A major aspect to building successful business
relationships is as appreciation for the business etiquette appropriate to the
culture and context. Proper business etiquette can help you maximise your results
from business interactions whether you are in New Delhi, Tokyo or Seoul. If someone
is comfortable around you and vice versa, this means that better relationship
and mutual trust will develop. This can create the comfort zone for your
clients and customers that is required for a business relationship to thrive.
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Indian Business Etiquette Course, Delhi |
When communicating with others, especially
if they happen to belong to a culture different than yours, it is important to
remember to do two things:
- ·
Ensure consideration of the feelings
and cultural background of others
- ·
Minimize misunderstanding and
miscommunication
People from different cultures have
different rules for acceptable social behaviour. It is therefore important to
have an understanding of the business etiquette of a country especially when
your business revolves around meeting with people of that country. For example,
while being forthright with criticism can be considered acceptable in one
country, it may be considered anathema in others. So what are the aspects of a
foreign culture’s business etiquette that need to be learned in order to avoid
mistakes and build a strong business relationship? Some of them are given
below:
Greetings
Not every country in the world uses
handshakes as the preferred means of greeting. For example, in Japan, the bow
is considered more appropriate. In some traditional Indian businesses, a Namaste
with folded hands may go a long way in showing your appreciation for local
culture. Even the tone of greeting can vary by culture. A loud “Hello” with a
back slap may be appropriate in open cultures, but perhaps a more toned down
and respectful approach could be called for in some others. In some countries, like
South Korea, it may actually be more appropriate to wait for a 3rd
party to introduce you rather than to walk up to someone and introduce
yourself. Knowing the local preferences with respect to greetings can help
overcome the first barrier to building a relationship.
Behaviour
Imagine a potential client not shaking your
hand or refusing the offer of having a meal together. Perhaps in your culture,
this may be considered rude and you may feel disrespected. Or, someone not
saying ‘Thank You’ for a gift or ‘Sorry’ for being late to a meeting may be
construed as lacking in manners. And yet, perhaps the response of the client
may be completely justified from their own cultural perspective. Indian or international business etiquette
courses help appreciate the in-and-outs of such behavioural
expectations.
Words
Words which might not be so wrong in your
book but may be offensive to a foreign client. And this is not just swear words
or “bad” words said inadvertently, this is also relevant for the tone, context
and tone of the words. For example, while in Dutch society, it may be ok for a
lower-ranking employee to contradict someone higher up in the hierarchy, this
is not so acceptable in India. Taking it a step further, in Japan, it may not
even be appropriate for you to contradict your business partner in front of his
team, even if he or she is wrong! This may cause your Japanese counterpart to
lose “face” and damage your relationship with them.
Appearance
Just like different industries, different
cultures can also require different dressing codes. Part of understanding
international business etiquette is to know how to dress appropriately for a
meeting with international stakeholders.
Apart from these, there are several other
nuances of doing business internationally that can be learned through Indian and
international business etiquette courses, such as dining, gift giving, following
up, negotiating and so on. Indian /
International business etiquette courses can give you an appreciation for doing
business around the world, whether in New Delhi or London or Amsterdam.
iRikai is India’s leading Business
Etiquette trainers located in New Delhi. Following customary decorum for the
smallest detail in business matters pave way to success.