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Sales Strategies for Multicultural Customers
Have you noticed that the face of your customer is changing? As you travel from city to city, state to state, are you encountering new demographic trends? Then it should come as no surprise to you that the United States of America is rapidly becoming a global village.
In this heterogeneous environment we may need to examine our sales strategies to be sure that our practices are in alignment with the needs and cultural values of today's customers. This article will review some key concepts in maintaining good customer relations in a multicultural marketplace.
What is "culture"?
First, let's examine what we mean by "culture." An excerpt from The New Columbia Encyclopedia definition states that culture is "the way of life of a society." It goes on to say, "the customs, ideas and attitudes shared by a group, which make up its culture, are transmitted from generation to generation by learning processes rather than biological inheritance." Therefore, we could surmise that our cultural values are derived from the various societies we encounter in a lifetime, from our childhood family surroundings, to the community, school, possibly the military, to geographical locations and the organizations where we work. While we tend to absorb attitudes from these sources to varying degrees, the ones with the greatest impact come directly from early childhood, and as a result of major events in our lives.
To carry this thought further, we could say that our cultural values result not just from the traditions of our ethnic heritages, but also from our age (where we were and at what point in time we learned our primary values as children), gender (boys and girls are socialized differently), religion, relocations and job changes to name a few. You can see that the term "multicultural" applies to all of us.
When we consider the variety of cultural influences upon everyone in a lifetime, the danger of making stereotypical assumptions about anyone becomes apparent. Nevertheless, there are certain general tenets which run through the main population categories of the world. By examining some of their overall perspectives, we can interpret more accurately behaviors which may occur, and form a base from which to develop strategies for more effective interactions.
Individuality counts
In the 1830's Alexis de Tocqueville coined the term "individualism" to describe the American character. It is a land which prizes freedom of the individual, and where personal achievement is the highest measure of success. Aggressiveness is admired: "The squeaky wheel gets the grease." Most other cultures of the world have more of a group orientation, where individual interests are secondary to those of the family, community, company and/or country. In certain Asian cultures there is no concept of "self." There is no word for "privacy" in the Japanese language. In some Korean families, the male spouse refers to his spouse as "our wife" in describing her role in life. The sons are identified as the "elder brother" and "younger brother"; their personal identity is defined in terms of their relationship to the family unit.
Even though our cultural heritages may teach us to follow certain principles, we are still unique as individuals and may have our own ideas about what is most important. Immigrants to America from the days of its founding have sometimes been fleeing a "group." The fact that your customers are in the United States in the first place suggests that they accept to some degree the "American" way of doing things. The challenge lies in determining what that degree of acceptance is.
When we meet people who appear to be Asian, for instance, we cannot know for certain what their background is, where they were raised, how long they have lived in the U.S., how much education they have had, what their socio-economic status is or what their cultural values are. They may be Asian-Americans whose ancestors emigrated generations ago, or they may have arrived recently. They may also incorporate several cultures. I have a Chinese colleague who was born in the Netherlands, lived in China for a few years as a child, was then raised in Mexico, attended college in California and has been working in the U.S. as a professional naturalized American citizen for over twenty years. What do you think her values are?
A good rule to follow when we are unsure about how people want to be treated is to emulate their behavior until we get to know them better. For instance, if your customer greets you in shirtsleeves with a warm smile and firm handshake, and introduces you to his staff as he escorts you to his office, you will probably want to return the smile and reflect his enthusiasm in your response. On the other hand, if an employee escorts you to the customer's office and she meets you with her jacket on, seats you across from her desk and maintains a rather expressionless demeanor, you may be best advised to take a more reserved approach and come to the point of your visit quickly.
Communication tips
To establish rapport with customers, we need to understand their priorities. At present the majority of American culture is task-oriented; people prefer to direct most of their energies toward "getting the job done" in the fastest way possible. Other cultures place higher priorities on relationships, accomplishing tasks through those relationships over the longer term. This is also the method preferred by many women.
Characteristics of the job-oriented direct approach often include using technology to communicate vs. personal meetings, coming directly to the point with no extraneous conversation, linear thinking and keeping emotion out of the discussion. Should personal meetings be involved, the same general approach will be followed and body language will be restrained.
People of group-oriented cultures (including many Asians, Latinos, Blacks, American Indians and some Southerners in the U.S., as well as some Southern Europeans and Middle Easterners) often prefer a less direct approach to doing business. For instance, if you are doing business with Europeans, you may have found telephone communication very difficult. Many Europeans still regard the telephone as an alien, impersonal machine which is to be used only to arrange for a personal meeting, and seldom as a means to actually conduct business. To establish trust, a personal relationship is paramount and may take time. To discuss business immediately without first exchanging some personal anecdotes can be considered rude and even disrespectful. Sometimes many meetings will be necessary before business can be addressed. Emotions are often considered to be an inherent part of life and cannot be separated from business negotiations; in this context, they add validity to the argument. Decisions will be reached based on a broader context of influences, rather than linear determinants alone.
Eye contact has different meanings around the world. Many Americans have been taught that the eyes are the windows to the soul, and that to look at people directly conveys that you are interested in them, want to hear what they have to say, and want to "connect" with them, as well as analyze whether they are telling the truth and can be trusted. People of group-oriented cultures by definition do not want to draw attention to themselves as individuals, and believe that "The nail that sticks out gets hammered. down." They are often taught that to look a person in the eye is disrespectful and rude. Modesty is appropriate. If these seemingly simple differences are not understood, major misunderstandings can result. Incorrect inferences such as mistrusting people because they wouldn't look you in the eye or feeling resentful because someone was staring at you can become major communication hurdles.
Saving face
To save face, particularly in group-oriented cultures, many people will say "yes," regardless of the actuality. There are 16 different meanings for the word "yes" in the Japanese language. It can mean anything from "Yes, I will try," to "Yes, I'm not sure, but I want you to feel good," to "Yes, I made a mistake, but I don't want to bring shame on my family" to "Yes, it is unlikely that we will be able to do business together, but I do not want to bring shame on you." If in fact the answer is "no," the most negative response you will probably get is, "It would be difficult." The best approach for clear communication is to always use open-ended, indirect questions that require the speaker to explain to some degree. Then, if there appears to be confusion, you can paraphrase and clarify. In your responses it is always wise to keep in mind the concept of "saving face" where the speaker is concerned, who may be concerned not only for his own group (a personal mistake brings shame upon the entire group identity,) but also to prevent you from losing face.
If you're meeting with people who have an accent or have recently emigrated to the U.S. and their English is not too fluent, guard against common communication blunders such as talking loudly or speaking down to them. People are sensitive to patronizing behavior and, even if you are trying to help them, will resent your attitude. Just talking conversationally, a little more slowly, is usually the best approach.
The global marketplace exists and, as the U.S. economy reflects an increasingly diverse customer base, opportunities abound. Learning to understand and respect diverse cultures prepares us to participate fully in the 21st Century's prosperity.
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Author Judith A. Starkey is President of The Starkey Group, Inc., a Chicago consulting and training firm providing multicultural strategies. For more information see www.StarkeyGrp.com.
For permission to reproduce this article, contact StarkeyGrp@aol.com or the address below.
Contact Us:
Judith A. Starkey, President
The Starkey Group, Inc.
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Phone: 773 348 0421
Fax: 773 348 3683
E-Mail: jas@StarkeyGrp.com or
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Website: www.StarkeyGrp.com
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