Chapter 2

Culture and Sales

Sales Management:
A Global Perspective
Culture and Sales
 Culture: All of the behavioral traits that we
acquire from and share with the members of
our society.
 Acculturation: What is learned and accepted
by an outsider after exposure to those within
a cultural group.
 Assimilation: When an outsider becomes
completely absorbed into a new culture.
Culture and Sales
 Levels of Cultural Aggregation
 Global – Forces at work shaping similar expectations of
customers, but risky to treat all sales people the same way
 Regional – Regional similarities may offer opportunities for
3rd country nationals
 National – The key level of aggregation. The most deep
set and defining characteristics imprinted on the individual.
 Local – Local community has its own culture, but not as
important in shaping the individual.
Culture and Sales

 Hofstede’s National Cultural Dimensions:

 Power Distance – The distinctions in the society
between the individual and their immediate supervisor
in terms of power and ranking.
 Uncertainty avoidance – The way in which the society
deals with the concept of risk.
 Individualism/collectivism – The importance of the
group as opposed to the individual in the society.
 Masculinity/femininity – The traits valued by society
which are identified in terms of masculine (success,
confidence, strength) or feminine (nurturing,
compassion, quality of life).
Culture and Sales

 National Cultural Dimensions:

 Confucian Dynamism (added by Bond)
 The importance of a short-term versus a long-term
time orientation and commitment.
Culture and Sales
 Managerial Considerations:
 The chances for cultural conflict should be
minimized to enhance the probability of successful
relationship building between salesperson and
customer.
 Making the salesperson sensitive to cultural
differences is important.
 Periodic cultural training for salespeople and sales
managers can be extremely beneficial.
Culture and Sales
Culture and Sales

 Components of Culture:
 Verbal Communication - Three problem areas
to consider:
 Simple carelessness – The inappropriate or
accidental use of a word.
 Multiple-meaning words – Using words with more
than one meaning where primary meaning is other
than was intended.
 Idioms – Using phrases with no literal translation.
 Cadillac product; raining cats and dogs
Culture and Sales
 Additional language concerns:
 Use the correct forms of the language when addressing a
superior as opposed to a peer.
 Developing countries often have many different dialects
which are used.
 The language may be experiencing changes on a daily
basis (vernacular).
 High context versus low context cultures have different
language uses and needs for communications.
Culture and Sales
 Types of Nonverbal Communication:
 Appearance/Grooming
 Tone of Voice/Speech Pattern
 Timing of Verbal Responses
 Posture
 Use of Space in Communications
 Sense of Smell
 Use of Hand Gestures to Communicate
 Physical Contact in Communication
 Eye Contact in Communication
 Body Angles
Culture and Sales
 Communication Considerations:
 The better prepared the salesperson is to
understand verbal and non-verbal communication
issues, the greater the chances for building
successful relationships with potential customers.
Some possibilities:
 Identify and prepare for specific customers.
 Cultural training/sensitizing is a necessity.
 The key is to avoid actions and words that could be
considered to be offensive.
Culture and Sales

 Components of Culture:
 Religion – Watch out for:
 Religious holidays/celebrations/obligations may affect
salesperson performance.
 Time for prayer may be important.
 Consumption of certain foods may be prohibited.
 Consumption of alcohol may be forbidden.
 Gender relationships may be controlled.
Culture and Sales
 Components of Culture:
 Education – be sensitive to:
 Difficulties for customer dealing with someone less
educated.
 Salespeople should have at least a university/college
education.
 Sales managers must sell students in many countries on
the value of a sales career.
 Salespeople may be concerned about educational
opportunities for their children if they are sent overseas.
Culture and Sales

 Components of Culture:
 Aesthetics - Remember:
 Salesperson appearance must conform with
expectations of customer (hair, jewelry, smell,
etc.).
 The materials used by the salesperson should
also conform to customer expectations (sales
presentations, product/promotional literature,
etc.).
Culture and Sales
 Components of Culture:
 Social Organizations – Areas to consider:
 How well does the salesperson work in group settings,
especially when the company uses sales teams?
 Problems arising from males in patriarchal societies
working for female superiors.
 Problems arising from older individuals in hierarchical
societies working for younger supervisors.
 Problems arising from affluent individuals working for
supervisors from lower income backgrounds.
Culture and Sales

 Components of Culture:
 Technology - Watch out for:
 Customers who are more technologically
literate than sales people.
 Sales people selling products way too
advanced technologically for potential
customers.
 Technological literacy gaps between sales
manager and sales people.
Culture and Sales
 Components of Culture:
 Values and Norms - Consider:
 Conflicts between sales manager and salespeople
reflecting differences in value orientations (conservative
vs. liberal, ethnocentric vs. polycentric, egalitarian vs.
male-dominated decision making, etc.)
 Conflicts between salespeople and customers reflecting
value differences.
 Ethnocentric vs. polycentric perspectives.
Culture and Sales
 Essential skills and abilities for multi-cultural
sales manager dealing with a global sales
force:
 Respect for others
 Tolerance for ambiguity
 Ability to relate to people
 Being nonjudgmental
 Ability to personalize one’s observations
 Empathy
 Persistence/patience
Culture and Sales
 Suggestions for the sales manager to
enhance their chances of clear and
meaningful communications with foreign
salespeople:
 Speak slowly and clearly – not loudly!
 Avoid the use of idiomatic expressions
 Try not to appear impatient or irritated
 Periodically stop and ask what the salesperson
understood or whether clarification is needed
Culture and Sales
 Examples of sources of information regarding different
cultures, cultural expectations, and mannerisms:
 Do’s and Taboo’s Around the World by Roger E. Axtell, 3rd

edition, NY: John Wiley and Sons, 1993.

 Do’s and Taboo’s Around the World for Women in Business

by Roger E. Axtell, Tami Briggs and Margaret Corcoran, NY:

John Wiley and Sons, 1997.
 Dun and Bradstreets’ Guide to Doing Business Around the

World by Terri Morrison, Wayne A. Conaway and Joseph J.

Douress, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 2000.
 Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: How to Do Business in 60

Countries by Terri Morrison, Wayne A. Conaway and George

A. Borden, Adams Media Corporation, 1995.
 Managing Cultural Differences by Philip R. Harris and Robert

T. Moran, Houston: Gulf Professional Publishing Company,

2000.
Culture and Sales

 Culture shapes the behaviors and expectations

of human beings.
 If sales managers understand the nature of culture and how
it is manifested, they can enhance the chances of success
for the sales force in the following ways:
 They can choose the appropriate individuals given the nature

of their potential foreign sales territories based upon cultural

fit.
 They can arm the salesperson with a cultural sensitivity that

will enhance the chances of building a meaningful long-term

relationship with potential customers.
 Culturally aware sales managers can be better prepared to

develop their own relationships with the various members of

their sales force.