3. Overview
• Strategy
• Cross Cultural Communication
• Common Success Factors
• Common Errors
• Deal Making
4.
5. Strategy
• You need a business plan
• Market Differences from Mainstream:
– NGO’s delivering community services
– Large Community Owned Businesses
• Corporate Aboriginal Relations
• Consider geography: sales channels
and service
• Leverage community political alliances
6. The Communications Iceberg:
Traditional Aboriginal
Communication Characteristics
Low tone of voice Soft spoken
Visible
Vi ibl Avoid eye contact Avoid small talk
Sense of humour Passive
Employment vs. Profit Sharing wealth
Not
Consensus d i i
C decision making
ki Humility
H ilit
Visible Process vs. time Relationships/trust
Respect for elders Oral tradition
Protocol
7. Common Success Factors
• Commitment from senior levels to do
things differently
• Develop a strategy and resource
properly across the organization
l h i i
• Focus on long term relationships
• Cross-cultural training for front-line staff
• Cross cultural immersion
• Culturally appropriate marketing
8. Common Errors
• “All we have to do is hire an Aboriginal
sales person
l
• Pow-wow marketing
• Selling the big deal to the Minister or
Grand Chief
• Minority approach
• Aggressive sales targets will lose senior
level support
9. Deal Making
g
• Respect and Recognition
• Find out what the decision making
process is
• Understand the “technicians” role
• Hold Chief to Chief (Executive Officer)
talks
10. Meeting Issues
g
• Traditional vs. Mainstream communication characteristics
• Time – Slow it down
• Phone correspondence – takes time
Ph d k i
• Group meetings – difficult to organize
• Meeting Time - “Indian Time” – leave some extra time around
your meeting
• Call ahead to confirm the meeting – can be cancelled quickly
due to funerals and emergency issues or political meetings
• Flow of meetings – Visit a little first
• Verbal Communication – Pause and leave silence to wait for a
response
• Be aware of election cycles!!!!
11. Promotion and Advertising
• It’s all about the networking: Get to know your regional
organizations
• Regional Political events are the best place to be – find out what
hotel everyone is staying in
• Aboriginal people love their conferences! (i.e.. Get me off the
rez)
• Approx. 28 major newspapers: AMMSA.com
• 149 radio stations
• Television stations: APTN
• Direct
Di t marketing i th b t way t reach a t
k ti is the best to h targeted audience
t d di
• Advertising to Aboriginal market requires a culturally appropriate
message
