To learn more about Lee and the products and services he offers, visit his website at www.EthnoConnect.com. To learn more about Ralph Roberts, visit his website at www.AboutRalph.com.
Building, Managing, and Retaining
If you want to take your sales career to the next level, check out Ralph's Advanced Selling for Dummies (Wiley). We also assume that you are committed to practicing what you will discover in this book.
Mastering the Multicultural Mind-SetMind-Set
The biggest assumption we make in this book is that you've already had some basic training in the fine art of selling; you are a salesperson, service provider, customer service representative, or business owner who has had success in your market but has not attracted a significant number of diverse clientele. To help you navigate, we've taken the book's 18 chapters and divided them into five parts plus an appendix.
Multicultural Marketing and Beyondand Beyond
A Crash Course in Cross-Cultural Salesin Cross-Cultural Sales
Taking Your Game to the Next Levelto the Next Level
The Part of Tens
When you're looking for a better, faster, and cheaper way to do something, check out these turbo tips. If you're not convinced that investing effort in pursuing multicultural clients is worth the trouble, check out Chapter 2.
Mastering the Multicultural
Mind-Set
In this section, we'll help you think about cross-cultural selling and the types of adjustments you might need to make. We reveal the profit potential of the multicultural market, test your cross-cultural sales skills, help you understand the challenges of dealing with a more diverse customer base and assist you in your early stages of developing cross-cultural competence.
Expanding Your Market
Before we dive into discussions about cultural diversity and how it relates to the way you sell goods and services to people from other cultures, it's important to agree on the definitions of some key terms. In the following paragraphs we explain what we mean when we talk about culture, diversity, cultural diversity and cross-cultural selling.
No Tupperware for Middle Easterners?!
With cross-cultural selling, you discover ways to increase sales by building better relationships with people from other cultures. For example, the Japanese value relationships perhaps even more than the products or services you sell.
Taking cultural influences into account
However, there's no need to panic—in the following section, you'll find out the adjustments you can make to appeal to multicultural clientele. Review all your marketing material and decide what you need to do to make it more attractive to people from other cultures.
Realizing the Incredible Untapped Potential of the Multicultural
Market
More than 20 cents of every dollar in the United States is spent by multicultural consumers, and that number is growing rapidly. However, one of the best, fastest, and least expensive ways to find out the profit potential of your multicultural marketplace is to conduct a survey, as shown in the following paragraphs.
Opening your mind to the possibilities
Maybe a larger percentage of your customers are now women, or maybe you're seeing a growing population of Hispanics. Whether you're a business owner or a salesperson, you're acutely aware of the need to know the people who buy your products and services: who they are, what they buy, how they shop, and how they prefer to pay. stuff.
Avoiding the temptation to lump people together
Adjusting the way you market and sell products and services is almost useless if the products and services you sell are not what your customers need or want. You also need to adapt your range of products and services to meet your target market's demands.
Ditching the cookie-cutter franchise approach
Google and other Internet search tools: You can search for what's new in your industry, price ranges for the products you sell, products and services offered by your competitors, and more. Your research can help you determine the typical business hours of your potential customers so you can plan to open when they are available to buy.
Assessing Your Cross-Cultural Sales Readiness
- The group that is least likely to object to receiving advertisements by direct mail is
- What is the most appropriate greeting when first meeting a male multicultural customer?
- How far should you stand from a multicultural customer when conversing?
- Which group would likely stand the closest when talking to a salesperson?
- When exchanging business cards with a multicultural customer, you should be sure to
- When storing a multicultural customer’s business card, you should
- It is acceptable to make notes about multicultural customers
- One word you’ll probably never hear from a Japanese customer is
- Which group would most likely be attracted to a product described as
- A product demonstration with Hispanic buyers is likely to be most effective by
- A product demonstration with Asian buyers is likely to be most effective by
- A product demonstration with African American buyers is likely to be most effective by
- If multicultural customers constantly look down during a sales presen- tation, it probably means
- When a multicultural customer plans to finance a major purchase, what should you never ask?
- When discussing financing with Hispanic buyers, you shouldn’t be surprised if many
- When discussing financing with African American buyers, you should never directly ask about
- The group most likely to apply for a loan online is
- What’s the major difference between high-context and low-context cultures?
- When working with a group of high-context buyers, who is most crucial to the buying decision?
- When talking with new immigrant buyers who show no body language, which would be a definite buying sign?
- What does signing a contract usually mean in low-context cultures?
- Which gesture is most universally offensive?
- Salespeople from which cultural group are most likely to clash with African American customers
- Which group is least likely to openly complain about poor service?
- Which group is most likely to openly display emotions during negotiations?
- Which group is least likely to try to negotiate the price of your product?
- Which thank-you gift would be least appropriate for Asians?
- If a female customer doesn’t put her hand out to greet you, what should you do?
- Which group would likely stand the closest when talking to a salesperson?
- Which would be a high-context culture?
If you're like most people, you have opinions about many of the items on this list. You experience for a short time what it is like when people who do not speak English try to understand our language.
Developing Cross-Cultural Competency
- Recognize any lack of awareness
- Acknowledge the existence of cultural differencesof cultural differences
- Acknowledge a need for knowledgeneed for knowledge
- Actively seek knowledge
- Adapt to other people
- Continue your education
Since you are reading this book, we conclude that this is the stage you are currently in. Of course, you will make some mistakes at first, but the more you practice, the more natural you become and the fewer mistakes you make.
Just a bum?
E-S-P-E-C-T: Respecting Clients from Other Culturesfrom Other Cultures
If you're lucky enough to live in or near a major metropolitan area, you likely have quick access to some of the best cultural research centers in the United States—ethnic districts and neighborhoods. As soon as you learn how they run a fundraiser auction or golf tournament, you'll likely be named event chair.
Take the road less traveled
For example, if you take a Mandarin Chinese course, you will likely find that Mandarin is spoken in mainland China and Taiwan, but not in Hong Kong. Once inside, you'll likely find that seemingly strange behavior actually makes a lot of sense.
Multicultural Marketing and
Beyond
We also show you how to increase your appeal to other cultures by implementing company-wide changes in sales, marketing, customer service and finance. Our goal in this work is to help you move from the point of multiculturalism to the point of multiculturalism.
Building a Marketing Campaign with Global Appeal
What results would show that my marketing campaign is having the desired effect on my target market. They say things like, "Well, I feel like it's working," or "It seems to be bringing in more business." However, your time and money are too precious to "trust the force". In the following sections, we explain how to review your current marketing campaign with a clear eye so you know exactly what you need to change.
Even the experts struggle to attract diverse customers
In the following sections, we'll explain how to assess your current marketing campaign with a clear eye so you know exactly what you need to change. In the following paragraphs we will show you how to perform all these tasks.
Segmenting the market based on different acculturation levels
Customers who have lived longer in the United States tend to have acquired more traditional American tastes and are more fluent in English. Acculturation varies by more than how long a person has been in the United States.
Grasping the origins of superstitious numbers
The first rule of multicultural marketing is to get people in your photos who are of the same ethnic group (not somehow the same) as the people you're targeting. When composing or choosing graphics for your ads, remember that images (not just images of people) can also evoke strong emotions, some of which may be culturally conditioned.
Relying on specialists to make comprehensive marketing changes
If you are converting English to Spanish, you usually want to hire a native Spanish speaker. However, if you sell pharmaceuticals or computer networking equipment, look for an interpreter who has some experience in the field.
Tapping the emotional power of ethnic media
You become the go-to guy or gal for whatever you're selling. In most cases, you can offer to sponsor the event or set up and run a booth, but if you're not sure how to get involved, ask.
Do the right thing
If you see a way you can collaborate with other businesses and organizations in your area to promote improvements for the multicultural community, take the lead. First, contact your local Chamber of Commerce and ask for a list of nonprofit organizations.
Other businesses: Travel agents, immigration attorneys, and ethnic restaurants that already serve the communities you're trying to reach may be looking for people just like you to provide additional products and services to their customers. Multicultural customers are more likely than any other buyer to give referrals—if you know how to earn the right to ask for them.
Developing a Comprehensive Program
As we explain in the following sections, you must complete three essential steps to develop your comprehensive strategic plan:. We'll talk about getting buy-in from management and staff in the later section, "Getting Your Whole Company On Board.").
What exactly is “cultural competency”?
- Examine the changing demographics of your customer base
- Check out any strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats you face
- Look at what’s going on in your social, economic, political, and regula- tory environment
- Assign a tactic or method by which you plan to achieve each goal specified in your strategic direction
- Identify one or more people in charge of taking responsibility for the steps necessary to achieve the stated goal
- To ensure that all tasks are carried out, set a specific deadline for the project and a timeline to keep everyone on track
In the following sections, we offer some suggestions on how to motivate others to join your efforts, especially your frontline employees - the people who have the most contact with customers. Later in this chapter, in the section “Providing a Crash Course in Cultural Competence,” we provide a list of topics your training program should cover.
Even a vendor or subcontractor can affect your business
If your receptionist can speak a few words in the language of the customers you're trying to attract, it's an added bonus. Make sure everyone stays in touch while you're executing the plan.
Building Your Diversity-Friendly Place of Business
As you've probably guessed, adjustments depend on the buyers or customers you're trying to attract (see Chapter 2 for details on sizing your customer). If you are having trouble choosing the ideal location, consider using specialized software to analyze your options.
Feng what?
Unless you are in the business of selling caskets, decorating your shop or office with bouquets of white chrysanthemums can be a big mistake. If you don't already know of suppliers that carry the products you are looking for, search online.
A Crash Course in Cross-Cultural
Sales
You are probably very skilled and experienced in soft selling to customers from your own culture, but selling to people from different backgrounds can be completely different. In this piece, we reveal the dos and don'ts of cross-cultural selling, making you more sensitive to what works and what doesn't when selling to people from other cultural backgrounds.
Mastering the Meet and Greet
Greet the person verbally. (This is always a safe move.)
Hesitate a moment before extending your hand, while observing what the other person does
If you have a habit of crossing your legs, try to become aware of when you do it. In the presence of people from other cultures, it is better that you do not use your left hand.
Looking for respect
- Stand about 6 feet apart
- Have your partner start walking toward you slowly
- When you feel your partner getting uncomfortably close, ask her to stop
- Note the approximate distance between your feet and your partner’s feet. This is your comfort zone
- Ask your partner to take one more step forward encroaching on your personal space
- Note how uncomfortable this feels, and recognize that when you vio- late a customer’s personal space, they feel the same discomfort
- Hold your ground while talking with your partner, resisting the urge to move away
The rules for taking care of the client's personal space can be applied equally in an office. If this happens, don't back down; just be comfortable with the personal space the client establishes.
Building Rapport with Culturally Diverse Clientele
Don't say you're going to do something unless you're actually going to do it. Even with this good news, you will likely find yourself in awkward sales situations due to language barriers.
Faking it — not the smoothest move
Ask for help: If there are other people who speak your client's language, don't be shy to ask for their assistance. Double check your client's understanding: If you are unsure whether your client understood your message, try to confirm meanings by asking the question in a different way or having her explain information back to you.
