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Dr. Farid Elashmawi, President

Dealing Successfully with Americans

by Dr. Farid Elashmawi

Originally published in Certified Management Digest.

What would you talk about in your first encounter with Americans? What should you emphasis in your sales presentations to Americans? What would you expect after a four hour tennis game with an American?

These are few of the questions that many Asian managers wonder about when dealing with Americans. This article will present typical situations that you may face and show you how to handle them successfully.

Let us first consider the case of Dr. Danang Agoes. He is a waste management professional from Indonesia who is attending an international conference in Chicago. During a break between speakers he is approached by an American scientist, David Krouse. David says casually, "Hi, how are you?" Danang replies, "Well, unfortunately, I missed the first speaker because my taxi was stuck in traffic. On top of that, my flight yesterday was delayed leaving, so I wasn't able to get a good night's sleep. I'm tired."

Krouse is turned off by Danang's comments. Once he finishes speaking, Krouse hands him his card and says, "Sorry, I hope you feel better tomorrow." He then wanders toward another group of businesspeople. Danang feels slighted and embarrassed. "What did I do wrong?" he wonders. "Krouse asked me how I was feeling, and I told him."

But Krouse's greeting did not necessitate a long, in-depth reply. Krouse's question was simply an ice-breaker. He expected to hear a simple reply like "Fine, thank you. And What do you do, Mr. Krouse?"

Difficulties of Communicating Across Cultures

The situation above demonstrates the difficulties that can be encountered when communicating across cultures. The rapid expansion of global markets has forced businesses to work with foreign cultures. Businesses that address issues of cultural diversity will improve their chances of succeeding in today's global market.

American cultural values can be seen in television and film, as well as in laws and institutions. These values include directness, openness, self-reliance, and independence. They carry over into American business communication and have the potential of clashing with Eastern cultural norms, as the following case demonstrates.

Mr. Mohammed Ali, the president of a tapestry company in Malaysia, has recognized that a large percentage of his sales are to American tourists. He believes the sale of his product in America will skyrocket if he can find a good distributor.

Through a friend in the American Embassy, Mohammed received the address of Clark O'Donnel, an importer in New York who specializes in Asian products. Mohammed writes a two page letter to Mr. O'Donnel. In the letter he explains his role as company president, his education, his company's size, and mentions that he is a good friend of the American ambassador to Malaysia. Mohammed concludes the letter by wishing happiness and well-being to the American, and inviting him to visit K. L.

A month passes, and Mr. Mohammed does not receive a reply. He sends another letter, but O'Donnel still does not reply. Mohammed assumes that O'Donnel doesn't have time for his business.

But Mr. O'Donnel did not reject Mohammed's business because of his products. He rejected it because of Mohammed's style of writing. Mohammed did not adopt the American style of writing business letters, which tends to be direct, clear and succinct. The letter didn't need to mention a relationship with the ambassador, nor did Mohammed need to engulf Mr. O'Donnel with flattery.

Mohammed should have written a half-page letter in which he emphasized his company's accomplishments and reputation, as well as the reasons his products would sell well in America. This is what Americans expect to see in their business correspondence: what is in it for me and not necessary who you are.

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This material is presented to you by Global Success, a leading multicultural management, negotiation, training, and consulting organization. The company develops managers' skills in dealing successfully with global diversity in employees, clients, partners, and suppliers. It was founded by Dr. Farid Elashmawi, author of Multicultural Management 2000.