When International Phone Negotiations Go Bad

Cross-cultural communication blunders happen. They are part of doing international business. Fortunately it is easy to improve cross-cultural communication skills through practice.

And one of the first skills you will probably get to practice first is your international phone negotiation skills.

When a cross-cultural communication blunder happens, phones are often faster to reach for than an airplane.

Emails have their place.  But if you are handling a cross-cultural communication crisis don’t start with an email.  It is usually also best to avoid the one line email to schedule a phone call.

You just pick up the phone.

But, if you need to navigate through a crisis situation…

…and, even if it appears to small from your point of view…

Here are a few things you need to think through first, before you actually pick up that phone.

Prepare This Next Call

Get all the information you can on what happened.

Find out everything your company has communicated to your international prospect or client.

Everything.

You need to see what your international prospect went through.  You need to understand his point of view.  Why is there a problem or an issue? …from his point of view.

Set The Parameters

Then, just like you would do before any negotiation, you need to set the parameters for your call.

What You Want

• What do you want to get out of the call?
• what are your minimum requirements?
• What is your ideal outcome?
• What can you accept?

What They Want

• What does your prospect want?
• What does he really want?
• You need to find the key to your continued relationship.

The Real Reason Why You Are Blocked

• Is there one?
• Is there a real reason why your communication got blocked in the first place?
• Is there more than just cross-cultural communication difficulties?
• What could any communication difficulties be covering up?

Choose Your Speaker

Now, give a few minutes thought.

• Can the original player call back?
• Should he?
• Should someone else be called in to call back?

With experience and good team work you will find the right answers to these questions.

If the situation is very difficult the person you choose to have call back can both make or break the outcome of this call.

Now Call Back

Do not let too much time go by between the communication incident and your calling back.

Yes, some people need to cool down.

But in cross-cultural communication it is not always a good idea to let someone simmer in miscommunication.

Yes, you will need to call on all of your communication skills here.

Remember clarity and consistency?

Keep these two things in mind.  Be sure your communication throughout this call is always clear and consistent.

This is why you need to remain concentrated and focused on your conversation.

Here are some extra tips to keep in mind when calling back:

Smooth Navigation

You do need to address the incident that caused the crisis in the first place.  But you must quickly identify the reason behind the barrier.

Once you identify the reason for the communication crisis, you need to address it while moving forward.

Remember the parameters you outlined in your preparation?

Well you need to lay out these parameters as soon as you can during your call.

Give your prospect a reason to continue to build a relationship with you.

Most people will recognize their own part if there is an element of cross-cultural miscommunication.  Even if they may not admit to it.

Identify options

During your call you need to be mentally agile.

This is because during the call itself you will have to evaluate the best options for you and lead in that direction:

• Can this crisis be resolved in 2 or 3 more steps by phone and email by yourself or other team players?
• Does this crisis need a face-to-face meeting
• Who are the best players?

Nurture Good Relationships

One word about whether you should or should not call the same person involved in the original miscommunication.  Some people think they can resolve problems by contacting a person above.  For example, your boss calling his boss.  Wait a moment.  This can be too much, too soon.

The only situation where this might be an option, at this stage, is if the two people involved already have a personal relationship.  And if your company had such connections before, why didn’t you use them first?

In my experience it is always best to call the person involved if you think their may be an issue somewhere, and when you know there is one.

• Cultures react differently
• Your big crisis could be something minor on the other side.
• Your minor issue may be something huge the other side.

If you want to create good business relationships between two companies, it is best to cultivate good feelings throughout all relationships.

A simple phone call usually nurtures relationships.

This is part of the…

Cross-Cultural Negotiation Business Guide

Cross-Cultural Negotiation Guide • Would you like an easy guide to keep you away from the big first time blunders? You will find this and more, here.

Guide 7 - Run With Your International Sales Strategy • Do you need help setting up your international sales strategy? • Do you want to know what to say to your foreign prospects to get the sale? Read about how to create your international sales strategy.

Phone Negotiations

Twenty years ago, when I first started in the world of international sales negotiations in business-to-business, it seemed that all of my colleagues would seize the slightest opportunity to jump on a plane.  This was always true for the men around me.   And not always true for the women.

Differences In Phone Skills

Women seemed to evaluate the whole negotiation process from a different point of view.  And this had nothing to do with children to look after.

I could say that women seemed to have a more balanced approach.  But I won’t.

Because…

What I really noticed was an apparent masculine need to immediately organize a face-to-face meeting and jump on a plane.

…a little bit like how men liked to control the television remote control in those days.

This does make me wonder whether women are better at carrying out negotiations over the phone or not.

When I was in international sales, I personally did not jump on the plane at every opportunity.  I enjoyed playing with all of the different steps in international sales negotiations.  And getting as much as I could out of each step.

Very early on I honed my telephone communication skills to include telephone negotiation skills.

But, I have to confess, I did have a head start.  I had already acquired a good level of cross-cultural communication skills by the time I started international sales negotiations.

Similarities With Face-To-Face Negotiations

Of course, just like face-to-face negotiations you need to be fully prepared.

This is critical for all cross-cultural negotiations.  If you wing it and get what you wanted out of the negotiation, you were lucky… or did not aim very high.

Keys To Good Phone Negotiations

One of the things I got very good at was interpreting what was not said.  And how things were said.  I actually enjoyed phone negotiations with international clients…

Because I concentrated fully on what was said, how it was said, and what was not said.

Another very important point is you need to identify the key points that will make your client sign.  If you do not get this right you will not get results over the phone.  And you will not have the time to maneuver out of any difficult spots.  In other words, you can easily blow it.

And, if you do blow it over the phone.  Don’t panic. Good strategy will get you out of the mess.

People have often turned to me to help them get out of these situations.  More on that in another article…

Advantages Of Phone

There was one very big advantage to sales negotiations done by phone…

It was easy to create solid international relationships.  There were less cultural differences to deal with and adjust to… this goes both ways.

As a woman, you need to adjust your communication for certain cultures to the fact that you are a woman.

When Phone Negotiations Are Suitable

Of course, phone negotiations can only go so far.

It is all about building relationships…

And there will always be times when you need face-to-face contact.

But there are many times I found it much more effective to take full advantage of the phone.

Phone negotiations produced faster signed contracts.  And I also got them faster than my male counterparts who could only schedule so many clients into their trips.

On two different occasions I had a backlog of qualified leads to follow up with, I cannot remember the number of leads involved - there were dozens and dozens if not over a hundred.

But I do remember the total value.

Over $10 million on each occasion.

Flying around to meet everyone was not physically possible.

So, what did I do?  Used the phone.

Six months later over 95% of the qualified leads were signed deals.  And the others followed before the end of the year…

All by phone.

Once you have had a face-to-face meeting you can usually follow up extensively by phone.

Not For Everyone

You need a combination of skills to get good at phone negotiations for international business-to-business sales:

• Cross-cultural communication skills
• The ability to build relationships over the phone
• Good sales and marketing preparation

Of course, just like many cross-cultural communication skills, you can learn much more if you have the opportunity to practice.

If you have good phone skills for your domestic market, it is well worth investing a little time to practice phone negotiations in international markets.

This is part of the…

Cross-Cultural Negotiation Business Guide

Cross-Cultural Negotiation Guide • Would you like an easy guide to keep you away from the big first time blunders? You will find this and more, here.

Guide 7 - Run With Your International Sales Strategy • Do you need help setting up your international sales strategy? • Do you want to know what to say to your foreign prospects to get the sale? Read about how to create your international sales strategy.

What Is The Biggest Barrier In Cross-Cultural Negotiations

Quick answers to…

Today’s question is:

What is the biggest barrier in cross-cultural negotiations?

Without a doubt the biggest barrier in cross-cultural negotiations is:

• our own mindset

We all tend to think any barriers in cross-cultural communication and negotiation is due to something beyond ourselves.

But we all forget that we all come to the cross-cultural negotiation table with our own cultural prejudices.

To put it in other words…

We automatically assume our way of thinking, our way of doing things, is the only way or the “right” way.

So, when you first start in cross-cultural negotiations, your own mindset will be your biggest risk in cultural blunders.

You need to put aside your own ideas, thoughts and opinions in your cross-cultural communication.

This takes a little practice…

Simply because these little ideas, thoughts and opinions have a habit of wanting to find their own way back.

You need to make a conscious effort to communicate with people from other cultures on a “prejudice-free” environment.

I have a little technique I use that has always worked well for me.

When I am communicating with someone from a different culture than mine, I imagine myself turning 90 degrees from my waist up to meet them.

It is as if I keep my full cultural profile out of their view and that is where my own cultural prejudices stay.

And that 90 degree turn is the one where I greet people politely.

I imagine myself in this position until the encounter is over.  Some people say “put your best face first”.  I guess I took that literally.

With practice this becomes easy and natural to do.

• If you can adapt your own mindset to receive cross-cultural communication without any of your own filters,
• If you are interested in understanding the other person,
• If you interact appropriately with the other person,

Then your communication will be successful 95% of the time.

Read More On Cross-Cultural Negotiation

Cross-Cultural Negotiation Guide • Would you like an easy guide to keep you away from the big first time blunders? You will find this and more, here.

Guide 7 - Run With Your International Sales Strategy • Do you need help setting up your international sales strategy? • Do you want to know what to say to your foreign prospects to get the sale? Read about how to create your international sales strategy.

How Can I Prepare For My First Cross-Cultural Negotiation?

Quick answers to…

Today’s question is:

What advice can you give me to prepare for my first cross cultural negotiation?

Of course, it is important to go into your negotiation with the right mindset.

• Open your own cultural responses up to meet another culture.

But do not be so focused on the cross-cultural aspect of your negotiation so much that you forget your basic preparation.

Like all negotiations, preparation is important.

You need to know exactly:

• Where you stand in your negotiation process,
• What your aims are,
• What exactly is on the table,
• …and what is not.

Prior preparation can also be critical if there are any cross-cultural communication differences.

When you know the extent to which you can negotiate and are fully prepared, you will be able to pace yourself if there are any differences.

So, how do you prepare for your first cross-cultural negotiation?

You need to prepare both the broad outlines and key details.

Most people remember to prepare for the key details. After all, these are important to the negotiation process.  You know what details you need.

You should also ask yourself if there are other details that might be important from another cultural perspective. But don’t get too caught up in this.  Blunders do not usually happen due to lack of preparation here.

They can happen if you forget to prepare..

Your broad outlines too.

This is where your own natural assumptions might lead you to miss something.

Here are a few questions to brainstorm:

• Why are you there in the first place?
• What is the one thing you want to get out of this negotiation?
• What are your limits?

Knowing your limits and the broad outlines will help you to navigate any cultural differences more effectively should you find that you are not on the same boat.

Winging it rarely works in cross-cultural negotiations. You must stay focused. Your basic preparation is essential.

With regards to other cross-cultural aspect, a few key questions to the right person prior to your meeting is all you need before the meeting.

You will also be interested in reading what to do during your meeting:

• Your Guideline For Successful First Time Cross Cultural Negotiations In Any Culture

This is part of the…

Cross-Cultural Negotiation Business Guide

Cross-Cultural Negotiation Guide • Would you like an easy guide to keep you away from the big first time blunders? You will find this and more, here.

Guide 7 - Run With Your International Sales Strategy • Do you need help setting up your international sales strategy? • Do you want to know what to say to your foreign prospects to get the sale? Read about how to create your international sales strategy.

Cross-Cultural Negotiation Guide

Last updated 24 September 2008

Good cross cultural communication are important for successful international business development. The good news is they are acquired through practice.

But sometimes your international business expansion gets ahead of your international negotiation skills.

Emergency Guideline For Your First Cross Cultural Negotiations

If you have not had the experience in cross cultural negotiation here is a good guideline to help you start:

Your Guideline For Successful First Time Cross Cultural Negotiations In Any Culture

Cross Cultural Negotiations

And here are a few other articles for beginners in international negotiation:

How Can I Prepare For My First Cross-Cultural Negotiation

r	The Right Mindset For International Negotiations

The Most Important Tip For International Sales Negotiations

Start Your International Negotiations With Identifying The Right Person

Non-Verbal Differences North American Women Need To Be Aware Of In European Negotiations

What Is The Biggest Barrier In Cross-Cultural Negotiations?

Phone Negotiations

When International Phone Negotiations Go Bad

Cross Cultural Communication

If you are interested in cross cultural negotiations, read the Get International Clients Business Guide on Cross Cultural Communication to improve your skills:

Cross Cultural Communication

Read The Whole Story

This is part of the Get International Clients Business Guide 7 Run With Your International Sales Strategy Find out more on selling to international clients.

Start Your International Negotiations With Identifying The Right Person

Sometimes the obvious difficulties in cross cultural negotiations lead people to forget the most basic things.

Jumping to automatic assumptions and entering into negotiations with the wrong person.

Identifying the right person you need to negotiate with is easy in your own culture. But in cross cultural negotiations several factors can come into play. Read more

The Right Mindset For International Negotiations

Entering international negotiations with the right mindset, or attitude, is almost just as important as being thoroughly prepared.

Sales people new to international negotiations often have the wrong definition for the right international mindset needed. They tend to identify the right mindset more with a superficial way of presenting themselves.

The Personal Reorientation Within

The right mindset involves a change on a deeper, more personal level. It means: Read more

The Most Important Tip For International Sales Negotiations

If you start looking for advice on international sales negotiations, you may end up getting more than you need. And you might not know which advice to follow.

There are people who call themselves multicultural or attribute themselves with an international expertise, without having the necessary experience to give you advice on cross cultural negotiations. There are also people who live in foreign countries for years without acquiring any real multicultural expertise at all. So called “bilingual” skills often represent wide variations in language skills.

Everyone has there own point of view, and success formulas based on their own experience. And when we are faced with several different bits of advice, we often chose the easiest option.

As a North American International Sales & Marketing professional in Europe for over 20 years I have had years of field experience in negotiation between North Americans and Europeans. And I’ve received my fair share of advice. I’d like to share with you the most important advice Read more

Non-Verbal Differences North American Women Need To Be Aware Of In European Negotiations

International sales negotiations need to be prepared. Cross cultural communication is mined with potential blunders. And if you are a woman, you need to pay attention to other details as well.

Here are a few more tips specifically for North American women in sales negotiations with Europeans: Read more

Your Guideline For Successful First Time Cross Cultural Negotiations In Any Culture

Do you have an international sales negotiation coming up? Are you nervous about how it will go?

Most people don’t give much thought to the actual cross cultural communication process prior to their first real cross cultural negotiation. They get obsessed with secondary details.

Cross Cultural Negotiation Skills

Imagine you are in a long line of people waiting for a taxi at the busy Paris airport. With people swarming everywhere. The noise of the street traffic competing with the noise from the airplanes in the background.

And then you hear such a large commotion, right up at the front of your taxi line. You think it is yet another bomb scare and crane your neck to get a closer look with your bags in your hands ready to move. But out of the confusion you hear laughter.

What happened? Read more