Business Abroad, This is Your Guide

If you are planning on traveling overseas for business, I highly recommend the book – Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands, the 2nd edition by Terri Morrison and Wayne A. Conaway. It is a must-have reference for proper international business protocol, and will provide you a better understanding and appreciation of other countries’ society, religion, cultures, customs and etiquette, and business philosophies.

As I discussed in a previous article, International Marketing Strategies, companies looking to enter a foreign market typically send a team over beforehand to conduct surveys on various cultural differences. They do this because conducting business abroad is quite different than onshore.  The authors of this book do a great job of identifying how different people act, think and the process they use to make business and personal decisions. Whether I am going to South America, Europe or Canada, I always read the chapter related to that specific country before I go.

The book provides a great framework to help you manage cultural differences and hone your professional skills to experience success in your business travels. It will help you present the right gift, make the proper gestures, address the individual properly, understand the idiosyncrasies during a negotiation, and provides important information you should know during your visit.

One of the primary factors the book covers is religion and how in some countries faith strongly influences many of the customs and how people behave during a business transaction.  

In the USA, people may have varying views of the importance of punctuality while doing business, but not being punctual for a meeting in Germany is received as hugely disrespectful, even just a few minutes. Conversely in Spain, it is a frequent occurrence for the people to show up very late, and you have to learn to be patient and not take it personally.

Having conducted my fair share of business internationally, here are my recommendations:

1. Prepare before you go – research the religion, culture, and business etiquette.  As you learn, remember you don’t have to accept the way things are done in that country, but you do have to respect the way things are done in that country.

2. During your visit, be an active observer – pay attention to how people interact with one another. Sometimes it is truly fascinating to just take it all in.

3. Immerse yourself in the culture during your visit – try to speak the language and  sample the food and drinks. The food can certainly be a shocker from what you may be used to onshore. 

Try Changing Your Lens, and think of how your culture would be observed as a foreigner in their country – your speech, your behaviors, and your decisions. You might find yourself thinking that one is not better or worse… just different.

If your company is looking to expand into a foreign market and you would like some help navigating this initiative, please reach out to me.