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| A Clash of Cultures |
By:
John Ritorto |
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As a result of being a sales and marketing professional, I have had the opportunity to conduct business around the world. I have contracts and deals in every continent except Australia and Antarctica. One of the striking observations that I encountered was the difference in business and cultural attitudes across the globe. The savvy businessman accepts this and adjusts accordingly to optimize success.
Symbols and hand gestures are one of the interesting aspects of this cultural divide. For instance, in England, the proverbial finger can be given in the American fashion, also known as the "one finger salute." However, another British version is the V-for-victory sign with the back of the hand facing the antagonist, not the palm side facing the person, such as the peace sign. This disdainful gesture dates back to the Hundred Years War between the French and the British in the Middle Ages. At that time, English archers were considered the best in the world. If the French would capture an English bowman, the normal custom was to cut off the first two fingers of the captured archer, rendering his archery skills useless. Just as depicted in the movie, Braveheart, prior to battle, the two opposing armies would line up and hurl insults at each other. The English archers would heckle the French by showing them the Victory sign with the back of the hand facing the French as if to say, "See, I have my archery fingers, and I am prepared to use them!"
On a trip to Brazil, I was met at the airport by a Brazilian national employee of the multinational chemical giant, our mutual employer, who was to be my guide on the business trip. As you probably know, Portuguese is the language spoken in Brazil, and this is not one of the languages I speak. While my host's English was poor, it was certainly better than my Portuguese. He took me to check in the hotel, and he waited for me to drop off my luggage in the room before we headed out for dinner. Upon checking in, I met him back in the lobby where he asked me in very poor English, "How was my room." As I was trying to communicate with him, I responded to him, "It's OK" in English and also gave him the OK sign with my thumb and forefinger in the sign of a circle. His face immediately reddened, and he blurted, "You don't have to insult me!" As it turns out, the American OK sign is considered the finger in Brazil. Who knew?
A great example of cultural differences is the introduction of the Chevy Nova in Brazil. The Chevy Nova was a highly successful midsize car which in the 70's was one of General Motors' top selling automobiles in the US. When GM tried to capture foreign sales with the Nova, they were surprised about poor sales in Brazil. Eventually, someone alerted them that in Portuguese, "No Va" means "Won't Go." Apparently, Brazilians decided that they didn't want a vehicle that had such a bad moniker. Better market research by GM along with an enhanced perspective on cultural and language differences could have avoided the dismal introduction of the Chevy Nova in Brazil.
Dealing with foreign cultures requires forethought and research. In Japan, the person's business card is treated with respect and dignity. When you offer your business card to a Japanese businessman, you do so with the card in two hands, as if laying a gift to a monarch. The card is taken with two hands and treated with respect. In the US, most people are not cognizant of this approach. I have had purchasing agents take my business card, and bend it, play with it and mistreat it in my presence during the subsequent business meeting. In Japan, this would be considered extremely rude and hostile.
Many Americans are aware of the press conference in Iraq where President George W. Bush was speaking when an angry Iraqi journalist threw his shoes at POTUS. In Islamic cultures, the shoes are considered toxic and throwing shoes is one of the highest insults you can muster. Likewise, in predominantly Buddhist cultures, like Thailand, the feet are in contact with the earth, deeming them worldly and less enlightened. Therefore, pointing your feet at someone is considered highly insulting. Hence, in a Thai business meeting, you wouldn't cross your legs and inadvertently point your feet towards your business meeting partner. In contrast, the head is closer to heaven and the symbol of enlightened thought, so touching the head of a Thai, such as patting a child on the head, is considered extremely rude and obnoxious.
As I have travelled internationally, I have attempted to learn languages as a means of melding better with the culture. In most cases, learning a few phrases such as "Good Morning" or "Pleased to meet you" can have a disarming effect and lower cultural boundaries at the beginning of a foreign business relationship. However, it doesn't always produce the desired results. I took Latin as part of my Jesuit education in high school, and French in high school and college. Since all Romance languages are based on Latin, it gave me a head start on learning French, Spanish and Italian. I speak passable French, but when I have conducted business in Paris, I was many times admonished by Parisians who would act as if they didn't understand my French or answer me disdainfully in English. By in large, Parisians are proud of their native tongue and do not appreciate a foreign accented version of their mother tongue. This experience was not universal in France, as I discovered that in the French countryside, I was welcomed as a long lost relative, when I attempted to speak French.
Another example was the first time I visited Italy on a business trip. I was anticipating using the conversational Italian that I have taught myself. My grandparents emigrated from Italy in the 1920's, and while they spoke broken English, they preferred to speak Italian. Therefore, I have been exposed to Italian from my earliest childhood. When I tried to converse in Italian with my Italian business host, I asked him how were my Italian language skills. He told me that I speak excellent "Brooklerino." "What's that?" I inquired, and he proceeded to tell me that it's the crappy version of Italian that most Americans speak, as if they were from Hell's Kitchen in Brooklyn, NY. However poor my Italian was by formal Italian standards, I did seem to get more rapport with my business colleagues when in Italy, because I spoke some Italian to them.
China presents a whole different set of challenges, and with their emerging global economic status, doing business with Chinese will continue to be a desired skill set. The Chinese like to haggle on price. Anyone who has ever been to Hong Kong's street markets will soon discover that the initial price offered is only a starting point. Americans are ridiculed behind their backs for taking the first price offered by a street vendor. Negotiating with a Chinese business person can be very arduous, and they can be difficult commerce partners. Getting a low price and saving face in the negotiation, two very strong Chinese business mores, make it difficult for westerners to excel without understanding the mind set and adjust negotiating tactics accordingly.
Even here within the US, there are striking geographical differences when calling on customers. As I have lived in the South for more than 25 years and have made literally thousands of sales calls across the southeast as well as across the US due to national and corporate account responsibilities, I have noted the vast differences in conducting business regionally. In the northeast, especially in The Big Apple, time is considered short and valuable, and aggressive behavior is the norm in business meetings. However, in the South, you are expected to "sit on the front porch and rock for awhile" before ever broaching business. You have to be accepted before they will consider doing business with you. This phenomenon is not only prevalent in the rural South, but also in pockets of the normally friendly Midwest. My first sales territory based from Chicago included Iowa, and my experience with the Hawkeye state indicated that non-Iowans were shunned until they felt comfortable with you. They seemed to distrust big city types as hucksters and scam artists.
Rota Consulting has a core competency in designing successful sales and business approaches to foreign companies wishing to sell in the US. Likewise, we can assist with US companies wishing to export and penetrate foreign markets. Through solid international and US experience, we can help both US and off shore companies improve their introduction into a new market. Call us at 404-664-5322 to discover how we can help.
If you want to learn more about doing business in different countries or how to increase your profits selling internationally,visit Rota-Consulting Group LLC
http://rota-consultant.com |
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