Doing Business Around the World

There are different customers in different part of the world. For example, how would you say the date 2-1-1999? Many South Americans give the answer as the second of January, 199. They put the day before the month. But North Americans give the answer as, February the first. They put the month before the day. When they’re in another country, business people sometime miss meetings because they confuse the various ways of writing dates. 

            If someone nods their head up and down, what does it mean to you? “No” or “yes”? Nodding the head up and down means “yes” in Europe and the United Sates, but “no” in fuses the tourist, but to business people it sometime means losing a contract. To prevent misunderstanding, some business people attend classes or read books to learn about the different manners and customer of other countries. They don’t want to lose a contract by offending their clients.

            Both classes and books show that what are good manners in on country are sometime bad manners in another. Even simple gestures can have different meanings. The “thumbs-up” sign means “excellent” in the United States, but it’s an insult in part out Africa. Tapping the head with the forefinger in part of south America means “I’m thinking hard’’ but in Holland it means “that’s crazy.” To point a finger at someone is okay in Canada, but it’s rude in japan.

            Greeting clients correctly makes a good first impression. European men and women generally shake hands when meeting for the first time, but in Arab countries men never shake hands with women they’re not relate to. In japan, people bow to each other, People from India place their hands together as if praying, then bow the head.

            In business entertaining is important. It’s a good idea to invite a client out to eat. However, unless the host is careful, Dining out can be a problem. There are many food taboos. Some people are vegetarian; other don’t drink alcohol, in the west, people eat with knives and forks; in the East, they eat with chopsticks.

            Sometime business executives are invited into the homes of their clients, It the customer in most countries for the guest to take a small gift to the host, Even here there the rules. In England giving a knife is bad luck. The Chinese refuse a gift three times before accepting it, because they do not want to appear greedy. Some people in Southeast Asia don’t give hand-kerchiefs because it makes them think of crying at funerals. One of the biggest difficulties is how much to spend. If the guest spends only a little, the host might think the gift is stingy. If the guest spends too much, the host might think the gift is a bribe. In Malaysia and many others, countries, there are strict rules against bribery.

            If you ever see a worried-looking foreigner in a gift shop, he or she is probably a business executive wondering what to buy.