Culture And The Importance Of Not Giving Offense
When you do not come from a certain culture, you need to be aware of ways you can shoot yourself in the foot, either from neglect or giving offence.
1. Study up on the culture. One article cannot cover all cultures. You need to do your homework. In Asia, talking about death is considered unlucky. Since white is a color associated with death, sending someone a dozen white roses on their birthday would be a bad idea. In Asia, your business card is your professional face. There is ritual in the giving and receiving of cards. It is presented using two hands and received the same way. You study both sides. If you are seated at a desk, you place the card in front of you. Putting the card into your back pocket is interpreted as sitting on the other person’s face!
2. Pricing. When I was an advisor, I had a client who was a physician in a neighborhood primarily composed of one culture. Because I knew there were financial issues in the area, I asked if he discounted his fees. He explained he could not and would not. In the area, what you pay is closely associated with the quality of medical care you receive. If his prices were lower than other physicians, it would be assumed the care they were given is inferior.
3. Avoid politics. There are always issues and causes that divide a community. When possible, try to avoid controversy. It may be easy with the big issues, but rivalries exist in all communities regardless of size. If an issue evenly divided the community and you were outspoken, half the population and their families might vow never to do business with you.
4. Respect. There may be a social pecking order. People may talk about some of their own family members in disrespectful terms. You cannot. Regardless of the person’s flaws, they will rally around family. You must treat everyone with respect.
5. The concept of face. This concept is talked about often concerning Asian cultures, but it exists everywhere in one form or another. It has many interpretations. You would not want to embarrass someone in public. The way you treat someone should not create a memory that becomes a story people talk about for years. You do not want to do something that brings about dishonor. This ties into respect. You would not “call someone out” or criticize them in public.
People who come from a specific culture can build a business within that culture. Often they need to become successful in the broader community before they focus on their own culture because the learning curve for prospects can be longer. If you come from outside the culture, you can still build a successful career, but you need to first respect the culture.
Bryce Sanders is president of Perceptive Business Solutions Inc. He provides HNW client acquisition training for the financial services industry. His book Captivating the Wealthy Investor is available on Amazon.