International Business Do’s and Don’ts

When travelling or working internationally, always
remember that you’re the guest. Be polite, professional
and respectful, above all else.

DOING BUSINESS INTERNATIONALLY is very exciting. It can also be overwhelming. Not only do you have to bring your “A-Game” into play professionally, but you also have to work it culturally. It’s just as hard to get it right personally as it is professionally. When one wrong word, hand gesture, or lack of action can deeply insult your overseas customer or partner, the stakes are insurmountably higher. You need to know what you’re doing.

Before you travel abroad for business, it’s smart to learn about that country’s culture. Knowing the subtle rules about how to greet, or whether to make eye contact, bring a gift, compliment the food, ask about family or how the contact’s business is going becomes extremely important. A misstep can sink a deal or relationship. For example, in German business culture, small talk is discouraged and business discussions should begin promptly on schedule. In contrast, in the Asian business culture, you are encouraged to respectfully build a relationship first, showing an interest in the other person. Only after you establish trust can you move on to business. These distinctions apply to timeliness of meetings, communication styles, subjects for discussions and negotiations.

While many international businesspeople understand that we all literally come from different places, in today’s global marketplace, it’s expected that new players have done their homework. If you plan to do business in another country, you must learn the basic do’s and don’ts for that specific country. Don’t assume that countries that are frequently lumped together under banners like Europe or Southeast Asia are similar. Spend some time on the Internet. Read up on your target country’s customs and business culture. It may even be worth hiring a native cultural advisor, to guide or accompany you, if the stakes are high and have long-term implications. And if you are going to establish offices in another country, ensure your colleagues who will be in contact with or live in the target country receive their cultural education before they get into action.

The handshake

If you’re from a country where handshakes are the norm for greetings, you probably feel that a good firm handshake says I respect you, myself, our organizations and our future, and I’ve come to do some business. However, in Japan, Saudi Arabia, and even France, it means something different.

Beyond that, what is your left hand doing while your right is shaking? Never thought about it? It matters. Bill Gates once shook hands with the President of South Korea and he absent-mindedly kept his left hand in his pocket—as he commonly does, because Gates always has his hands in his pockets. This seemingly insignificant detail landed him on the front page all over the world for committing a major greeting faux pas in his host country. Don’t believe me? Google “Bill Gates handshake” and see what comes up.

Additionally, if you come from a handshake country, whether you’re a man or woman, you’d automatically shake a businesswoman’s hand, just as you would a man’s, right? In fact, to neglect to do so would be rude or disrespectful, or both. However, in other places, you could cause yourself and your business some serious problems by shaking a woman’s hand (especially if you’re a man). The handshake is just one example, albeit critical, of how doing business internationally rests on attention to detail.

Here’s a quick rundown to help you start your meeting right with the correct handshake:

• In the US or most of Western Europe: make solid, but not intense, eye contact; use your right hand, palm perpendicular to the ground; use a firm up-and-down motion two to four times. Don’t look away, don’t wink, don’t shake like a limp fish, don’t squeeze too hard, don’t hold too long, and don’t spit in your hand or slice your palm open with a knife first. The shake should project a tone of friendliness and respect, both solid and serious.

• Some places differ, however. For instance, in France, a single pump with a light grip is preferred.

• In the Middle East or Asia, a lighter grip is common, because a firmer grip can easily be mistaken as deliberately intimidating or aggressive. It’s also common for businessmen not to shake hands with women. If in doubt, wait for the woman to initiate the handshake. If she doesn’t, just play it safe and go with a light nod. Again, don’t wink. In fact, never wink in business. Ever.

• In China, similar to Asia or the Middle East, keep the handshake light, and even hold on for a few seconds longer.

• Despite the adoption of handshakes in more and more countries, in southern Asia and elsewhere you may receive a Namaste greeting (it is also called Namaskar or Namaskaram). The greeter puts his palms together about chest-high, fingers pointing up and thumbs close to the chest. He may or may not say Namaste, which means “I bow to the divine in you,” and makes a small bow. You do the same in return. Take cues from your counterparts and do as they do. However, if they bow, don’t bow deeper than they do, as this could be perceived as disrespectful (that’s in contrast to the bowing rules in Japan, where the junior person bows lower than the senior).

Kissing hello and goodbye in business

In most cultures where kissing is part of the greeting vocabulary, you won’t need to worry about it in initial meetings. Once you’ve developed a more personal relationship with your contact, it may become appropriate (and in some cultures, this goes for men greeting men). The things to find out about kissing customs, if you get to that level, include:

• How many? Four is the max, to my knowledge, but there can be subtle rules about what the chosen number means (and surprisingly, in a three-kiss region, people who are related or very close friends may only deliver one, as a sign of relaxed comfort).

• Air or cheek? Some cultures favor air-kissing, while in others to do so, and not really connect, is considered stand-offish. If you are sick, you might say or gesture that you are ill and blow a kiss while staying safely at a distance.

• Touch while kissing? For people who come from non-kiss-greeting cultures, there’s often a feeling that you should embrace or lightly hug the other person. But that can be read as far too intimate, especially in early kissing days. And generally, full body contact is not part of the deal.

• Which side first? Usually if you head the wrong way, and especially if you bump noses, people laugh and it’s not important, but you might notice that there’s a local pattern and you’ll want to follow that.

• If kiss-greetings are new to you, it’s very important to remember that if you have reached that level with someone, you do it without fail, both greeting and saying goodbye.

Your common sense will help guide you on when you reach the kissing stage (if ever) with your contacts, but learning the rules ahead of time will give you a lot of confidence and show that you respect local traditions.

Build language and cultural bridges

It may not be necessary for you to open an office abroad in order to do business there. If you work in manufacturing and/or outsourcing, however, it may be worth opening a very small office. That way a sourcing specialist from your home country can work alongside a sourcing specialist from the country in which the office is located. It’s best when both of these people are bilingual, if two languages are involved. This way, they can work as a cultural fusion team to ensure all goes well between your company and the prospects, suppliers or customers in the country in which you’re now doing business.

Dressing the part

I own several pairs of loud socks. Often, I elect not to wear a tie, but a two-or three-piece suit is standard for me. When I’m tie-less, I still want to inject color and creativity into my wardrobe. That’s when I wear loud socks. Bright colors, shapes, designs—I even have a pair with many different-colored mustaches. Most people don’t notice, but I typically get a smirk from the people who do.

Despite my pride and pleasure in wearing my loud socks, I would never wear them abroad. Why? Because many contacts would see my loud socks as a sign that I don’t respect the culture, myself, or our business relationship. Yes, my socks would say all that. When in doubt, take the professional but conservative route, at least in your first meeting.

Learn at least the language basics

If you speak English, you start with a nice advantage in doing business around the world. People in many countries are multilingual, and more often than not, one of the “other” languages they speak is English. In fact, French was the universal business language for centuries. Now, it’s being replaced by what’s called “bad English”! But by and large it works.

If your target market speaks a language you do not know, you may not have time initially to learn it, but you really should learn the basic phrases. Memorize “yes”, “no”, “please”, “thank you”, “pleased to meet you,” “my name is______”, “I’m sorry, I don’t speak_____”, “I look forward to working with you”, and similar expressions. You might even write up a short paragraph of greeting and self-introduction, and then work with a native speaker to learn how to read it out loud with reasonable intelligibility. You can write it phonetically, and even if you have no clue about what sound means what, your hosts will be impressed (and probably amused) that you took the trouble to reach out to them.

Even if you, or they, provide an interpreter, it’s a sign of professional courtesy to learn these few words. Doing so shows them that you respect your hosts’ language and country, and if there’s one thing that translates in all languages, it’s respect.

It’s impossible to over-emphasize the importance on doing your cultural homework on the country in which you’re planning on doing business. You simply can’t use what you might see as “common sense” to guess what’s correct and not, and further, each country is unique when it comes to customs and courtesies. Cultural information is out there and easily accessible; when in doubt, just go the conservative route and take cues from your host.

S.G. and M.R.M.