How Do You Work Here and Not Speak the Language?

I moved to the home of the brave and the land of the free as a skinny snot-nosed eight year old whose English vocabulary consisted of my name and address.

Growing up, I spoke French so the first few months in the states were adventurous but also intimidating due to the language barrier.

Luckily, as a young buck getting his first taste of Le Big Mac and witnessing never before seen snow, my responsibilities were less than zero.

While my folks bore the brunt of the hardships faced by immigrants, I blissfully rode my shiny new Huffy bike through the suburbs of Pittsburgh, PA.

 

Life was a breeze and pretty soon, I was correcting my parents’ English at the dinner table.

For me, it was Ovaltine, American junk-food and after-school TV that helped expand my vocabulary in a matter of months.

 

As far as the folks, they kept their accents which was a real embarrassment.

Being a kid, all I wanted was to fit in with American culture.

Their accents were a dead give away that we weren’t from here.

Don’t Look at Me In That Tone of Voice

Your first day at a new sales job is a lot like the first day of school.

If you’re lucky, you find a wing-man or insta-bestie to walk you through the paces while not making you feel like a complete idiot.

 

As a fish out of water in a new job, part of the learning process is mastering the language.

While many salespeople come into new positions as greenhorns with a clean slate ready for knowledge, others show up with holier than thou attitudes bigger than their britches.

 

While product knowledge, personality and positivity matter, if you’re incapable of communicating at a high-level, you’ll be swimming with the fishes in no time.

Watch Your Language

We’ve all heard that tired sales expression that people buy from people they like and trust.

Although a great banner, it’s lazy to think that you need to buddy-buddy up to your prospects to make it rain.

 

This mentality will lose you more deals then get you paid in Enterprise-type sales.

Here, one’s success is contingent upon their understanding that credibility closes business and disingenuous attempts at building rapport are transparent as f#@*.

 

Your credibility is achieved through intently listening to client needs and communicating solutions in a shared language.

Over time, you build trust by creating value and getting results that make client situations better, faster or leaner then they were before you entered the picture.

 

Besides, the sales cycle involves anywhere from 4 to 7 different execs.

That’s a lot of grifting even for a seasoned con artist.

Why Does it Matter? 

• There are 47 major stock exchanges in the world
• Seven are in the Americas, 14 are in Asia Pacific, 26 are in Europe, Middle East, & Africa
• 23 stock exchanges are in developed countries and 24 are in emerging countries
• There are about 47,383 companies listed in those various stock markets
• The market capitalization of those companies is about US $72,599,000,000,000

These organizations, many of which were around before we were born, make up a fat chunk of the global economy.

Members of this ‘club’ all speak the same language evidenced by annual reports and SEC Filings.

As a salesperson or consultant, your ability to speak the native tongue will dictate your level of success.

Change Your Language and You Change Your Thoughts

If you’ve ever been outside of the US, you understand the importance of language as a means of communication.

Sure, we get away with English most places in the world, but when we immerse ourselves in other cultures, we connect with the people more than the typical, ordinary, run of the mill, garden-variety rubbernecker.

 

It’s true that a lot of corporatese is square and antiquated.

If you need evidence as to why, pick any Fortune 500 company and visit the governance section of their website.

There you’ll find the unmistakable melaninic similarities of corporate America’s executive class.

Hence, the term – club.

 

Ultimately chief, you’re either on the bus or off the bus.

Your responsibility as a salesperson goes beyond just skimming the surface.

So, try not to hate – participate.

Learn the lingo, immerse yourself in the culture and watch your sales skyrocket to the upper deck.