ADAPTING TO DIVERSE CUSTOMERS - A TRAINING MATRIX FOR INTERNATIONAL MARKETERS

Despite the importance and revenue potential of global markets, many c ompanies still fail to train marketers to interact with diverse custom ers. Too often, international markets ave caught off guard in how to a pproach and respond to customers of different cultures, This lack of s ensitivity can pur companies at a competitive disadvantage. The purpos e of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework and matrix that i ncorporate the role of intercultural communication in developing inter national buyer-seller relationships. The framework focuses on the pred ispositions and abilities that marketers bring to an intercultural sel ling encounter and the consequences of these abilities in developing b uyer-seller relationships. Implications for developing interculturally adaptive training programs are discussed.