2022 - the new cross cultural management and sales in the US, the Caribbean, and SE Asia - by Hector De Castro

Cross-cultural management is a key point when it comes to international sales and successful implementation of international projects. And, in a post pandemic period, knowing the behaviour drivers is more relevant than ever.

Cross-cultural selling can be considered a rather difficult topic to cover with sales professionals and business owners in all sectors and industries, as there are many different ways that it can be implemented depending on the country you are aiming to sell within.

Each country has its own culture, and within this, there are often many sub-cultures and regional cultures to be aware of - so it can be very hard for us, as sales professionals, to tackle the cultural and language barriers which we face when doing business overseas.

COVID19 has caused deep global changes: huge economic crisis, stressed people mindset, mind impact, behaviour changes, digital tools accelerator, sustainability boost, new legal regulations... a complete new scenario that pushes us all to adapt.

It is clear that things are not going to be the same, as you can read in the article "In tourism things will remain the same after COVID19...really?", and I highlight, now more than ever, the need of knowing the game rules, the person to person relationship, the art to communicate with strategy and emotion. And it is at this point where we can win or loose a sale, or boosting or spoiling a nice experience. After +19 years helping business to expand and closing sales across Europe, The Caribbean, and South Asia, I have found some Global Selling Principles which can be applied and adapted when selling overseas.

Following the Maslow principles, before starting never forget to meet the basics, specially in a post COVID19 period: Health and Safety.

Maslow (1943, 1954) stated that people are motivated to achieve certain needs and that some needs take precedence over others. Our most basic need is for physical survival, and this will be the first thing that motivates our behaviour.

According to the above and the new environment and sensibility,

"The main key drivers for success in 2022 and beyond will be HEALTH, SUSTAINABILITY & MIND IMPACT".

In HOTELS & TOURISM remember to be (smart) digital and sustainable or die.

45% of users who make a reservation for type of services check the hotel website first, which is a good time to attract the customer. Out of the 55% of users who do not go through the hotel website, 38% did not even know that it was possible to book through the hotel website, 12% did not do it because it was more expensive, 12% because they did not have all the options they needed, 10% considered that the Booking service was better for the same price, and 8% due to availability or mistrust issues.

According to a study by Google Travel, travelers use an average of 55 minutes to book a hotel, they visit 17 web pages and click 4 ads for each search. 90% search through multiscreen. So, be smart digital should you work in hotel or travel industries.

5 key global selling principles, still to be applied in a post pandemic period:

1.Unique Value Proposition

Identifying some kinds of uniqueness is a crucial element of the sales and marketing process; especially, it is essential for successful positioning with a meaningful difference (Kippenberger, 2000; Schlegelmilch, 2016).?

2. The Language Barrier

Although English is generally deemed the language of business, you should always be aware that the prospects and clients you are aiming to sell to overseas may not be familiar with the way people in the US, UK or other English-speaking nations use things such as abbreviations (such as can’t, won’t, shouldn’t) or colloquial phrases (spot on, ta, see ya).

In the UK and US there are also a wide variety of regional accents to decipher - which is another factor that can cause communication issues when selling to an overseas market.

A great deal of the English which is spoken overseas is very formal and structured, so being aware of how you speak during the sales interaction and making an active effort not to use English-only phrases and slang talk will go a long way to making your meetings much more successful.

3. Jargon Is Culture Specific

Avoid using popular culture references or humour in your sales presentations overseas, as this isn’t very likely to translate. You might find yourself in really tricky situations.

Not only are your prospects and clients unlikely to understand what you are trying to say, but any humour you use may actually be found offensive depending on the culture, so it’s much better to avoid this risk and maintaining a professional manner throughout the selling process.

4. Matching And Mirroring Their Behaviour

The English have always been renowned for having a stiff upper lip and being quite reserved in the way that they approach each other – but you may find that other cultures are much more vibrant and colourful in the way that they handle their business, or on the other hand they could be much more formal and reserved than we are used to in the UK.

Matching and mirroring your prospects and clients behaviour when they first meet you, and the way that they present themselves throughout the course of the sales interaction can be a great way to bridge the gap between the two cultures and also help put them at ease in your company.

If your prospects and clients are very bubbly and enthusiastic when they first greet you, but you remain very reserved and professional during this first impression then you may end up projecting the wrong image to them. Whilst you might see your behaviour as nothing other than respectful and professional, they may see you as being stand-offish and unwelcoming – and this can definitely cause you to get off on the wrong foot.

I’m not saying you have to go all out, be really over-enthusiastic and completely abandon your professional demeanour but matching and mirroring the behaviour of your overseas prospects and clients to a certain extent can help to put them at ease in your company and ensure you get off on the right foot.

5. Mind Your Body Language

Once you make sure you meet the distance and health requirements that your peer demands -or make him/her feel safer-, you need to be aware of how the gestures you use and the way you behave during the sales interaction can be interpreted but your overseas prospects and clients. For instance, pointing a finger at someone or something could be seen as being highly offensive and rude depending on the culture even if this was not the way you had intended it to come across – whereas gesturing to that same person or object with an open hand might not be considered an issue.

It’s important to do your research prior to the sales meeting so that you know what behaviour is deemed acceptable and what gestures and behaviour (such as maintaining direct eye contact for long periods of time) could be seen as being rude.

The tips above will help you adapt your sales presentations and selling style when dealing with overseas business opportunities, and will certainly help you to bridge the gap when tackling cross-cultural selling.

No matter culture, background, age or niche. Atittude is going to definitely balance or unbalance the sale on your side or the opposite.

TIP: Consider to collaborate with specialized teams or companies to shorten your learning curve when it comes to opening new markets. Also do not forget to adapt your speech to the environment and local sensibility. From a digital perspective -boosted by the pandemic-, pay attention to your digital strategies and actions: website, landing pages, SEO, mind impact, selling proposition, new marketing mix, etc.

?? SELLING IN THE USA

Americans are often seen as being very open and direct in regards to their attitudes and the way they communicate with one another. American companies are driven by success, and overall the US has quite a young and diverse culture – so here are my top tips on selling in the US:

• Be on time, meet your deadlines, and be punctual with your follow ups. Being late is seen as being very disrespectful in American business culture and can be the difference between closing the sale and losing it.
• Be polite, friendly and engage in small talk before getting down to business. Americans are keen to create a comfortable environment in which to hold sales meetings, so don’t just jump straight in and avoid the pleasantries as this can be seen as being rude on your part.
• Start and end your meetings with a handshake, but steer clear of too much physical contact during the rest of the sales interaction as American’s like you to respect their personal space.
• American’s can be very blunt and to-the-point, so don’t take offense to this. Once they are done with the pleasantries and introductions they will want to get down to business, and they won’t be afraid to speak their mind and will ask you direct questions which they will expect a well-thought out answer to.

?? SELLING IN THE CARIBBEAN

Either in Spanish Caribbean (Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Cuba, etc) or English Caribbean (Jamaica, Virgin Islands, Barbados, etc), you need to adapt to local culture and a much slower rythm of negotiating. Personal relations are a key point to build trust.

?? SELLING IN ASIA

We need to highlight huge differences among asian countries. You will be negotiating with all sorts of culturally and linguistically diverse people. This will make negotiations complex and difficult to navigate. Being a successful negotiator in Asia requires a high degree of awareness and flexibility. In a culture that values ritual and tradition, you must exhibit respect and civility; and in a culture that celebrates hierarchy and order, you must be deferential.?

In Western cultures, subjective notions of authority, independence and individuality inform attitudes towards decision making process. But in Asian cultures it’s a different story.

In Chinese and Japanese cultures, for example,?consensus decision making?reigns supreme. Top-down, dictatorial decision making is avoided in order to foster interdependence and harmony; rarely will you see an executive or a manager ‘hand down’ a decision that has been made without consultation.

While Singapore has a strong western way of doing business, countries as Vietnam, Korea, or China are extremely different. No doubt that China is nowadays a main target when it comes to talk about hotel development and luxury industry. They are now the second largest economy in the world. Here I give you a few tips to help you when you’re selling in China:

• Do your research into Chinese culture and their history, as displaying your knowledge of their country during a sales meeting will go a long way to building a relationship with your prospects and clients.
• Chinese professionals value respect very highly, so make sure you refer to them with their formal title (Mr or Mrs), and ensure you are getting the pronunciation of their family name right – as this could cause offense if you continue to mispronounce their last names.
• Listen to your Chinese prospects and clients very carefully and do not interrupt them before they have finished speaking. This is seen as being very rude and will cause a great deal of offense
• Remember to stay calm, professional and reserved at all times as excessive displays of emotion – even if you may see it as being nothing more than enthusiastic about the new relationship you are building with them – are not received well in Chinese culture.

At Ecohotelprojects work with more than 30 diffferent cultures and nationalities. They boost equality and trust background differences are enriching for the company.

From the tourist mind perspective, HOTELNEUROMARKETING was awarded and boomed helping hotels and touristic destinations to accelerate recovery.

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Meet the author:

?? Hector De Castro?has 19+ years experience making hospitality companies grow in The Caribbean, Europe and SE Asia. PhD cand. in Communication and Hotel Neuromarketing, Global EMBA from top?IE Business School, BA (Hons) in Legal Trans., Dipl. in Business Admin, PMP, Ms in Hotel Management. Cofounder of EcoHotelProjects, founder of HotelNeuromarketing, professor at Business Schools (Spain) and Tourism University (Cancun, Mexico). Traveller.

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