice is that the audience views world events very differently than do mainstream Americans. You can instantly gain insight to the other culture’s perspective.
You can usually pick up ethnic newspapers (often for free) in ethnic neigh- borhoods or business establishments or by visiting your public library. You can also read many of these publications online.
Also, look carefully at the ads in these publications. On close examination, you’re likely to notice that the words in these ads convey an entirely different message than similar ads targeting Anglo American consumers and that the ads probably focus on different features of a product or service than you may expect. You’re likely to see that trust is often more important than low price and that relationships are crucial in making the sale.
Traveling far and wide
Becoming a minority in a different country is perhaps one of the fastest ways to develop cultural competency. First, it enables you to empathize with minorities in the United States. You get to know how it feels to be the only one in a room with a different complexion who isn’t fluent in the language and who is unfamiliar with the traditions and customs of those around him.
Moreover, travel transports you to the very origins of the culture and immerses you in a setting where everyone around you naturally practices the customs and traditions of the land. Assuming you don’t isolate yourself with your fellow traveling companions, you quickly begin to pick up on the culture’s nuances after a few days.
Before you embark, be able to say a few basic words and phrases in the other country’s language. The people there will sincerely appreciate your efforts. Even the French, whom Americans tend to stereotype as rather cold and aloof, quickly warm up if you can at least say “hello” and “goodbye” in their language.
If possible, talk with anyone on the plane sitting near you who may be familiar with your destination. Ask him for tips on interesting places to visit and eat and traditional cultural events to experience. Seatmates are usually eager to share their experiences and insights on a long flight.
Attending an ethnic studies course
You don’t have to immerse yourself in a foreign language to broaden your understanding of other cultures. Plenty of colleges, universities, and community colleges offer ethnic studies classes. These programs generally cover the his- tory of African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and others in the United States.
Some of the topics these courses typically touch on include the following:
History
Identity issues
Family values
Immigration patterns
Religion
Ethics
Art, music, and dance
Beliefs and rituals
Literature
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Ethnic studies courses can be heavy on the academic and light on the practical.
Nonetheless, they can be interesting and helpful in understanding multicultural customers.
Learning another language
Learning to communicate in a foreign tongue is certainly easier said than done, but if you’re willing and able to invest the time and effort, it’s one of the best ways to discover another culture and bridge the gap with customers who already speak the language.
One of the most fascinating aspects of any language is the influence it has on the culture itself and the thinking and behaviors of its people. The German philosopher Heidegger wrote that humanity lives in the house of language, meaning that a person’s thoughts and expressions (the content of what they think and say) are heavily influenced by their language (the form that their expressions take). Consider, for example, the fact that the Chinese alphabet consists not of letters or an alphabet but of pictures — in fact, China is where the expression “A picture is worth a thousand words” originated.
Language studies can lead to other fascinating discoveries. If you take a course in Mandarin Chinese, for example, you’re likely to find out that Mandarin is spoken in mainland China and Taiwan but not in Hong Kong.
A Spanish class is likely to give you a better understanding of the English language, because of the many similarities between English and Spanish rules of grammar.
The mere thought of picking up a new language can be overwhelming, but you don’t have to master a language to reap the benefits. Just becoming familiar with a few words and phrases is often an excellent way to demon- strate to customers that you’re sincerely interested in them and committed to serving them and their community. Being able to speak and understand the basics of a foreign language can also make travel more enjoyable.
The quickest way to master a new language is through an immersion program.
With most immersion programs, you take the course at a college or univer- sity in a country where the language is spoken. In other words, you study Spanish in Spain or Mexico or another Spanish-speaking country, or you study Mandarin Chinese in Beijing. You usually attend the program for a week to several months or longer. In an immersion program, you not only speak the language 24 hours a day, both inside the classroom and on the streets, but you can also experience your host country’s food, history, sights, and culture.
Of course, these programs aren’t cheap. Including airfare, a typical immersion program may cost several thousand dollars for just one week, but just think of all the fun you’ll have! If you consider it a working vacation, the cost isn’t that
If an immersion program doesn’t strike your fancy, consider taking an inex- pensive foreign language class at a community college. Classes typically meet once or twice a week for 12 to 18 weeks, and that’s usually the only time you have to really practice the language. Gaining mastery can take several years, but if you’re committed to it and you don’t mind picking it up slowly, this is a definite option.
Asking the Experts
Many people are afraid of insulting others by asking them about their dif- ferences, which may be the biggest contributor to cultural illiteracy. In reality, not asking ultimately offends more people, because then you end up approaching the person in a state of ignorance. Instead of knowing how the person would prefer to be greeted, for example, you have to assume, and assumptions can be pretty dangerous.
Just imagine how much damage you could do by making false assumptions about what other people wanted. Instead of asking everyone at the table whether they would like salt or pepper, for example, you simply start season- ing their food for them. Or say you run up to a woman you’ve only met once and give her a big hug. As Americans, we’re accustomed to asking probing questions of people in our own culture, but when it comes to dealing with others whom we understand even less, we’re more reluctant to ask them about their needs, desires, and expectations.
Unfortunately, without a clear understanding of other cultures, people tend to assume the worst, such as the following:
When a customer refuses to shake hands, you may assume she’s unfriendly or rude. She may simply be uncomfortable with this form of greeting, just as many longtime Americans are uncomfortable hugging anyone except their closest relatives.
When a customer backs away, you may think she doesn’t like you. She may just be trying to establish a more comfortable distance.
When a customer doesn’t establish eye contact, you may take it as a sign that the person doesn’t respect you or want to hear what you have to say, when it actually means the opposite.
When a customer starts speaking in his native tongue to others in his party, you may assume you’ve lost the sale. This type of conversation is actually a strong sign that the person is interested.
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Go ahead and ask people about their food, language, cultural practices, and beliefs. They want you to understand them. If you don’t ask your questions, you have no hope of hearing your customers clearly through the cultural static.
(Cultural static consists of unspoken thoughts and unanswered questions about a person’s background that clutter your mind that then interfere with your ability to communicate.) Here are common and important questions that often go unasked, creating cultural static:
Where are you from?
What is your ethnic heritage?
What is your native language?
What does the colored dot on the forehead signify?
Why do you wear a turban?
Why do you wear a head scarf?
Why do you wear ethnic clothing in America?
Why do you hand me your business card with both hands?
Why won’t you look at me when I’m talking to you?
Why do you have to negotiate over every little item?
Why do you sign a contract and then continue to negotiate?
Why don’t you do as Americans do when you’re in this country?
If you’ve ever thought any of these questions or something like them and didn’t ask, you unintentionally created cultural static that kept you from clearly hearing your customers’ wants and needs. You can’t develop cultural competency and trusting relationships if you don’t ask questions to satisfy your curiosity and listen to the rationale that gives rise to the differences between you and others.
How do you cut through cultural static? Simple. Go ahead and ask any ques- tion that pops into your head and recognize that it probably won’t be inter- preted as offensive. People from diverse cultures would prefer that you ask and get it out of the way. What you’ll discover is that ethnic people generally enjoy talking about their backgrounds. People from cultures outside this coun- try know that some of their practices can seem strange to Americans, and they want to welcome you into their world. Once inside, you’re likely to find that seemingly odd behaviors actually make a great deal of sense.
Embracing Change
People tend to get set in their ways at the expense of their happiness. The fact is that change occurs whether or not you accept it. Resisting it simply saps your energy, wastes precious time, and can make you bitter.
Sure, change is disruptive, but think about it. We’d venture to guess that some of the biggest changes in your life led to the most happiness; for example, graduating high school or college, getting married, having children, starting a business, and changing careers can all be highly stressful and chal- lenging, but when you look back, you see that they resulted in the greatest amount of personal growth and opportunity.
The same is true when your market becomes more diverse. If you dig in your heels and refuse to change because “I’ve always done it this way” or because
“They immigrated here, so they should be the ones to change,” you’re likely to miss out on a golden opportunity to grow both personally and professionally.
You may even jeopardize your survival in the new global economy.
Realize and accept the fact that change brings about uncertainty. What worked before isn’t necessarily going to be effective today and in the future.
You can start small, such as just eating an ethnic food that you’ve never tried before, and then work your way up to greater challenges, like mastering a new language.
Purchasing this book was your first step in changing the way you do business with multicultural customers. Now you’re ready for bigger challenges.
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