Having a success full time business depends on the relationships we have built over time, not only with each other, but with different cultures in different countries. To have a good relationship with different people in different cultures, for the sake of growing a business, it means learning what their business practices are and adapting to their business practices, just like we need to learn the different styles of communication so we can communicate with different people more effectively.
There are 3 things I want to bring forward for my readers to think about:
1. Learn your style of communication, then learn how to communicate with other people exhibiting other styles. For instance, what if you are someone who is very detailed oriented, before you make a decision to buy, that is, you have to know all the details before you make a buying decision; but the person you were talking to just wants to know what is the bottom line and how it will benefit them. Is it beneficial to their needs? That is, they just want to know what is the bottom line and how it can benefit them and their business. In this case you don’t want to give all details because they don’t care about the details like you do, and you can cause yourself to lose the sale.
2. In some cultures, there are certain rituals a business needs virtual roundtables to follow to build a relationship with that company before they can expect to do business with them. Many corporations have already learned this, especially since they want to sell their products in other countries. since we have now moved back to the small businessman who works from home, the small businessman also needs to learn how to do business in different cultures, that is why it is imperative that we now learn how to communicate with different countries and individuals in those countries, if we expect to have a successful business.
3. Since technology influences the job market today, and social media plays an important role in this business medium, this gives us the opportunity to build relationships with other cultures and countries, while working at home on the Internet. Through such sites as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, the three main ones that everyone knows about, there are opportunities to connect with people in other countries, and build relationships with them, to do business in the future. Distributors in MLM companies are now looking open these markets and expand their business.
When people work for corporations during the 20th century they had the opportunity to learn about different cultures and also to learn good communication skills. But since we have moved back to the small businessman it is up to the individual to take classes themselves to learn to do business with different cultures and their business practices. With the use of the Internet, all we need to do is Google different Keywords to get stories and articles to help us learn about how business is done in different countries and cultures. Also by building relationships with different connections through groups on LinkedIn or Facebook, we can ask someone to teach you how business is done in their culture.
During the formative years of our education, while studying history an individual could learn about the different cultures and how they did business, but during that period of time, it was difficult for students to understand the importance of learning about doing business in other countries, therefore, as adults we have to go back and learn these facts. As students we don’t understand the relevance of learning about other countries and their cultures, but only after we enter the workforce as adults do we understand the relevance. It is often said that education is lost on the young, and this is just an example of how true this is.
Remember, today’s workplace is different than it was a few years ago, and in the next few years it would change even more! For every small business to grow they will have to learn to keep adapting and changing with the times to build and expand as time goes on. We live in a world that ebbs and flows daily and we need to learn to move with the flow of this tide as well.