The Natural Cross Cultural Vision of a Third Culture Kid Can Power International Business Expansion

Would you like a secret weapon to help power your international business expansion?

Are you wondering if there is one simple thing you could add to your current business mix that would help you a lot throughout the whole process?

What if you had a unique cross cultural vision tool in your pocket?

Third Culture Kids

Working with a Third Culture Kid could be the solution for your company.

Third Culture Kids (TCKs) aren’t children. It is a term used in international environments. It is used generally to describe people that grew up in strong international environments.

TCK’s are the children of parents from one culture living in a second culture, and their need to find their own identity in their specific third culture. The term can also go beyond this to refer to people who grew up exposed to different cultures early on in life.

Benefits For Your Companies International Development

Growing up in such environments means these people have a unique skill set.

They have the natural ability to see things from different cultural points of view. They probably do not have one strong national outlook. They immediately look at a situation and be aware of several different cultural points of view.

Even if TCK’s are working in a culture they are unfamiliar with, they will be quicker at understanding the different cultural points of view than someone without cross cultural experience.

This means that TCK’s understand the different expectations in politeness, in respect, in professional behaviors. And they are able to adjust their own behavior, often instantaneously, to navigate through these differences.

Having a TCK on your team should help you avoid cultural communication blunders. Or at least pick up on them faster and learn how to navigate through them effectively.

Differences With Others And Their Approach

People without international experience might think cross cultural communication is only about learning about the manners expected of you in foreign place and the local traditions.

Flexibility and adaptability have more to do with your international business success. Understanding why people behave differently is more important what you see them do differently than yourself.

People with confirmed international experience tend to be more curious, adaptable and quick learners. This can bring your company the fuel it needs to go international if your company is truly motivated to adapt to the international mindset.

Right Adaptation Needed To Work With Third Culture Kids

TCKs are a breed of their own. They are used to navigating in different waters. They can be freedom lovers. They might think your set of rules and orders obsolete, simply because they have been there, done that and moved on to something else.

Does this mean Third Culture Kids’s are prima donnas? No, that would be forgetting one of their main qualities: their deep rooted ability to adapt to different environments. Simply, this will be a cross cultural relationship.

If your company is firmly rooted in one cultural environment you will need to pay attention to how the TCK and your company work together. If your company’s drive is strong enough to go international, your company’s mindset will be open to other cultures.

A Little Effort For A Great International Business “Tool”

The little bit of adjustment you will have to make to work with a Third Culture Kid is well worth the extra vision he will bring to your international business.

Your international communication will be smoother and bring faster results. Third Culture Kids with the right background for your company will probably also provide you with valuable international business insights.

If you are looking for an easy way to speed up your company’s international mindset, working with Third Culture Kids can help put your international business expansion in top gear.

Are you committed to speeding up your international sales cycles?

Learn how to combine cross-cultural marketing tools and international sales strategies for faster sales.

Join us on the International Sales Road Map

Would you like to develop your international business?
Are you a beginner at international sales and marketing?
Read the Beginners Guide Discover Your International Business

International Business Expansion – Target Your Global Market Understanding Their Demographics

Small businesses can feel greatly challenged if they are based in one country and selling to foreign clients another country. An intimate understanding of your foreign clients will lead to more sales. How can you get an accurate analysis of the demographics of your foreign markets?

It is often hard to really get into the demographics of your international markets. It can be hard to stretch yourself to fully understand cultural differences and the consequences these differences may or may not have on your sales and marketing strategies.

This is also a factor which complicates a single language markets made up of many different cultures. You not only have one set of specific demographic characteristics. You can literally have dozens.

The best place to start is to determine specific demographic information for each of your target markets, and to move on from there. The process actually gets easier the more cultures you learn to adapt to. Your company will get faster at understanding how to adapt to each different culture.

An interesting example was how MTV adapted its music to each country. There are two main factors that came in to play.

Music is culturally different in each culture.
MTV targets a younger audience and youth do not have the same lives in different cultures.

MTV realized early on that they needed to adapt their music to the culture in each country. This is fairly easy to understand.

But what was interesting was that they realized that in some countries the vast majority of households only had one television set. Therefore their television shows would also have to be culturally acceptable to other generations. If the older generations were offended in any way, MTV would not be turned on.

Demographics do need to studied and defined for each culture. Gaining insight into the differences in demographics and it consequences on your product’s foreign market is a very enriching experience. The value of this knowledge also lies in the potential leverage for more foreign business opportunities.

Fully understanding your international markets will show you the opportunities for your international business growth.

The Three Factors in Finding the Right Marketing Mix for Your International Business Expansion

There are 3 factors in finding the right marketing mix for expanding your international business

It is possible to get international clients with strong internet marketing. It is even possible to develop your international business through internet marketing.

There is one condition though. You will need to find the right marketing mix to use your internet marketing in your foreign target markets.

You will not be able to rely on a simple website or simplified internet marketing strategy. This may work to some extent, and it may work in your domestic market.

If you are serious about developing your international business you will need to add a little bit more marketing skills to the mix.

Three Factors To Find The Right Marketing Mix

In order to develop your sales in your foreign markets a variety of marketing techniques come into play. Here are the different factors involved:

Different Internet Marketing Channels

Your foreign market may well use the internet differently than your domestic market. You will need to test that and identify the channels that work best for both of you.
If you have a variety of different communication channels you will be able to play on them, and incite your foreign readers to interact with you.
You will be able to compare results and get to know your foreign markets better.

Your internet marketing needs to be good. It also needs to be varied. The different means of communication using the internet include: emails, websites, ezines, podcasts, blogs, and forums.
Different Traditional Marketing Channels

Increases proximity
Increases trust
Like other clients, they need many marketing touches before buying
Offline marketing may be the only way to get international sales

Chances are internet marketing alone will not give you the best results. As soon as you have collected enough foreign market information from your internet marketing, you should invest in a little traditional marketing. The different channels of traditional communication include: direct mail, radio, television, magazines, flyers, posters, billboards and event marketing.
Various Cultural Marketing Skills

International communication – which begins the step of adapting your own communication for international audiences, and can include all aspects of international communication.
Multicultural communication – where your communication speaks effectively across a wide scope of cultures, used on your international website for example
Cross cultural communication – where you target your communication to one particular culture, for effective target marketing for example.

International sales involves cross cultural communication. For more international sales you will need to have effective international communication. This involves the following:

If you integrate good cultural marketing practices throughout your international internet marketing you will increase your international sales.

Integrated Marketing Strategy

All of these factors need to come into play at some stage of your international internet marketing.

The extra effort is well worth it. Not only will you increase your international sales potential, but you will also be able to create a powerful international lead generation tool.

Using different marketing channels will make it easy to create an integrated marketing platform in your target markets.

One of the main benefits of an integrated marketing platform is stimulating feedback.
The more feedback you can get from your foreign markets the more valuable foreign market knowledge you will have.
And the more foreign market knowledge you acquire, the better you will be able to market your products to your foreign markets.

Including an integrated marketing strategy makes sense for any international business development.

Finding The Right Marketing Mix

The success of your international marketing strategy relies on your finding the right marketing mix. You will need to tweak your marketing mix, stimulate foreign market feedback and re-adjust your marketing mix again, until you create real communication with your foreign markets.

The right marketing mix for your particular markets gives you the right communication tools to get international clients.

Are you committed to speeding up your international sales cycles?

Learn how to combine cross-cultural marketing tools and international sales strategies for faster sales.

Join us on the International Sales Road Map

Would you like to develop your international business?
Are you a beginner at international sales and marketing?

Read the Beginners Guide Discover Your International Business.