How to improve your communication skills

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In international business you always need to work on improving your cross-cultural communication skills. This is why I enjoy reading articles on improving communication skills.  This article raises some great points… but they don’t work in all cultures. Unfortunately the differences would take too long to cover here.

But this article is a good read for non-native English speakers who want to improve their English language communication. And it can serve as a comparison tool when honing your communication with cultures where these tactics do not have the same results.

What do you think of these tips?

Why Strategic Opportunity Reviews Fail

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Do you want to develop your international business? Then I recommend reading this article by S. Anthony Iannarino.  It applies particularly well to international clients too.

It’s crucial to find the right balance when carrying out strategic opportunity reviews for international clients.

What do you find the most difficult to do, focusing on your strengths or addressing the concerns of your international clients?

The Quest for Customer Engagement: Are You Overlooking Opportunities?

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Skip Anderson raises some great points about cultivating customer engagement. Different cultures respond to different triggers and you’ll need to adjust your tactics for your international clients.

But Skip gives us some tips on how to incite stronger customer engagement and these can also be a good starting point when reflecting on how to get more international customer engagement.

What are you doing to cultivate engagement from your international customers?

I Can’t Find C-Level Executives on Linkedin

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The main reason why I liked this article by Bill Rice is it moves you into the type of strategic networking you can use online to build your international business network.

I particularly like Bill’s last suggestion of looking in different places and the advice to not make assumptions.  You can go very far in developing a network valuable for you international business… if you network strategically and apply some basic cross-cultural communication skills.

Does LinkedIn help you develop international connections?

1 Fantastic Technique to Generate New Business

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Sarah Mitchell reminds us of the value of regularly commenting on other blogs.  This is a simple thing to do and it’s easy to underestimate it’s value.

I often get requests from small businesses about how to start building their international network online and most of them have not even spent the time on the simple things.  This is why I appreciate Sarah’s reminder of how doing the simple things can bring in clients over time.

How often do you comment on other blogs?

5 Keys to Get Your Head in the Marketing Game

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And in this article Walt Goshert reminds us of the importance of marketing. I liked reading this article for the same reason as reading Sarah Mitchell’s article above.

Too many of the people who contact me are only interested in getting the international sale.  And they don’t realize the need to adjust their marketing to their different international audiences.

How much time do you invest in marketing to your international markets?

10 Reasons Not To Ignore Your Blog For Facebook

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Lisa Barone makes some great points all businesses must remember as the pull to create a strong Facebook presence gets stronger with the ever increasing market reach.  After all Facebook is also strong in many countries across the globe.

This article also reminds us of the need to think strategically about where we invest our time online.  Many different factors come into play when your web communication has to connect with people in different countries.

Is your business on Facebook, and if so, where is your central communication hub?

7 Ways to Improve Your Business Acumen for Sales

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S. Anthony Iannarino raises the important need for business knowledge in sales today.  Having a sound knowledge of business has always been important in international sales. The risk of losing control in the sales process is too great when you don’t understand how business works in other cultures. And in practice this is something international sales professionals continue to learn in the field.

Anthony gets us a few ways to improve our business acumen.  I particularly like letting clients teach you about their business.  Although you need to establish the right environment first to do this, it is an effective way to improve your sales skills.

How do you think your general business knowledge impacts your company’s sales?

3 Ways to Improve Your Ability to Diagnose for Salespeople

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Here’s another great read by S. Anthony Iannarino. This time Anthony writes about diagnosis during the sales process.  It’s useful to think about your own process of diagnosis because in international sales you spend a fair amount of time and effort making sure you get it right.

I can easily equate a couple of the points he makes with international sales: building a diagnostic tool and suspending judgment.  But in a cross-cultural environment the ability to understand how your actions impact the different aspects of your client’s company is crucial… and it’s not always easy to do. This is why thinking about the tactics you use is a great exercise.

How well do you understand how to sell to your international clients?

What Consumers Expect When Visiting Your Website

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David Siteman Garland gives us some insights into the changing expectations for North American websites. Given how these trends in online marketing impact many other countries I find the title interesting.

Different cultures have different expectations. Although it’s easy to assume the North American trends will also work well across an international audience, this may not be the case.  Identifying the cultural differences in expectations for your product or services is crucial for international web marketing.

What do your international clients expect on your website? What does not work as well as you would expect?

Online Business And Revenue Models

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Caelen King says the web is democratizing business and the lack of high cost investment means that many online businesses are also forgetting to do their homework.  This is a common problem I encounter with regards to international business. People seem to forget basic business research before setting out on the assumption that a website opens a door to a global market.

Caelen gives a breakdown of the different online business models and possible revenue generation models.  It’s a good reminder to carefully think about your business model and how this will impact your online success.

What type of business model interests you for your international business?

Stop Being the Idea Guy and Just Do It!

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I love ideas and hearing different perspectives on a variety of topics.  In this article Bill Rice raises the question of getting beyond ideas and taking action. This reminded me of a few incidences recently where someone wanted to get more business, but was not willing to roll up his sleeves and start taking action.

Early in my international marketing career I was confronted with a very ungrateful task of crunching numbers. It was a week long chore which no one wanted to do even if it was essential to the company’s marketing.  I bit the bullet and never regretted it.  Jumping in and doing the work that needs to be done to move your business forward can give you insights you just can’t get elsewhere.

Do you make the right choices in how you spend your time?

Creating Resonation Points in Your Customer: Six Sales Tips to Sell More

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Here is another great article by Skip Anderson on improving your sales skills. This time it’s about creating resonance with your clients. This is one of the first things international sales professionals are confronted with.  You almost always need to adapt your communication with international clients.

Skip shares how to find the resonating points when selling and his last point is the most critical one for international sales: understand your customer. This takes the most amount of work in cross-cultural sales.

How well do you know the resonation points in your international customers?

Why Size Matters & Smaller Is Better

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Lisa Barone’s article got my thoughts going in a few different directions with regards to international business. First of all, just like Lisa points out here, a small targeted audience can be worth much more than a bigger, less targeted audience.

Next, the idea of size brings up the importance of adjusting your actions to the context involved. In some countries you need to communicate more with the group as a whole and in others it’s more important to find the right person to talk to.  Awareness of size and it’s relevance to your business is important.

Are you happy with the size of your international audience?

What articles have you read recently? Have any of them inspired you with regards to international business?  Please share them in the comments below.

I’ve worked and lived in both the UK and the US. There are more similarities than differences between Brits and Americans, but understanding the nuances helps.  It’s also interesting hearing how foreigners perceive themselves abroad.  An ex American colleague of mine with whom I worked in a large UK financial services institution (US shareholder) recently shared some opinions with me as an Amercian abroad (in England).  Below are some of his thoughts.
“Brits are generally more polite, like to avoid confrontation, and are more formal in discussions.  Americans need to understand this and be careful about being too direct, too casual, or too pushy.  Everyone wants to get the deal done, and lots of deals are consummated, but it’s important to be aware of each other’s cultural mannerisms and preferences.

Being on time is more of an American preoccupation; people in the UK understand that others get delayed.  Brits enjoy a cup of coffee, a beer or glass of wine when meeting, while Americans tend to stick to tighter time frames in offices with bad coffee served in plastic cups. Anyone watching Mad Men, the HBO series on an ad agency in ‘50s America would be well deceived in thinking Americans drink and smoke in the office. Those days are long gone and in fact, some companies outlaw alcohol on company premises.

Brits are more formal in many ways; in dress, in negotiations, in evaluating a proposition.

Americans are more apt to dress in business casual and to “shoot from the hip” in presenting their opinions and decisions.

There is equal entrepreneurship, but it seems like Americans are more likely to just start doing and Brits are more likely to analyze and plan.  Neither is better; sometimes those who act first stumble more quickly, whereas a well thought out business plan has less chance to fail.

Brits are very articulate; they know how to put sentences and thoughts together.  It appears to me that the British educational system puts emphasis on the spoken and written word, and on how to communicate clearly.  Americans, on the other hand, are on occasion not as likely to present their ideas cogently.

If I could do anything over again from my years of working in the UK, I would spend more time getting to know colleagues and business associates socially.  There are tremendous opportunities for Americans to slow down and better understand the people with whom they are doing business.  And I’d learn the art of taking a proper holiday!  In America a typical vacation is five business days (spent with the Blackberry on the beach), whereas my British friends travel for several weeks and come back much more relaxed”.

Of course, any of us who’ve either worked abroad or work with American and English colleagues will have our own views, shaped by the people we’ve met and successes we’ve had.  It would be great to hear your stories and opinions here – your top tips for cultural dos and don’ts of doing business in the UK and the US.  Feel free to share here.

Let’s look at 7 mistakes in international market research that are keeping many businesses from developing their international markets to their full potential.

#1: You Don’t Research Your Own Client And Prospect Data Base Thoroughly

If you already have a few international clients spread out over the world you are should take advantage of this.  Your own data base on international clients is the most useful resource you have because it is the most relevant one to your own business.

Remember to dig through this thoroughly.  Look for any trends or trigger events concerning the sales you have already made that could help you develop effective strategies today.

#2: You Don’t Identify Where Your Competitors Are Overseas

It is a big mistake not to spend some time researching your competitor’s international penetration history and current international targets.  This information can give you a wealth of information for your own international markets.

Remember to spend time observing what your competitors are doing abroad.

#3: You Don’t Research Industry Data Well Enough

Many unpleasant international blunders can be avoided with a little in-depth industry research.  Although this research is usually easy to find online, your particular industry might need some feedback from the relevant local advisers, the key is to know when to ask for help.

Remember to research the differences in industry standards and regulations on the foreign countries you are looking at and to get the right advice your business need.

#4: You Don’t Listen To What’s In The Press

Staying current on topics related to your international business development can help you avoid errors and it can also help you open doors. You need to stay up-to-date on what’s happening in your industry, the country and the area of the world you are interested in, in order to have the right conversations.

Remember to keep an eye on what is published in your own country and also in both the country and the region of the world you are focusing on.

#5: You Don’t Do Local SEO Research

Localized web research can provide you with some useful insights into local markets. This will give you a better idea of who your real competitors are in these countries.

Remember to check out the most popular local search engines and do keyword research in those countries.

#6: You Don’t Go Beyond Online Research

Online research is great, but it can only take you so far. You need to get information from good local sources too.

Remember to make contacts within your local foreign markets.  Instead of spending most of your time with online research, as soon as you have identified the names of the players and possible trends, reverse this trend and spend more time networking with the right players in your local target market.

#7: You Don’t Talk To People In Your International Markets

Business is carried out between people all over the world.  If there is one thing you should do, it is to pick up the phone and connect with people.  You might need to call and reach out to different people continually for several weeks or a few months.  You might need to improve your cross-cultural communication skills to get more out of these calls. But reaching out and connecting with local people will always help you to develop your business internationally.

Remember the value of speaking to the right people in your international markets.

Spend Time On International Market Research

When looking at the 7 mistakes above, it is obvious that the biggest mistake of all is not spending enough time on international market research.  This is why it is a good idea to allocate time every day to combine international networking with international market research activities.  All you need is to include this into your daily routines. It usually only takes a couple of months before most businesses get a very good idea of what they need to do next and how to go about doing it.

Do you want to get international clients?  What are you doing about it?
What other mistakes do you think people make in researching which markets to develop?