Culture sensitive selling negotiation

The UK is set to have a referendum vote by the end of  2017 on whether or not to remain as a member of the EU. 

The UK Prime Minister's requests focus on four key objectives:

1. Protection of the single market for Britain and other non-euro countries
2. Boosting competitiveness by setting a target for the reduction of the "burden" of red tape
3. Exempting Britain from "ever-closer union" and bolstering national parliaments
4. Restricting EU migrants' access to in-work benefits such as tax credits for four years 

 David Cameron has gone off today to negotiate a better deal for the UK in the EU. I guess he needs to be aware of the different cultures of the 27 countries he needs to persuade.

"I want to see real progress in all of the four areas that I've mentioned. We're not pushing for a deal tonight (17th December 2015), but we're pushing for real momentum so that we can get this deal done."

He said he would be "battling hard for Britain, right through the night".

Perhaps he could make use of Erin Meyer's 'The Culture Map' but even if he does not we in selling most certainly can !

Often we concentrate on negotiation technique- what Meyer's points out is we should also adapt our negotiating tactics depending on the culture we are dealing with.

Strong negotiating skills in one culture can actually be a disadvantage in another, according to Erin Meyer, author of The Culture Map.

Source: Erin Meyer  HBR December 2015  photo of WEF forum site

Some cultures are emotionally expressive, even in the meeting room. 

Laughing, raising your voice or physical contact beyond a handshake can be considered normal in countries such as Italy and Spain.

 Whereas in the United States there’s a level of friendliness with limits. 

Meanwhile, business cultures in countries like Germany and Japan can find such behaviour inappropriate or unprofessional.

How antagonistic a person is, or how much they express their disagreement in a negotiation, can differ from culture to culture. To some, confrontation is necessary for clear communication, while others only feel comfortable arguing in more subtle ways.

Handling the stereotypes:

Not all emotionally expressive cultures are also confrontational, and vice versa.

 German people have a reputation for being blunt in a calm and rational way, which can be useful in negotiations. In France or Italy, on the other hand, one might expect to see a more passionate exchange. Meanwhile, the cultural stereotype for Saudi Arabian and Filipino cultures is to be emotionally expressive while at the same time avoiding confrontation.

But what about those sales people who do business negotiations internationally? Meyer suggests five matters we need to consider for this sort of discussion.

1. Get a feel for the way you express disagreement

The difference can range from a stance of “I completely disagree” to “I am not sure I understand your point” . Such flexibility could make or break a negotiation. Which one is appropriate in the culture where you are doing business?

2. Know when to hold your peace or let it all hang out

Assess whether the time to assert your opinion, or should you adopt a soft and gentle tone?

3. Ascertain how the other culture builds trust in negotiation Erin Meyer describes two types of trust in negotiation

a. Cognitive trust is based on how much faith you put in someone’s accomplishments or skills; how reliable they are.

b. Affective trust stems from an emotional closeness, where partnerships are more like friendships. You need to figure out which type is most valued by the culture you’re working in.

4. Avoid  Closed Questions and their yes or no responses 

Did they really mean “no” or are they telling you that the subject needs further discussion? Different cultures view the words yes and no with varying levels of complexity.

5. Be careful about putting it in writing

In some cultures, an email to sum up your conversation could be perfectly normal, while in others it is a clear sign you don’t trust people to remember what you discussed.

Thought to myself !

 I think it might be worthwhile asking Santa this Christmas 2015 for Erin’s book The Culture Map* -breaking through the invisible boundaries of global business. Perhaps Samantha Cameron has got the PM a copy !

Related Links:

Making your negotiation appealing

12 steps to effective negotiation

More speed less haste and walkaway in your negotiations

* Erin Meyer's site http://erinmeyer.com/

Report 4 from TMI/TACK World Congress OPERATING SUCCESSFLLY ACROSS CULTURES – The Software of the mind

"We may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin, but we all belong to one human race."

-- Kofi Annan Ghanian Diplomat, 7th UN Secretary-General


As more and more businesses enter into markets across the world, the importance of operating successfully across cultures becomes a key skill set. But what exactly is culture?

Emma Steward emma.steward@gmail.com who specialises in programmes in cultural awareness gave her audience a taster session on Operating Successfully Across Cultures.

Clifford Geertz defines culture as
“ A historically transmitted pattern of meaning embodied in symbols…by means of which men can communicate , perpetuate and develop knowledge about attitudes towards life”
Perhaps more succinctly Geert Hofstede definition is

“ The software of the mind”

Like computer software users quickly become so used to ways of their software e.g. Linux, Apple Macs or Microsoft , they find having to operate a different software system than what they are used to can be “ a little strange” “ less intuitive” " clunky".

If you have ever worked in firms who have been merged or acquired where one firm operated Oracle and the other has operated SAP - the switching to the other system or even trying to integrate them cause people much heartache.

So in human cultures what seems natural to us are learned behaviours for example
• Eating is natural; eating with a knife and fork, chopsticks or our hands is cultural.
• Belching is also natural ; regarding it as impolite and surpassing it, is cultural.

Whatever is cultural is taken for granted within a given culture.
Emma clarified that there is a Bell Curve of norms and values.

Cultural stereotypes, Emma explained to the group at the TMI /TACK Congress at Vilnius 2011 are to be found at the 5% end tails.

(Emma Steward working with the TMI /TACK audience)

In business we may not be able to learn every do or don’t but some understand of dimension of culture will help us committed too many faux pas with clients ‘ abroad’.

Based on work undertaken by Hofstede Emma gave us five dimension of culture with some key questions.
1. POWER DISTANCE: How equal/ unequal are people within a society?
2. INDIVIDULISM /COLLECTIVISM: Do people see themselves as individuals or part of a group?
3. MASCULINITY/FEMINITY: Does a culture value assertiveness or caring?
4. UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE: How tolerant are people towards ambiguity?
5. LONG TERM/ SHORT TERM ORENTATION: Are people oriented towards the past and present or towards the future?

For further study Emma recommends http://wwwgeert-hostede.com and the book “ Culture and Organisations”.
Business people can learn a lot from a Cultural specialist like Emma. We need to develop an understanding of cross cultural interactions. Someone equipped with the tools Emma leaches will work more successfully across cultures through better communication skils ad will learn how to turn cultural differences into assets.

All this area of cultural training becomes increasingly important of course in improving cross cultural and virtual team working both within TMI/TACK as well as with their extensive international client list.

How competent are you and I as a cross cultural manager?
Here is a list by no mean complete but will help you to evaluate your cross cultural sensitivities.
Rate yourself 1-5 on the following areas. 5= you almost always demonstrate this quality 1= you almost never demonstrate this quality.
a) __ flexible
b) __ sense of humour
c) __physical stamina
d) __ able to deal with ambiguity
e) __ establish and maintain relationships well
f) __ set realistic expectations
g) __tolerant of values different to your own
h) __ patient





i) __take initiative and display leadership
j) __manage stress effectively
k) __clearly motivated
l) __deal effectively with conflict
m) __ask for help
n) __Ability to listen carefully
o) __ manage several things simultaneously
p) __ confidence in self and abilities
q) __ facility with foreign language(s)
r) __creative
s) __decisive
t) __clear communicator
Plus any others you may wish to add

It might also be worth asking a colleague to look and your scores and see if they agree.