Learning the Foreign Language of Business

Quick reminder: I’m teaching a free call today, Wednesday January 29, from 1 p.m .to 2:15 p.m. pacific on the ending struggle to bring in clients and money. If you are already receiving our mini-series on this topic, you have, or will receive, the call-in information by email.

If you haven’t signed up for the mini series, join the over 900 people who have. You can receive the mini-series and get the call-in number for the call this afternoon by just clicking here: Sign me up for the mini-series and the call. 

And now, let’s go to France to learn the foreign language of business.

I *thought* I was pretty decent at French. In university, I was past all of the language level courses, and was taking a literature course in French.

But, that first night at my French family’s home in Meylan, a suburb of Grenoble… their teenage daughter was laughing, and eating and telling some story, and I couldn’t…understand…one…word. Were they really speaking French?

Several months later I was conversing easily in French, and I continue to have an ease with French that stays with me more than twenty years later.

I mention this because you might be struggling with business, and business might feel like a foreign language. I know I often get annoyed by facile metaphors “10 ways learning business is like learning a foreign language!”

However, my wife and I have been talking lately about one of our dreams, to take the family to a foreign country for a few months to learn the language and have us all experience a different culture. Thinking about learning a new language means that, despite the eye-rolling, I’ve noticed some real parallels between how I learned French and how people learn business.

The reason I think you should pay attention is that you may be making learning business harder than it needs to be.

Here are 3 simple parallels many people miss.

1. Being in business is not the same as learning business

When I went to France many of my fellow American students spent most of their time with other exchange students down at an English pub.

I don’t know where I got the strength, but I forced myself to avoid that pub and all of those students. It was a lonely time for the first two to three months, and the sense of isolation was very strong.

But then, I burst through and could speak French! I could really express myself! I made French friends, and had real connections.

The parallel here is that you can be in business, but not focusing on actually learning about business. It’s pretty common for me to hear from folks who have been in business for years, but have never truly immersed themselves in learning about business, instead spending time with others who are also struggling in business.

Don’t just go to France. Learn French. Get what I’m saying?

2. Grammar really helps.

I think it’s totally possible to learn a language through sheer immersion without studying grammar. And I think there are probably better uses of time than memorizing the plus-que-parfait of different verbs.

At the same time, I remember very clearly the moment in a cafe when a waiter asked me if I was going to be staying, and I responded, “Non, il faut que je m’en aille.” I then thought to myself, “Merde! J’ai utilise le subjonctif!” It was a double wow, because I noticed that I was using the French subjunctive tense, and I thought to myself about it in French. Pretty awesome. 🙂

When you understand the basics of grammar, of how a language goes together to make sense, learning something new becomes much easier. Rather than just a random new thing to memorize, you get the principle by which it functions, and you remember it that much more easily.

The same with business. If you get the principles involved in effective communication, then when you try to learn something about enrolling clients you don’t have to memorize scripts. You remember pieces and bits, and the principles make it obvious how and when to use them.

3. You can’t do it alone.

It’s a bit of a “No duh!” but to learn language you need to speak with someone, and hear them speak to you. My wife told me how much trouble she would get into during a family visit to France. She memorized “Je ne parle pas francais.” But, she memorized it so well, that people would think she spoke at least a little French, and would start to speak to her.

Except she really didn’t speak French at all, and had no idea what people were saying to her.

It’s so much easier to learn when you are with other people, especially if it’s a safe enough space to mess up.

In learning business, it’s really helpful to be willing to make mistakes and just try things. However, it’s also extremely helpful to try things out in a learning environment. I had both, since I was taking a language course for other foreign students, as well as just trying to make my way through Grenoble.

If you have to try everything out on the streets, you can end up feeling bruised and battered by so many customer rejections or mess-ups, and have no idea why it went wrong. The other day I was facilitating a group coaching call, and two people were trying out the enrollment conversation.

It wasn’t working. So I stopped the role play, had the person practicing enrollment take a breath, find her heart, and try it again. This time the other person on the call reacted wonderfully! You don’t get to do that with a real potential client.

You can learn the language of business

You can! If you allow yourself to really be in the country of business, to learn principles that allow you to bring together all the bits and bobs that you’re learning, and if you have a safe learning environment as well as trying things out on the streets.

I’m so curious, what have you found with your experience of learning business? I’d love to hear which of these principles you’ve applied, or if any of them have opened your eyes around learning business?

Come to our country and learn- Foundations 1: Clients and Money

Don’t do all of your business learning in the hard knock school! Have a safe place to learn the principles and immerse yourself in content and learning that will make a real difference!

Foundations 1: Clients and Money is the program to immerse yourself in if you really want to learn how to bring in clients and money without hurting your heart. I wrote a mini-series to help you understand the 3 big issues business owners face at the outset, and to help you assess our program and whether it’s right for you now.

Check it out: Foundations 1 mini series