In a previous article, I spoke about the four aspects of emotional intelligence and mentioned how social awareness allows the individual to perceive the emotions of others, giving them the ability to better empathize and connect with other people. Relationship management is also very important to build bonds and maintain connections with clients.

Social awareness and relationship management are critical in the service industry, where the customer’s satisfaction is everything.

Cultural intelligence is the same as emotional intelligence with an additional level of complexity as your employees should be able to develop connections and empathize with people from a large variety of cultural backgrounds.

I have been living in countries such as Japan and United States, where you can get outstanding customer services 24/7. Therefore, I have high expectations of sales people. In America, for example, business people return a phone call or an email, writing for a couple of hours, even on a Friday night. I was in a small Chinese restaurant recently where I wasn’t charged for a dish that I didn’t like . I got a $100 store credit for returning a broken pressure cooker 6 months after I bought it, even without receipt.

Education on Emotional Intelligence

There are tons of courses on emotional intelligence for sales people and customer service representatives in the U.S., but it is far from being the norm in other cultures. I was recently dealing with a French service provider who inspired me to write this article. The French are well-known for their arrogant sales people and there is still the mentality that the company is doing their clients a favor by serving them. In my case, it was a small French relocation and real estate company based in Moscow that asked me to justify, in very aggressive emails, why I didn’t choose their services. They even tried to intimidate me by saying that other companies in Russia will take advantage of me. I didn’t choose them because they didn’t reply to queries in a timely manner, I had to wait one month to get a response because of public holidays and most of all, because no emotional bonds were created and I never felt that they understood me. I guess this French company survives because: “in the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed are kings.”

The company that I ended up choosing is specialized in the Russian real estate market for expatriates, medium size with a large international network but still small enough to work with individuals like me, unlike large relocation companies that deal only with the Human Resources department of large, multinational companies. Despite the 8-hour time difference with the U.S., the agent was responding to my emails very late at night and on weekends and holidays. They understood that despite the fact that I am French, I am also very much “international” and during my visit to Moscow for house hunting, they organized a meeting with an American woman, freshly expatriated from Europe, who gave me great tips on what life in Moscow is like for newcomers. The agent was a young Russian woman with children of her own and it helped because she could understand me on practical things like finding a laundry room with a dryer and a modern kitchen or helping me get information from the school about bus routes and stops.

I think consumers and clients are being more and more empowered via the Internet and social networks and small businesses can only survive in this interconnected global world if they establish authentic interpersonal relationships instead of focusing on selling products or services. Some big brands have already gotten hurt by people sharing negative stories on a global scale.

Conclusion

I read an article, The Importance of Multi-Cultural Customer Service, that gives you key steps to develop a multicultural customer services. Due to globalization, cross-cultural communication has become a vital part of every agent’s training more than ever before. This is a really big world and we all need to work and live together and the more harmonious the experience is, the more we will all accomplish.

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What Is Emotional Intelligence?

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is a concept familiarized by Daniel Goleman, an internationally known psychologist, which is defined as one’s ability to understand and manage his or her emotions as they happen in themselves and others, while using this awareness to manage relationships effectively.

Emotional intelligence is a collection of four major skills: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management. Each of the skills falls into two categories: personal competence and social competence.

Personal Competence is made up of self-awareness and self-management skills, which focus on the internal aspects of a person, especially their own emotions and behavioral tendencies.

Social competence is made up of social awareness and relationship management skills, which focuses on the individual’s behavior in relation to those around them.

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is a key success factor not only for small businesses but for large organizations too and individuals who want to boost their career in management. Although I don’t think emotional intelligence is a new field in organizational behavior it might be new for small business owners and new graduates.

The following are important reasons why your service business should keep emotional intelligence in mind:

Self Awareness

Emotional intelligence is divided into four major domains, with self-awareness as the first and foremost trait. Self-awareness determines your ability to perceive your emotions and understand how they affect the situation. This is a vital skill not just for service professionals but for any individual in a business. Self-awareness allows you to better address problems and handle complications as they arise, transferring these benefits to your business as well.

Self Management

Without the ability to control your own emotions, self-awareness isn’t very valuable. Therefore, self management is another vital skill of emotional intelligence, which allows you to keep your impulses and emotions under control. This is especially important for service professionals – if you let your emotions get the best of you, you may risk your connection with customers. With the ability to adapt to changing situations and keep your emotions in check, you can maintain their trusted position with current and potential clients or customers.

Social Awareness

Social awareness allows the individual to perceive the emotions of others, giving them the ability to better empathize and connect with others. This skill is critical in the service industry, where the satisfaction of the customer is everything. Professionals with high emotional intelligence are able to navigate social networks and understand other people’s moods and behaviors. Whether through reading the currents of a conversation or sympathizing with a customer’s needs, professionals are able to use this awareness to suit their business accordingly.

Relationship Management

This quality is one of the most important factors for any business that relies heavily on customer satisfaction. A service business is different from one selling a product – it often relies on months or years of nurturing a relationship with the customer. In addition, a service business may rely heavily on referrals and recommendations, which depends on the strength of the bond between the client and provider. Relationship management is a key component of emotional intelligence, aiding the individual in their interactions with others. Whether through improved conflict management or the ability to build bonds, relationship management can help service professionals maintain connections with clients.

Conclusion

If you feel as though you or your team lacks emotional intelligence, there is no need to worry – unlike IQ or personality, emotional intelligence is a quality that can be acquired and developed. With enough practice, your service-based business can quickly take advantage of the various benefits offered by enhancing your emotional intelligence.

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People react to other people emotionally. When it comes to people in networking situations, they connect with other people on that same emotional level. On a subconscious level, colors play an important role in human relationships and the integration of specific colors cause people to react in certain ways to others. For example, blue has a calming effect on people. If your colors are very neutral (beige, for example), other people may think that you are not a person of strong convictions.

Do you know what the colors of your clothes are saying about you ?

Is your website and brand logo appealing and attractive to your potential buyers or users?

Do you have a favorite color?

Color is a form of non-verbal communication and if you do intercultural business, you need to understand the effect it has on the interpretation of the messages you send to people from different cultures.

The Meaning of Color

There are two ways in which colors acquire meanings: The natural universal association like green for vegetation and psychological and emotional association or color symbolism based on individual experiences, cultural norms and values. For example, black is for funerals in most western countries while Chinese use white as the color of mourning (see table). Reference: The Psychology and Meaning of Color in Email and Websites, Aug 2011

More about color meaning and cultures: http://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/cultural-color.html

Color Psychology

Color has a powerful subliminal and subconscious effect on our physical and emotional wellbeing. For example, if you go into a mall without color except black, gray and white. Would you be inspired to buy nice clothes, make-up or even drink coffee? Probably not! Color stimulates all of our senses and as a result, it has an effect on all of our purchasing decisions. People make decisions based on their emotions and then justify them with logic! So, it is essential that you are aware of both the positive and negative impacts and responses of each color on the emotions. There is no such thing as a bad color, just colors that are more suitable for your particular business purpose in order to get the response you want.

What does your personality color say about you? (reference: personality colors )

This again depends greatly on cultures. Here an example that fits most Americans:

• If your favorite color is red, you are action oriented with a deep need for physical fulfillment and to experience life through the five senses.

• If orange is your favorite color, you have a great need to be with people, to socialize with them, and be accepted and respected as part of a group. You also have a need for challenges in your life, whether they are physical or social challenges.

• Lovers of blue have a deep need to find inner peace and truth, to live their life according to their ideals and beliefs without having to change their inflexible viewpoint of life to satisfy others.

• Lovers of black have a need for power and control in order to protect their own emotional insecurities.

Colors in International Marketing

When you want to do business globally, check the meaning of colors for each country. Color symbolism impacts businesses and personal brands through website or blog graphic design, consumer product development, packaging and corporate identity. The significance of some colors is universal. Other colors, however, have meanings that shift in various cultures.

In the Internet age, online advertisers should really be careful about cultural differences in color symbolism since color is the first thing that is noticed on a website or banner, even before the person understands the language or what the message says. A mismatch between colors and meanings in a website content can potentially ruin the marketer’s objectives. The customization of color pattern for each country is becoming more and more critical as the population profile of Internet users is shifting rapidly. The latest statistics for 2011 regarding Internet users shows that Asia has the most internet users accounting for 44% of all users worldwide, Europe 22.7 % and North America 13.0% (Click for Reference). The top 3 languages spoken on the Internet are  English with 26.8 % of users, then Chinese with 24.2% and Spanish 7.8% Reference: (Click for Reference ).

In an increasingly competitive, global, interconnected and saturated market, communication needs to be carefully targeted. Few companies have a brand that is powerful enough to generate the same response worldwide. For most companies, it is important to understand what the impact of communication and color use will be on the targeted group. Therefore, it is not only important to understand its meanings but also to find easily applicable rules for translating them.

A very good example of color customization is MacDonald’s. The company has different website designs and colors for each country. For example, the site for Japan is yellow and for Egypt is red.

How to Dress for a Job Interview

The first impression you make during a job interview is the most important one. The first judgment an interviewer makes is going to be based on how you look and what you are wearing and color probably has the greatest impact. The recruiter should remember you for who you are and not for your outfit.

Men’s Interview Attire: In the United States, men should wear a suit with solid color – navy or dark grey. Tie color and pattern should be conservative and non-distracting, for example, dark blue and dark red with subtle patterns such as stripes and dots are preferred. The shirt should be white or pale blue.

Women’s Interview Attire: Navy suit , black or dark grey. Coordinated blouse: white or ivory – any light color that matches your suit is appropriate. Light makeup and perfume.

Conclusion

Colors play a very important role when it comes to business networking (online and in person). It is very important for you to understand the effect that colors have on people and to make sure that your colors give a message of positivity and openness. There are many things that go into your successful business practices and you should count colors among one of the most important ones.

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According to Nielsen research (January of 2010), global consumers spent more than five and half hours per month on social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter in December of 2009, an 82% increase from the same time last year.

However there are great differences on how people use social media in different countries. For example, Brazilians are the top social media users worldwide according to another global survey by Nielsen (June of 2010). People in Brazil communicate mainly in Portuguese. The social network made by Google, Orkut, has been adopted by 50% of Brazilian Internet users but is not very popular in the United States.

For global marketers and people who want to develop both local and international networks, it is important to determine how people from different countries interact through social media.

There are five main driving factors that determine the choice of platforms and content:

1. Purposes of using social media

2. How open the culture is to share information online (privacy and security)

3. Online purchasing behavior

4. Languages other than English being used

5. Number and types of social media users among total population

Global Usage Of Social Media

The following points are the summary and analysis of the results of large global consumer surveys on social media conducted from 2009 to 2010 (Please see sources at the end of the article).

I-Regional and country trends on purpose and ways of using social media

1. Asia-Pacific region: Social media usage has seen unprecedented growth in Asia-Pacific in the past year and is now one of the most critical trends in the online sector; online product reviews are the third most trusted source of information when making purchase decisions, behind family and friends. Japan is the first Asian Twitter nation, and second worldwide after the United States, with 18% of messages worldwide according to a “geolocation” study of tweets by Semiocast.

China: Staying in touch with a friend is the most frequent use of social media.

Japan: People mainly use social media to research products to buy. Japanese people have the smallest appetite for Facebook with 3% of users on it. The most popular Japanese platform is Ameba. It is visited by 38% of Japanese people online. Blogging is very popular in Japan.

South Korea: Staying up to date on news and events is the most popular. South Korea is in the top ten markets in the world when it comes to Internet population. Naver is attracting 95% of the Korean Internet population.

India: Researching for work topped the social media usage motivation. Seventy percent of social media users in India identifies Orkut as their preferred social media website.

Australia: Staying in touch with friends is the most common activity. Australia leads the world in social media engagement, with the highest global average for time spent per month engaging with social media, averaging over seven hours per month. LinkedIn has seen one of the fastest growth trends among social media websites in Australia, with unique audience numbers increasing by 99% from July of 2009 to May of 2010.

2. Europe: Facebook’s reach is the widest in Italy, (69%) followed by UK(66%), Spain(57%), and France (57%).

UK: Researching product purchases

France: Staying in touch with friends is the main motivation.

The Netherlands, Italy, Spain, and Russia: Staying current on news and events leads the way.

3. Americas:

Brazil’s motivation to use social media is unique and focused on “researching how to do things.”

The United States ranked researching products to buy as the number one motivation of social media activity. Watching video online is surprisingly low in the United States compared with other regions.

II-Global Trends On Business and Personal Use

Based on the aggregate data from all of the countries, the results show that 85% of respondents use social media for business and 97% use it for personal matters.

The top three reasons for using social media for personal use are:

1. Connecting with friends and family
2. Reading social media content
3. Connecting with like-minded people

The top three reasons for using social media for business are:

1. Building networks for business contacts
2. Reading social media content
3. Highlighting personal and professional expertise on social media

Other leading reasons included job searches, identifying potential leads, and finding information on products and services.

III-Languages spoken on Social Media

Facebook reached 500 million users around the world and it is a good indicator of the trends on languages used with social media.

Facebook’s #1 language is English, with over 52% of the website’s total user base accessing the site in that language. Spanish is second with a usage rate of around 15% of the total user base. After Spanish, the drop off is much sharper, French is third.

Source: www.insidefacebook.com: Article: Facebook Top 10 Languages and who is using them

Consumers’ behavior is changing very fast on social media. Here’s a look at growth rates for Facebook’s Top 10 languages:

From www.insidefacebook.com: Article: Top languages Portuguese Arabic and Spanish lead-growth

Conclusion: On Social media, “One-Size-Fits All” content and ethnocentric (mainly United States) communication strategies are no longer sustainable. To become truly global or even just to adapt to global forces that are shaping the world’s economy, the most important factor for developers, advertisers, and marketers is not how large the global audience is but to know how to reach users in established and fast-growing markets through localization strategies, including writing content with cultural sensitivity and customizing to the online behavior of target audiences at country levels and languages.

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