Are You Culturally Aware?

There are people — some of them remodelers — whose attitude toward doing business with people from other cultures is essentially: “They're here in America. They should follow American customs.” To that, multicultural sales and marketing consultant Michael Lee says, “remember that ‘they' is ‘us.'” The term “ugly Americans” is used worldwide to describe a group of people who, when arriving in a foreign country, expect the natives to speak English and the food to be similar to what's available at home. “As Americans, we have difficulty adjusting to different cultures, but our culture is only 200 years old,” Lee says. Other cultures are thousands of years old, so it's even more difficult for people to leave their cultural practices behind.

It's also getting harder and harder to survive in business without serving customers from different ethnic groups, particularly in the remodeling industry. “Minorities tend to buy older homes, because they are more affordable,” Lee says. “It's a huge, and growing, market.”

What follows are five sample questions from quizzes on Lee's Web site. To take a quiz yourself, or to get more information on becoming more culturally aware, visit www.ethnoconnect.com, or call 800.417.7325.

Editor's note: The questions themselves are taken directly from the EthnoConnect Web site. The other material is a composite from the quiz answers, interviews with Lee, and information from his seminars.

Question 1: Which group believes it treats women with the most respect?

Answer: E. Middle Easterners. Got your attention? It will come as a surprise to most Westerners, but men from the Middle East believe that their culture is much more respectful and honorable toward women than America's is. Americans, on the other hand, generally believe that Middle Eastern women are oppressed and have no civil rights.

It's a powerful example of the differences between two cultures. Never take anything for granted.

Question 2: When exchanging business cards with a multicultural customer, you should be sure to:

Answer: C. Present your card with both hands. Even the simple act of trading information with a customer can be troublesome if you aren't thinking about differences in culture. In many societies, the left hand is believed to be “unclean,” so you should always accept another's card with your right.

The business card is representative of the person in many cultures. Don't put it in your shirt pocket, and don't staple it to a customer's file — doing so is symbolically equivalent to shooting them in the head with a nail gun. Use a paper clip instead.

Question 3: What is the most appropriate greeting when first meeting a male multicultural customer?

Answer: C. Wait for him to do what's comfortable for him. The rules of good customer service dictate that you do what the customer wants. Well, guess what? Your customer might not want to shake your hand. The way we traditionally greet people in America isn't practiced worldwide. You're even more likely to get yourself in trouble if your potential customer is a woman. In some cultures, any physical contact with a man who is not related to her is looked down upon.

Indeed, your best bet when working with people from unfamiliar cultures is to take cues from them — even if it makes you physically uncomfortable. In comparison to most Americans, Middle Easterners tend to stand closer to people they are talking to. Backing away even slightly will result in their stepping forward. On the other hand, the Japanese give more personal space than is customary in America. Trying to close the gap will have you chasing them around the room.

Question 4: Which gesture is the most universally offensive?

Answer: A. Pointing with the finger. In many cultures, a single pointed finger is considered rude, even obscene, even if it's not directed at somebody.

That's especially important to remember in the remodeling industry, where pointing — to corners of rooms, under sinks, or to indicate where something should be placed, for example — is common. To avoid deeply offending your customers — and your employees and trade contractors, for that matter — use your entire hand (fingers together, palm up) to indicate direction.

Question 5: A product demonstration with an Asian buyer is likely to be most effective if you:

Answer: C. Show them a diagram. It's well-known that people have different “learning styles” and certain ways that they prefer to receive information. But you might not know that these traits follow some very general cultural trends:

These broad principles also apply to marketing. African-Americans respond more often to radio and television advertising, while Asians are most likely to make purchasing decisions based on what they see in newspapers.

Question 6: Which group is least likely to openly complain about poor service?

Answer: B. Hispanics. People from Hispanic cultures are the least likely of any ethnic group to tell you if your service is bad or your product inadequate. This, however, is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Hispanics won't hesitate to tell their tales of woe to friends and family, to protect their loved ones from having similar experiences.

Of course, this trait can work to your advantage, as well. Because of cultural differences and language barriers, people from individual ethnic groups tend to communicate closely with one another. Sell just one customer from that community-within-a-community and follow up by doing a good job, and you'll find yourself with more leads then you'll know what to do with.