Things you should know when doing business in a foreign country
In the comments section, please tell us something that a person would want to know when doing business in a certain country so as not to accidentally offend those you are trying to do business with or embarrass oneself. I had given an example in class, that in Middle Eastern countries it is considered rude to show the sole of your shoe.
I am an American and so I am most familiar with American customs, though most of them I probably follow without even realizing that people in other parts of the world do things differently. So here is my example of an American custom that people from other countries might want to take into account when negotiating business, though most Americans probably haven’t thought about it: When people talk to each other, they have a comfort zone, like a personal space. If you stand too far away, then one might think that you don’t like him or her. If you stand too close, they will feel uncomfortable and instinctively step back. One might even move back a bit without realizing it, and one might feel defensive without realizing it. The American comfort zone, safe talking distance, may be found as follows: Extend your right arm straight out in front of you and give the “thumbs-up” sign. Now turn your thumb so that it points left. Now imagine someone’s head situated just so that your thumb is in that other person’s ear. That is a safe talking distance for most Americans. Other cultures have different comfort zones. Latinos and Asians tend to stand a bit closer to those they are conversing with, for example.
Now it’s your turn. Leave your examples of “things you should know when doing business abroad” in the comments, and feel free to comment and expand upon others’ comments.
posted by Wagner @ 6:04 AM
20 Comments:
When you are doing business in China and you are giving someone your business card you should offer it to them with both hands and with your thumbs on top. Also, when you receive a business card make sure that you look at it before you put it away. Both of these actions are signs of respect.
Oh yes, and a slight bow of the head when offering the business card is also a sign of respect.
When doing business in Italy hospitality is everything. In the Italian business culture refusing an invitation of any kind will be perceived as an insult. Also business is often conducted over a long lunch and in many cases can last up to three hours.
Things you should know when doing business in FINLAND...
Have you already heard that saunas are the best way to make deals ?
In Finland, most of the enterprises have saunas for their employees and they often invite "partners" to speak about business in the sauna.
Don't be surprised if one day in Finland, you are next to a boss with an only towel on you !
One thing a person might want to know when doing business in Liberia, West Africa, is that when you are introduced to a person, you become family. Next time arround, you might get a hug instead of a handshake.
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Similarly to Chinese tradition, when doing business in Cambodia, it is also important to use both hands when handing or receiving something from the other person.
In addition, it is considered rude to sit with your leg crossed when talking with the business partner.
In Japanese business culture, the meeting language tends to be very polite, very formal and reserve! Which is often annoying for US company executives because, in the USA, business meetings are more relaxed and businessmen meeting for the very first time could talk about football game or whatever….. .
One of the others many differences between US and Japanese culture is in Japan there is no tipping because personal service is considered, unlike US nor Europe, as a part of the service actually!
When you are doing business in France, there are 2 importants points to consider: The first one is the “eye contact". It is very frequent and intense, and we don't have to be intimidated by that. The second point is the "physic contact". Businessmen always need to shake their hands when being introduced or when meeting someone else, as well as when leaving.
In addition to selma’s comment:
You need to keep eyes contact when you are talking to someone (you can look just above or below if it makes you feel uncomfortable). Evasive eyes will be considered as a sign of dishonesty.
The handshake needs to be steady. A soft handshake can be interpreted as a sign of weakness (but don’t crush his hands).
Things you should know when doing business in France!
First of all, it's highly recommended that you learn some basic French phrases. But I am sure you know about it!
Other things to know is to keep your hands out of your pockets when you are talking to somebody, otherwise you will not be well considered.
Furthermore, wearing "white" socks during an interview, would eliminate you at once!
To finish, I will say that it is extremely rude to ask people about their salaries whereas here in the USA people do not mind.
One thing you should know when doing business in FRANCE:
You maybe know that YOU in english has two translations in french : TU and VOUS.
In a french company, you say TU to a close colleague or a person you appreciate but never to your boss when meeting him or her for the very first time. Even if you know your boss well, you should not say TU in front of everybody. In my opinion, it represents a mark of respect to say VOUS to your boss instead of TU, or sometimes employees are afraid of their boss. Hopefully, it is not the case in each and every company, but during some of my internships in France, I observed those kind of things. Not a very very good atmosphere, I acknowledge...
Dealing with french people is quite a difficult thing!
I think that you must not be too direct when doing business with us.
For example, if you directly speak about concrete aspects of the deal (such as prices...), you will be considered as an opportunistic person !
So the very first stape of a business relation with a french should be a kind of 'discovery phase' in order to make your interlocutor confident in you.
A last point, don't hesitate to flatter us, we love that !!!
Rudy said :
"A last point, don't hesitate to flatter us, we love that !!!"
"YOU" love that ! :oP
In the culture of Chinese business, the negative answers are considerated as impolite. So it is always prefrable to use words such as: "Maybe" or "We will see that later". The fact is your Chinese partners will act the same way... So, Be careful because if there is a "not so serious" problem, it could be in reality an issue to really take into account.
If you are ever doing business with Iranians be aware that it is customary to be 15 minutes "late" to a meeting. It is considered rude to have one's back facing an associate. Their oddest custom that I am aware of has to do with offerings of food or drink. Politeness dictates refusing an offer of tea or fruit (traditional offerings) until about the third time it is offered to you. Similarly, if you the one doing the offering then it is polite to offer at least 3 times even if the respondent appears insistent that the food and drink are not desired. After reading Joe's posting I'm under the impression that the UN or EU shouldn't let Italians negoiate nuclear agreements with Iranians! (But hopefully they know each other's customs;)
Hello everybody,
I am half French by y mother and half Vietnamese by my father, and I was in France in Paris. So you could think that I am bilingual..unfortunately not..However, I am aware of my both business culture.
For instance, you should be on time for a meeting in France. When I was working as a Financial controller, all the directors and executives were on time for the meeting. Nevertheless, in Vietnam, some business meetings are late. And you should offer some presents to show your are polite. But it does not mean that you have "friend", at least a potential business partner.
I will provide you some others examples soon.
Best regards,
Kim VU
Things you should know if you want to get a job in France :
Let's talk about the CV.
Contrary to the american resume, it's not necessary to give a title to each details of your CV such as " Matital status " or " Age". For example : " Adresse : 4, rue des bois fleuris - 75013 Paris " , the word " Adresse " is useless because recruiters might be clever enough to know that you don't give your last name or something else.
Besides, you can add on your CV a photo even if it's not compulsory. However, for positions involving customers contact, it's highly recommended.
There are several other differences
we'll see maybe later!
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Hello,
I was thinking that maybe we can talk about the right way to greet people in different countries. It can seem without sense, but It's really important to be aware of it. People can maybe feel offended if one doesn't greet them in the right way.
When I arrived in Sweden, one year ago, I had to get used to the swedish hug, to don't ask personnal questions or be offended if swedes not inquire about my family, studies, and so on.
In my country (Marocco), we are very fond of shaking hangs and "bisous ala francaise" (a kiss on each cheek) every time we meet someone. When we go to school or work in the morning, we are expected to kiss or shake hands with each of our collegues and friends. When we meet someone it's really impolite to just say hello and keep walking. You have to ask about the person's family, health...
So, what about other countries in the world??
lamia
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