|
CREATING THE B2B CUSTOMER |
||||
|
Alan/Anthony, Inc. - October 2006 |
||||
|
Creating B2B Customers in Emerging Markets
By Vince Waterson, Vice President, Business Development, Hawaii Pacific Teleport
As someone who has been doing business in emerging markets for 15 years, most recently in Bangladesh, I have learned that there are three areas that one needs to be sensitive to when attempting to create customers in the "flattening" world of communications.
Comprehension
Although English has established itself as the common language of business worldwide, there is more to language and communication than we assume. Due to the various nuances of English - a difficult language to learn and speak - one needs to make sure that what is spoken is understood. I never assume that my initial presentation is ever fully understood solely as intended. In fact, many cultures are only now emerging from visual traditions. And as we know from marketing and advertising - not to mention journalism - a picture is worth a thousand words. Therefore, our presentations always include distinct visuals, as well as detailed leave-behind documents that reinforce our message or offer. Because there is no lack of misunderstanding in sales environments among common cultures, I leave nothing to risk in making sure that we have communicated as fully as possible when in other parts of the globe.
Caution
While it may seem simplistic, or even a waste of precious time, I advise that you refrain from blurting out the point of your phone call within the first few minutes. All sales are a seduction in some way - and people need to feel comfortable before they commit time and resources to you. This is especially true among cultures where the concept of "time is money" has not yet full taken root. Remember, as in any relationship, you are building for the long-term and should consider spending time on small talk, perhaps to the point of being rather obtuse about the purpose of your call. You can move "up the field" toward the goal slowly.
Once a relationship has been started, you can expect a few curveballs. A prospect may try to move you rather aggressively away from what appeared to be the heart of your deal. I advise that, rather than reacting as if you had been hit out-of-bounds, consider it to be a test - or even a cultural nuance. Always appeal to one's better nature. Phrases such as, "I always knew you were a stand-up kind of guy, and would never do anything to betray our trust," if met with sincerity from the other side, will get the message across that a trust has been broken. It will also keep anger out of the discussion and, most important, not be seen as embarrassing the other person.
Culture can be the biggest challenge to doing international business development. There is little one can do to change culture, of course. And that is a good thing. However, there is plenty one can do to understand it and incorporate this understanding into marketing and customer service.
One example is a project we worked on with an Internet reseller in Bangladesh. This customer was constantly late making payments because he had problems collecting monthly charges from his customers. We could not shut down the satellite circuits serving his customers in order to force them to pay, because that would have lowered the status of the reseller and made it appear that we were "going over his head." Through discussion with the reseller, we learned that if he appeared to be in control of the situation it was culturally acceptable for him to interrupt the satellite circuit to pressure the end-user to pay. Once we discovered this we were able to put in place a system whereby the reseller contacted our satellite teleport and requested us to turn off a slow-paying users' circuit for a few hours in order to pressure payment collection. This proved largely successful and the business has grown.
In another situation, where we were providing service directly to an end-user who had problems making monthly payments, we decided that rather than disrupt the service completely, we would reduce the bandwidth we were providing on the satellite each week until the customer was able to start making payments on a regular basis. This solution allowed us to put pressure on the customer without allowing him losing face, which would have been the case if the service had been cut off totally.
While this might seem risky, the message to take away is: "avoid painting your customers into a corner" in parts of the world where "face" is extremely important to creating and maintaining business. If you want to do business in the world's developing markets, be prepared to give your in-country partner and customers room to maneuver - even if they have broken a contract or have been "economical with the truth." Remember, the legal systems in the West have emerged successfully over centuries - not overnight. In nations where the rule of law and international business are relatively fresh notions, other ways to forge bonds of trust and security must be factored in.
News Briefs
Senior Partner Louis Zacharilla -
Senior Partner Robert Bell -
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
For more information on effective B2B sales and marketing, contact Alan/Anthony at lzacharilla@alananthony.com or call +1 212-825-1582 ext 12. Complete information on Alan/Anthony's services is available at www.alananthony.com. Click here to unsubscribe. |
