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WE UNDERDEVELOPED AMERICANS


I would like to say a few words about the difference between the developed and the un-derdeveloped Americans.
The expression "the underdeveloped American" is an expression the anthropol-ogist Edward T Hall is using for non-US citizens.
Let me give you some trivia examples what is regarded developed and what is regarded underdeveloped in the US society:


1. When you meet this worlds most developed specie of Homo Sapiens for the first time, he pretends having known you most of his life calling you by forename and he is very friendly like all fast talking men are. The word modest or moderation does not seem to be found in the vocabulary. He talks rather loud wherever your conversation takes place be it in a crowded elevator or at a crowded airport. And he talks and talks.


2. When you invite the developed American to a restaurant his one and only eating tool is the fork and he calls his way of handling knife and fork the crisscross eating. We underdeveloped Americans we use both fork and knife when we eat. When the developed American invites you for lunch he prefers a hamburger place where you have to eat with your bare fingers and drink Coca Cola. We underdeveloped Ameri-cans, we prefer a restaurant where you can sit down and eat instead of a stand up yank food place.


3. When the developed American arrives late at a theater or a movie theater and you rise to comfort his way to his seat, he turns his back against you and with his back against you, you can hardly notice if he says anything or just stumbles to his chair. We underdeveloped Americans face the people who have to rise to allow us to take our seats at the theater. And we say thank you to each one who have to rise because we are late and as it is we who cause the inconvenience. The he takes the front seats, while we un-derdeveloped takes the rear seats. The reason why we fill up the theater from the rear might be that in the old church the front seats where for the nobility, but a 200 year tradition does not allow for such peculiarities.


4. The developed American makes things likely. He proves he is right by quantity of words not by quality. Our germanistic logic that A follows B is not his cup of tea. Only eggheads try to prove things. His way is examples in abundance.


I think this gives you the basic idea behind what is considered being developed and what is not. But worst of all is that the Americans think they really are developed and that their way of doing things is superior to the rest of the world. I do not think we should deny there are certain values in the US society. One is for certain the green gold. I guess that is why we are all gathered here today. So now, let us concentrate on the subject: How can we separate the Americans from their green gold. Here are my ten commandments:


First, I think we have to accept the fact that they think they are superior to the rest of the world. There is no such thing as a free lunch, so just pick up the check and accept that they are as they are, as they are not the way they should be. You know better, but just do not tell them. They are very proud of their great sons be it Nixon or Reagan, Jefferson or Lincoln. Each morning the American school children sings the national hymn "My Way".
Thus, you know better, but do not try to teach them.

Second, play the game according to their rules and standards. Accept inches and pounds. If your grandpa and his grandpa could handle inches and pounds, you can. Ac-cept the US dollars. Accept arbitration in New York. Accept the big stamp saying "Made in Sweden". The meaning of the big stamp is just that the product they are buy-ing is not made in US. It is an imported product and inferior to any US made product.


Third, do not make the mistake thinking that made in Sweden has a positive connota-tion. Sweden has the same bearing for them as Switzerland or Swaziland. If the product says "Made in Sweden" it raises the flag of warning to them.
Thus, Sweden is good in Sweden, but in US, US is the best.


Forth, use your own judgment. Do not buy their argument that they know the US mar-ket. It is as far between Stockholm and Mecca as it is between New York and LA. They think marketing is synonymous with talking. You know that marketing is simply sales with a college education. What they know is talking, which they have in common with any myth maniac. Do your homework and do your own planning for the US market. It does not differ in any sense worth mentioning from any of your other markets. The eas-iest thing is to sell on price and most US marketers concentrate on price. Their marketing mix is split in price, semi-price and non-price.
Thus, do your homework and do your own plan for the US market. The cus-tomers are plentiful and they are there. There is a language barrier, but never mind. Every three year old on this market speaks English, so the language is not too compli-cated.


Fifth, take Product Liability Insurance. The US society is a suing society. They sue you as a manufacturer if your product have or might have had the faintest connection with an accident. Most of the fine paid is for the lawyer.


Sixth, if they claim they can sell 50 000 units, deduct the VAT and the income tax. Now you are down to 50%. Then, you make a 50/50 split and end up at 25%. Let them order, but do not make the mistake producing as much as they order as they think they are much bigger then they actually are.
Thus, recall we do this for mon, not for fun.


Seventh, protect your product. Every developed American knows the value of putting "Made in US" on the product. Thus he will try to copy your product in a US factory. What he is unaware of is that your production facilities has a much higher standard than his. And that your workers are much more reliable than his. Just keep in mind that the US production facilities are out of date. They have not learnt the Aztec way of de-stroying the tools every 52nd year. Or the European way of destroying their production facilities now and then and letting the Americans finance the rebuilding.


Eighth, do not worry about the size of the US market. All markets are local. Either it is Alvesta or Alberta. It is the same market. Just keep in mind that you deal with a great number of customers and that it is a mass merchandise market. You have to go through a number of reselling institutions. The importer has to sell to a distributor who has to sell to a dealer who has to sell to a local store.
Thus, do like Fred Astaire, who does it step by step.


Ninth, there are twelve million inhabitants in US with a Swedish decent. There are nine million in Sweden, whereof one million immigrants of the first generation and another two million of the second generation.


Tenth, as a small Swedish company you are absolutely nobody. Make friends. With the Swedish Trade Commissioner. Let them introduce you. The developed Americans might fight a small company, but they do not fight an institution like the Swedish Trade Commissioner.
You think I am mean.
If so, you must be either American or naive.
Rest assured you are better off by not making the mistakes most foreign com-panies have done on the US market. If you plan to go for the export market, start in Norway and then Holland and then Austria, exactly as the book tells you. Then you can start thinking about the US market.






Prosa av Gunnar Barkenhammar
Läst 141 gånger
Publicerad 2019-05-26 11:20



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