A useful question that came up recently is "What Is An International Sales Training Specialist?" Definitions are always helpful to broad English speaking audiences.
So, without looking at a dictionary...
Here is my definition of an international sales training specialist; a seasoned sales training professional... with a specialty.
Most specialists qualify their specialty.
My specialty is in international sales.
So how can you become an international sales training specialist?
In The Field of International Sales
This is a skill you can only acquire through experience in the field. And you also need a wide experience in international sales.
You can acquire experience in international sales:
based in your home country without travel.
based in your home country and traveling to see clients in other countries.
based in a foreign country.
based in a foreign country and traveling to see clients in other countries.
International sales based in your home country, and without travel, will not usually give you enough exposure to become an international sales specialist.
Obviously you can expect to develop more skills faster when based in a foreign country and traveling to sell to clients in other foreign countries.
There are also a few other factors you need to develop a specialty in international sales:
Time Spent In International Sales
The amount of time you spend in international sales has a direct result on how good your skills are. The trouble is that the amount of time needed varies. There is no magical formula. It all depends on you. Do you adapt to other cultures faster than others? Or do you need more time?
For example, you can assume that a person who spends 2 years abroad, and then returns to his home country will not be as skilled as someone who spends 4 years abroad. But this is not always the case. And I have encountered many people who live abroad for many years, work in international sales, and do not really make an effort to improve their skills.
Cross-Cultural Empathy
I am sure you have encountered people who appear to have more "natural" sales abilities than others. In international sales you can also come across people who seem to have a "natural" ability.
These people usually have good cross-cultural empathy. They can relate to different cultures more than others. And they are usually better at international sales than others.
Cross-cultural empathy makes it easier to create trust in different cultures. Trust is essential to international sales.
More International Sales
Of course, an international sales specialist can increase your international sales. But this level of expertise is usually put to good use in high profile sales and to gain intelligence for international business development.
Most companies with high profile international sales often look for the best skills out there. There is too much at stake.
International sales specialists bring added value to businesses just opening new foreign markets. They can identify key marketing and positioning strategies for new markets. They learn how to find the best offer for new markets.
When developing new markets an international sales specialist always works closely with the company's top executives in Marketing and Business Development. The information in from the new foreign markets will often define international business and marketing strategies.
My Journey To Become An International Sales Specialist
This is how I have become an international sales specialist. Over 25 years field experience in international sales, marketing and business development, within both European start-ups and large American multi-nationals.
It all started with learning one language in a foreign country...and being so keen on cross-cultural empathy that I went too far.
Taking cultural empathy too far leads to a road of personal discovery.
This road to personal discovery, while living in a foreign country, speaking in a foreign language and working in an international environment, allows you to develop strong cross-cultural skills.
Strong cross-cultural skills together with international sales and marketing teaches you:
How to go about identifying the best business offers, even to open new foreign markets.
How to resolve the most difficult cross-cultural business issues.
