NLP podcast extract: Ashley Hunter on international sales

The HM Risk Group specialises in insurance and risk management needs for commercial contractors and developers as well as self- employed startup business owners. Currently focusing on businesses that are located in the Middle East region

"My name is Ashely Hunter and I am the owner and president of HM Risk group, and we're an international insurance brokerage specializing in projects that take place in the Middle East and parts of India."

"My main focus or area would be in construction and in development and in the private security sector, and focusing on projects in the Middle East, specifically in Iraq and the United Arab Emirates and parts of Northern Africa"

"I think the biggest challenge is, number one, is going to be the language barrier, because basically what you've got is an English speaker, and a person whose second language is English, and so the language barrier of what we consider one word to mean, and what they will consider that would to mean - sometimes it poses for interesting conversation."

"I would also say that when you're trying to work with different cultures, how people interact with each other, its completely different. What time they will actually do business with you, what day of the week they will do business with you - so I think between languages and how the cultures tend to interact with each other, it makes for interesting conversations."

"The first time you speak with someone it's a hurdle trying to not step on anyones toes."

"It's kind of interesting. When I went to the Middle East for the first time they were having a little issue because while they do business with women, they're not really as gun-ho about doing business with women, so I remember they would talk to my partner, who's a man, who knows absolutely nothing about insurance other than he's a man."

"So, probably an hour into talking to this guy he shakes it head and looks at me to say 'I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about?' and they're like 'Why are we talking to you?' And he's like 'I don't know, you should probably be talking to her.'

"So after the first hour or so, after talking to somebody who had no clue, and me not being tapped in to what's going on because they're not talking to me, I think we got over it. And finally now, they call me about everything. I think basically, they've become accustomed to women that aren't in a position where they have control or power, so it is very interesting for them to turn around to the idea that 'there's a guy here and he doesn't know what's going on' or a woman that 'knows whats going on'.

"So that was kind of funny. And now I'm kind of the authority, and they'll say 'Let's go to the American woman.' So I'm known as 'The American Woman'"

Read of listen to the full Ashley Hunter transcript and podcast on international sales.

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Liam Beale
Business Development Manager
PPI Business NLP: NLP Training and NLP-based Business Training