“How is it that certain Americans ﹣ although they do not understand the subject matter as well as their German counterparts, and have less experience ﹣ are still able to persuade me that their concept, product or service is better?”
Get our message across
“Our German colleagues do not accept (trust) our forecasts for the U.S. market. We’re not sure why. Perhaps they are stubborn. Or our American presentation logic does not persuade them. Or maybe they simply don’t understand us. How do we get our message across more effectively to Germany?”
Disney Store
“In the Disney Store the young saleswomen dressed as Mickey Mouse were so nice, so sweet to us and our children, as if they wanted to take us in their arms and cuddle with us. Just as quickly, however, it became clear that it was all show. That sudden realization could under certain circumstances lead to Kauf-Unlust (purchase-aversion, -reluctance, -disinclination), after having been so ‘touched’, and given in the impression that you are the greatest customer in the store. Am I being too critical?”
Unemotional. Detached.
“When our German colleagues give presentations they are so unemotional, scientific, almost detached. Why? Is that convincing in the German context?”
It baffles us
“It always baffles us Americans when our German colleagues attempt to persuade by referring to processes and certificates. That is certainly a cultural issue which even after many years of collaboration we have difficulty accepting. What’s the German thinking here?”
Power of personality
“When Americans are in persuasion-mode the power of personality is more important than the power of facts and argumentation. Why is this the case?
Persuasive nonetheless
“How is it that certain Americans ﹣ although they do not understand the subject matter as well as their German counterparts, and have less experience ﹣ are still able to persuade me that their concept, product or service is better?”
Aggressive sales
“The Germans do not feel comfortable with aggressive, hard sales, including the American version of it. Americans, on the other hand, perceive their German colleagues as being sales-shy.
Taking this important cultural difference into account, how can we maintain forward movement in the U.S., especially since we often cannot predict whether a customer will commit or the size of the opportunity?”
