Soft and hard skills with foreign customers

Summary
Program
*CPF Eligible

Who sould attend it?

Shop managers, sellers, workers in tourism, reception staff, etc, who welcome foreign customers and who give them information or sell them products or services.

Benefits of attendance

The aim of this seminar is to significantly improve the participants’ effectiveness in their business relationships, enabling them to be operational with foreign customers, right from the start.

At the end of this training, participants will have acquired insights and techniques to:

Be aware of the culture impact in business relationships
Understand the context and the culture of one's contacts
Know how to behave coping with a different cultural environment
Decipher the cultural codes and analyse misunderstandings
Anticipate customers' reactions and not do any mistake
Become more efficient with a foreign culstomers
Maximize business skills avoiding tricks linked to culture

The key points

Eligible for CPF*
Create your Cultural Profile
Access to 70 Country Packs
Pragmatic, fun e-learning
Interactive method
Acquire operational tools

Soft and hard skills with foreign customers

Module 1: Understand cultural codes of customers

1. Detect cultural differences

Reveal misunderstandings caused by cultural differences
Gather people over differences

2. The cross-cultural science, key to succeed with global customers

Foundation of the culture and system of values
Consciousness of its own cultural background
Detect and overcome stereotypes
Differences of perception and communication issues

3. Assess culture impact on customer relationship

Traditional values, habits and taboos
Relationship to time, space and consuming
Reasoning style
Relationship to others, to hierarchy and to authority
Behaviours in front of foreigners
Expression of emotions

4. Know the consumer lifestyle

Customers diversity, consumers typology
Motivation of decision-making: impulse purchase, attraction for foreign products, branding
Different consumer habits

Module 2: Maximize relationships with foreign customers

1. Assess the notion of service

The notion of service in France or in other countries
Customer's expectations according to culture
Particular according to business field
Consumer behavior evolution
From the welcome to the sales

2. Know how to behave with foreign customers

Active listening and unobstrusive observation
Personal space notion
Positive or negative behaviour according to cultures
Politeness rules and know-how to respect
Adopt or avoid some gestures

3. Communicate efficiently with foreign customers

Communication styles, communication types
Language barriers
Words and messages signification, interpretation divergences
Non-verbal communication, eyes role
Meanings and unconscious messages of non-verbal communication

4. Last practical advices

Protocole, etiquette and social codes
Items to avoid
Welcoming expressions
Keywords for an efficient welcoming

Soft and hard skills with foreign customers

1. A personal online space to prepare your training

You will find :

the logistical information
a preparatory questionnaire
educational materials
a mailbox to contact the consultant

Inscription au Flash Info Akteos - Management interculturel

It is also an area for information and exchanges reserved to Akteos' clients and experts with a forum, a directory, news, a multimedia library and tips.

2. The Nomad' Profiler©, an essential intercultural tool

The Nomad' Profiler© allows to fully apprehend the cultural differences and to develop your intercultural skills.

The model developed by Akteos around 10 cultural dimensions is the pillar to its teaching and brings together:

The Cultural Profiler
This reading grid allows you to identify your cultural preferences in a professional context.

The Intercultural Comparator
With this tool, you can compare yourself to other cultures, evaluate the differences and anticipate any comprehension difficulties.

The Country Packs
A few clicks to get the essential information on the cultural codes and the business life of your next destination.

The possibilities of using the Nomad' Profiler are various, whether it is before, during or after the training. It is a true travel companion across cultures.

In order to be eligible, this training course must be certified by the Intercultural Skills Certificate and respect the following conditions:

Step 1 : Digital Learning

Assess your cultural experience
Analyze the Cultural Filters
Draw up your Cultural Profile
Explore the Country Packs

Step 2 : Training Session with an intercultural expert (on site or remote)

Step 3 : Digital Learning

Learn to decipher behaviors
Develop an action plan
Study a personal case
Share lessons learnt

Duration

14 hours on-site
or 3 x 3,5 hours remotely

Certificate completion conditions

Follow the Learning Path from start to finish
Participate actively in the on-site training
Complete the e-learning modules
Analyze your experience in the field
Obtain an overall score ≥ 70% in the various activities

The Intercultural Skills Certificate: Certificat de Compétences Interculturelles (CCI) has been listed in the professional training register (N° 3872) and concerns employees from various professional fields who need to develop intercultural skills required to carry out their professional activity.