Tips On Cross-Cultural Recruiting

Network marketing has evolved!

In the early days of MLM, the closest thing we had to cross-cultural recruiting was giving a presentation to the couple next door who was an American man who had wed a woman he had met during the war.

But now, MLM companies have crossed borders… They have operations surrounding the globe:

• Malaysia
• Africa
• Russia
• China
• and many other nations of the world…

You now have the ability to recruit people from all nations, tribes and cultures.

But you must use common sense in doing so. You do not want to give a bad impression which could damage you, your company and our nation’s reputation.

Enough people have already done so. So it is up to you to change the impression some have of Americans, MLM and your network marketing company as a whole.

Today, I have decided to give you some tips on cross-cultural recruiting.

Keep in mind that these tips are not only for MLM company owners. These tips can be helpful for any businesses recruiting employees from abroad and can even help expats who have made the choice to reside in a different country.

So when you share this post with others, be sure and tell them it is not JUST a MLM tips post… It can be used in many settings.

Cross-Cultural Recruiting Tip #1: Understand That Some Languages Do Not Have Words That Match Our Words

A perfect example of this situation is a word often used in MLM company circles: Humbleness.

And if you are speaking with someone from France and trying to explain that the leaders of your MLM company began in all humbleness, you will come across as a frog trying to talk to a gorilla.

And while the French do have the word humilité, there is a good chance you will be perceived as being obnoxious.

Keep in mind that it is not always the words we use, but how we use them and our demeanor during the conversation.

My suggestion is to not use the word but act the word. Be humilité and tell the recruit you were taught by some great leaders. If you are humble, they will know your leaders are humble too.

Cross-Cultural Recruiting Tip #2: Using Emotion And Confrontation

Erin Meyer wrote an excellent piece at Harvard Business Review called Getting to Si, Ja, Oui, Hai, and Da.

Erin discovered some cultures are accepting of emotional and/or confrontational conversation while others are not.

I suggest you take a look at Erin’s article before approaching people from certain other cultures. It will help you know when and where you can use confrontational and/or emotional presentations.

Here are some cultural insights from various countries:

Accepts Emotional and Confrontational:

• Israel
• France
• Russia
• Spain

Accepts Emotional but Avoids Confrontational:

• Philippines
• Saudi Arabia
• Mexico
• India

Accepts Confrontational But Avoids Emotional:

• Germany
• Netherlands
• Denmark

Prefers Neither Confrontational Nor Emotional:

• United Kingdom
• Sweden
• Korea
• Japan

Naturally, people are people and you may find these do not fit for every person, but the percentages are sided with this research.

So what about Americans?

We are a melting pot and fall close to the center of all.

Cross-Cultural Recruiting Tip #3: Showcase Team Members From Other Cultures

No matter the person you are focused on recruiting, by showing people from other countries, they will see that you work with people from all over.

Don’t just show people from their country.

Cross-Cultural Recruiting Tip #4: Be Prepared For Surprises

No matter what, you will have surprises. And it is up to you to not “show” that surprise.

How will you react when you meet a person and they:

• Kiss you on the cheek when you reach out your hand to shake?
• Insist that you drink from a cup that you just watched others slurp from?
• Learn you are single and bring their 7 year old daughter out and offer her to you for marriage?

It can happen… It has happened!

Cross-Cultural Recruiting Tip #5: Research The Cultural Standards First

With the world wide web, you have the ability to understand basic cultural items before you approach a person.

• Some cultures call for immediate challenges – Russia, while it is taboo in others – Mexico
• Some cultures do not believe in saying no. They will use body language or weak responses like “I will try.” These actually mean no.
• Some countries view written contracts as a sign of mistrust. You need to explain why in an understandable way.

If you put in some research of the culture, you will go in with a better approach and allow the potential recruit to feel safe.

Conclusion

As of late, I have spent a lot of time in Hong Kong and Singapore. I had to use these tips myself and I want to help you without making some of the mistakes I did.

What’s more, Rocket Recruiting can help with recruiting cross border. So if you have not signed up yet, jump on board now.

You can have a world-wide team in your MLM business.

Do you have any questions or want to share any cross-cultural recruiting tips?

Just enter them in the comment section below.

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