As much as you may hate to admit it, your mother was right. Minding your manners is critical in all aspects of our lives, especially in the business world. Minding your manners used be as simple as using the right fork, taking your hat off when you entered a room and sending a bouquet of seasonal flowers to the hostess of the superb dinner party that you attended last weekend. It’s not quite that easy anymore. As more and more ecommerce sites reach out to other continents, the world gets flatter and those who understand and practice international business etiquette will clearly have the upper hand.  Bear in mind that a custom that may seem harmless in our culture might be a political land mine in another. It is important to understand that the average foreign consumer will not have the same habits or tastes as consumers in the U.S.

According to the book Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands the issue of global etiquette is at the very core of what will make businesses successful in the global ecommerce environment. The success of your intercultural reactions depends on the quality of your information and the finesse with which you convey it.  For instance, in China the color white is associated with death. Consequently a website with predominantly white graphics might be a turn off for a Chinese consumer.

Web Hosting Tips

It is essential that we understand how international consumers organize and process information. Almost everybody in the world takes in data every waking moment. Some of it is just background noise and we ignore it. Some of it is of no interest so we forget it as soon as we hear it or read it. Some data, however, we choose to accept. The World is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman puts this into amazingly relevant perspective for a book that was written in 2004.

Because of the global scope of today’s ecommerce, you may never meet your customers or potential customers face to face. You don’t have the advantage of chatting it up at a cocktail party, playing a round of golf together or bonding over a delicious meal. Therefore your internet etiquette and your phone etiquette must be impeccable.  In person you may be the epitome of elegance, have shining eyes, a beautiful smile, a competent demeanor and a confident, firm handshake. But your global ecommerce customers only know you electronically or over the phone.

Web Hosting Tips for Email

That being the case, bear in mind the following etiquette rules governing global email:

• Use a business like writing style.
• Pay attention to grammar, spelling and punctuation.
• Be sure that your subject line is meaningful to the recipient.
• Make sure your email has a clear signature block with your full name, postal mailing address and return email address.
• Be careful about including quotations or colloquial terms in your email.  Some countries find certain topics offensive so your efforts at being “overly friendly” might backfire on you. Don’t include anything that has even the slightest potential to be offensive or misunderstood.
• Don’t use all capitals. That is the email equivalent of shouting and people don’t like it, especially in countries where modesty is deemed a virtue.

If you are unsure about the customs of a country with which you are trying to do business go to your web hosting provider’s website for advice. Your hosting company can suggest resources such as web casts, books and seminars that can get you up to speed on international etiquette.

What makes each country unique from the other is that they have their own standards to be followed in every aspect. When it comes to global ecommerce you will be dealing with people representing a vast array of countries, cultures, political beliefs, religious customs and value systems. While your focus is always on getting the job done, knowing a little bit about international business etiquette can give you a decisive edge. So brush up on your ecommerce manners and make your mama proud.