Avoiding cultural pitfalls can help Realtors® succeed with international clients

Simple gestures can sometimes mean the difference between a successful relationship with a foreign home buyers and sellers and a disastrous one.

“Handshakes are important but they don’t need to be bone crushing like many Americans do. Just a simple handshake but don’t grip too tightly,” said David Lauster, Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS) instructor. When in other cultures, follow previous manners in the U.S. “Go back to the old traditions and allow the woman to decide if she will she shake hands; if she extends her hand, then you give her a gentle handshake,” he added.

Business card etiquette, particularly in Asian cultures, is particularly important. “How you handle the card presented to you is extremely important. Don’t just stick it in your pocket,” Lauster said. “You should accept it with both hands and read it to immediately respond to them by name. Ask questions about their business from their card and put the card in front of you as you are talking with them. Make the effort to use their name two to three times in the next several minutes.”

Gestures that might offend other cultures and are best to avoid, according to Lauster, include:

• Hands in pockets or one hips: Is considered disrespectful in many countries.
• Intense, prolonged eye contact: Many cultures avoid direct eye contact and may consider this confrontational.
• Crossing legs, showing the soles of the feet or shoes: Some cultures find it offensive to see the bottom of feet or shoes.
• Fleeing or invading person space: Understand that every culture has varying acceptable space between people. Don’t flinch when someone is closer than you’re used to and conversely, try to determine if your personal space is closer than the culture you’re working with.
• Initiating any physical contact: While some Americans tend to pat others on the back or touch an arm as a gesture of friendship, in many cultures, physical contact beyond shaking hands isn’t part of the business culture.
• Hand gestures, pointing or beckoning with fingers: Many cultures, including the United States, have certain hand gestures that are considered inappropriate for the business climate. Refrain from using any hand gestures to avoid inadvertently offending clients.

Watching a client’s body language can provide good feedback to determine if the client understands what’s happening or may be offended.

“Remember to talk less and listen more,” he said. “One of the great fallacies in real estate is that you need to talk all the time. If you listen twice as much as you talk, you’ll learn more.”

Showing impatience may come across as disrespectful in many cultures and ruin your growing relationship with the client.

“Moving too fast to complete the deal may make international buyers uncomfortable. If you try moving too fast, it’ll kill the deal and future deals. Give your clients room to back out if they need to by simply asking ‘Would you like a day to think about this?’ Foreign clients are very loyal to the people they do business with and they’ll appreciate that you gave them time to think about the deal,” Lauster said.