It is important to be punctual for business meetings in The Netherlands,
whereas Brazilians believe latecomers are likely to be more successful in
commerce than people who arrive early.
And although Italians expect you to be timely for a meeting, they will make
a point of turning up late to show you who’s boss. As they say in Rome (and
everywhere else in Italy), Le persone importante si fanno aspettare –
important people arrive late!
Understanding these cultural quirks of business etiquette could be the
difference between success and failure for British companies looking to win
new customers overseas, according to global credit insurer Atradius.
Atradius says that knowing how to behave in a foreign business environment
will not only help the meeting go smoothly, it will also show your hosts
that you have taken the trouble to appreciate their culture.
Will Clark, Atradius’ Regional Director of the UK & Ireland, explains: “The
internet and e-mail might have made the world a smaller place, but when it
comes to doing business we still like to meet in person and agree deals
with a handshake.
“Products and services from British firms are much in demand around the
globe and there is a lot of export potential out there. So it would be a
shame to lose business simply because you were late for a meeting or your
host found your body language offensive.”
Many overseas customers do business in English, giving British firms a head
start over their foreign rivals. However, just because English is spoken, a
turn of phrase does not always mean the same in a foreign country as it
does in the UK – especially when it comes to saying ‘no’.
Customers in South East Asia and the Far East feel it is impolite to say no
and will often say yes, even though they are not agreeing to the deal:
· The Japanese will sometimes say ‘yes’ to mean ‘I understand what you
said’, not ‘I agree’, and they will very rarely say ‘no’
· If your Chinese hosts say ‘I am not sure’, ‘maybe’ or ‘it is
inconvenient’, they actually mean ‘no’
· Indonesians are gracious and polite and don’t like to say no. Their
native language, Bahasa, contains twelve words that say ‘yes’ but really
mean ‘no’!
In other countries your seemingly innocuous body language can actually
cause offence:
· In Chile, holding your palm upward and then spreading the fingers signals
that someone is ‘stupid’, while slapping your right fist into your left
open palm is considered obscene
· In India, never point your feet at anyone, as they are considered
unclean. If your shoes or feet touch another person, apologise
· Be careful not to sit with your legs crossed in Egypt as showing the sole
of your shoe is considered an insult. And don’t tap your two index fingers
together – this is considered a crude gesture meaning, “will you sleep with
me?”
· In Saudi Arabia the ‘thumbs up’ gesture is offensive
The meeting is a crucial part of doing business overseas and can be almost
a ritual for many countries:
· In Japan most decisions are reached through a group decision-making
process, so expect to make your presentation to many people at a lot of
meetings
· In China, business culture may seem regimented and slow, but let your
hosts set the pace of a meeting. The Chinese put a lot of store in rank, so
select a senior member of your team to be spokesperson
· Italians prefer to do business with the most important people in your
organisation
· In The Netherlands, late arrival will be frowned upon, as the Dutch
believe that people who can’t use their time wisely cannot be trusted
· Data collection is also important to the Dutch, so don’t be surprised if
your host has a complete dossier on you when you arrive for a meeting
· Brazilians do business with people they like – and being late for
appointments suggests you’re relaxed. Brazilians like to get to know their
business partners, so expect a lot of negotiation and several meetings
before agreeing a deal
