Sales and Appointment Setting in Different Countries

Understanding Culture Gaps

Countries around the globe can have very different cultures, from social etiquette to dining traditions. When visiting, it is always important to get acquainted with the culture in order to respect anyone you communicate with and ensure you are understood.

While we understand how deep cultural differences seep and define people across the globe, for some reason when it comes to business, we assume we are all homogeneous. It’s important for businesses that aim to go global to overcome this misconception and learn to bridge the gap between business cultures across the globe. Taking the time to understand the business culture and etiquette in countries you are targeting is crucial to your bottom line. Hiring teams, creating sales strategies, investing in sales and expanding all need to be re-evaluated when creating an international presence.

Hire a Local Team

It’s not enough to hire a team that speaks the local language; you need a team that is physically from the country you’re expanding to. Why? Because there’s more to communication than just words – terminology, slang, and business etiquette change wherever you go, and a local experienced sales team will know how to get results.

Ideally, you’ll want someone who is local but also has experience with your own business culture so that they can bridge the gap between the executive team and the target audience.

Learn the Different Business Terminology

Understanding the business terminology of foreign countries will give you a strong upper hand. If we know that investing in training is good for business, then it’s safe to say that investing in corporate language training is good for global business. Even countries that speak the same language may use different words than you, so don’t assume that just because you’re targeting an English-speaking country, that you’ve got everything settled. Using the wrong business terminology can lead to misunderstandings and missed opportunities.

Adjust Business Etiquette

Going beyond the verbal language barriers and differences in business terminology, it’s also important to understand a culture’s unspoken language; the culture’s pace when it comes to closing deals, how they conduct meetings and conferences (who speaks, how many attendees will make them feel comfortable), their attitude toward compliance and regulations, etc. Respecting unwritten rules is a tricky task, but with the right preparation it can be a huge asset. Learning how to greet people, how a handshake should be, what body language signs mean, what days and hours are appropriate for work, business dress codes, and the unspoken laws of lunch breaks are only a few items on the business etiquette list that need to be re-learned.

At DRolls Associates, we provide local teams to ensure that there is no culture gap, and prospects are approached in the language and manner that they are used to. Over the years, we’ve learned that this leads to a significant increase in sales, and consider it a crucial part of every project.