Basic knowledge of business etiquette for foreign customers
With the increasing frequency of international business contacts, many white-collar workers have begun to become "international people" who often fly around. To communicate with business people all over the world, you need to fully understand the business etiquette of various countries, which will be of great help to your business work.
Hungary
Hungarian residents are mostly magyars, and they have the unrestrained character of the Oriental. Most businessmen attach great importance to business ethics. For business activities in Hungary, it is best to wear a dark conservative suit. It is absolutely necessary to set a time in advance to visit government departments or large companies. Hungary, like other eastern European countries, likes to bargain in business negotiations, and usually needs a discount. The currency of this country is forint, so it is forbidden to bring it into or out of this country. There are no restrictions on the entry of foreign currency, but the amount must be strictly declared. Officially, tipping is not encouraged, but it is still popular in private.
Thailand
When visiting government agencies at all levels in Thailand, it is advisable to wear a suit, but businessmen should wear less clothes when meeting. When visiting a large company or government department, you must book the time in advance, and you can print your business card in English, Thai and Chinese in two days. Thai importers and exporters are mainly Chinese. At present, Thai businessmen are also increasing, but most of them are engaged in government business. If you need to do business around Bangkok, you'd better take a taxi, which is convenient and economical. When dealing with Thais, don't brag about how developed your country's economy is, otherwise they will think you are too arrogant and may deliberately embarrass you in future contacts. So the more humble you are in front of Thai businessmen, the better, and they can cooperate with you well. In addition, for business activities in Thailand, it is best to carry traveler's checks and pay with little or no cash. When doing business in Thailand, we must respect the local canon. If you show contempt for temples, Buddha statues and monks in Thailand, it is considered a crime. Be especially careful when shooting Buddha statues, such as snuggling next to or riding on Buddha statues, which will cause an uproar.
You must walk barefoot when entering the temple. When visiting a local family, if you find a Buddhist altar in the room, you should immediately take off your shoes, socks and hat. When you first arrive in Thailand, you should pay attention to the high-five ceremony of the local people and follow suit. Thais attach great importance to heads. They think the head is sacred, so don't touch others' heads easily. Even the favorite child, never touch his head with your hand, otherwise it will be regarded as disrespect for the god that the child bears. If the elders are present, the younger generation must sit or kneel on the floor to avoid being higher than the elders' heads, otherwise it is a great disrespect. When people sit, they are afraid that others will pass over their heads with something. It is impolite to sit cross-legged in front of Thai people. For example, sitting down in a business negotiation and not showing the soles of your shoes is also considered extremely unfriendly. Kicking the door with your feet will be spurned by the locals, and you can't point your feet at others. This is the most taboo action of Thai people.
Austria
With the increasing economic exchanges between China and Austria, the number of businessmen coming to Austria is increasing year by year. When dealing with Austrian businessmen, we must pay special attention to all kinds of etiquette, because Austrian businessmen are quite formal and serious. Pay special attention to appellation when engaging in business activities. For example, if foreign businessmen mistake the minister for the director, they will be in trouble in future negotiations. If you want to be more careful when communicating with the Austrian, you must correctly rank him. If several official titles are printed on his business card at the same time, ask in advance which one is the most important, and add the titles of "doctor, professor, engineer, economist" and so on. You need to make an appointment in advance whether you visit the company or the unit. Be punctual in business negotiations.
Remember to shake hands when you meet or break up. If you are invited to lunch, don't pay in a hurry, or you will think you look down on them. You'd better find a chance to invite them back for lunch. If you are invited to dinner or to listen to opera or drama after dinner, you don't need to ask back, but if you are invited to be a guest at home, remember to bring a bunch of flowers to show your respect for the housewife. February to April and September to 165438+ 10 are suitable for doing business in Austria. July and August are national holidays, and major companies generally do not hold business negotiations or other activities around Christmas and Easter.
Britain, England
When doing business in Britain, you should avoid July and August. During this period, business people have more vacations, so it is not appropriate to carry out business activities at Christmas and Easter. In Britain, in order to avoid bribery, too heavy gifts are not allowed. In a business meeting, please come at the appointed time, not early or late. British business people are very serious and will not easily move their feelings and attitudes. They talk big and brag about themselves, which is a sign of lack of education.
France
In France, the simple characteristics of farmers can still be reflected in people's character. The French cherish holidays very much, and they will spend all the money they have accumulated hard for a year without pity. Most French people go to bed early and get up early, with high work density and extremely serious work attitude. Most French people pay attention to relying on their own strength and seldom consider the collective strength. Individuals have great authority. The organizational structure is simple, and there are only two or three layers from lower management positions to higher management positions. Therefore, when negotiating, most of them are undertaken by one person, and they are also responsible for making decisions. Because of this, the negotiations can proceed quickly. Everyone in France has a wide range of work and can master several majors. A person can do a lot of work.
When you negotiate with the French, even if they speak English well, they may ask to negotiate in French. They rarely give in on this point unless they happen to be abroad and want something from your business. If a French negotiator speaks English with you, it may be the biggest concession you can make on this day. They are cold, but informal and rigid. Although they are cold, they shake hands with you more times every day than you wash your hands.
In August, France was silent, and there was a national holiday, so it was almost impossible to talk about business. There are few people in Paris except tourists, and the beaches in southern France are crowded with people. The French like holidays, and there is no incentive for them to miss or postpone a holiday to negotiate. Even in the last week of July, their mind has shifted from business, so you should try to avoid going to France during this time. If you think you can persuade a French negotiator to take your proposal on vacation and study it carefully so that he can start his next job immediately after he comes back, then you are in vain. It is best to go to France for business after September.
If you have established friendly relations with French companies for many years and there is no dispute, you will find that they are easy partners to cooperate with. They will associate with you warmly, treat you with wine and delicacies, and let the past unpleasantness disappear. Besides, it may be surprising that French men and women are extremely well dressed. When you talk about business, the best clothes you wear are likely to be dwarfed by those worn by your French counterparts. Therefore, when you speak, you should wear your best clothes.
Germany
Germans are very good at business negotiation. If you are unfamiliar with your German negotiating partner, you should call him "Mr. XXX" (or "Dr. XXX") instead of calling him by his first name. If the other person is a lady over 20 years old, you should call her "Mrs. So-and-so", dress formally, and be used to wearing a suit on various occasions. No matter what you wear, don't put your hands in your pockets, because it is considered rude. If you are late for a business negotiation, the Germans' disgust at your distrust will be beyond words. Therefore, you should arrive on time and remember that they usually go to work earlier (before 8 am) and get off work later (sometimes until 8 pm) than in the United States. As long as your products meet the terms of the contract, you don't have to worry about payment.
Australia
Australia consists of six states, each with its own constitution. The laws are also different, and the regional concept among States is relatively strong. Railway and regional development, education, etc. It is handled by the state government. Australia mainly exports agricultural and mineral resources and imports industrial products. Of the population in Australia, 90% are Europeans, most of whom are relatively calm and don't like to be disturbed by their living environment.
Australia has a vast territory and a small population, and attaches great importance to efficiency. During the negotiation, all the negotiators sent by Australia must have the decision-making power. Therefore, we should also send people who have the same decision-making power, otherwise we will be very unhappy. They are extremely unwilling to waste their time on empty talk that they can't make a decision, and when negotiating the price, they don't like the other party to quote a high price and then slowly reduce the price. They are extremely unwilling to waste their time on bargaining. Therefore, most of the goods are purchased through bidding, and there is no opportunity to bargain at all, so we must kill the lowest price. Australians have a heavy prejudice, so negotiators must leave a good first impression on each other in order to make the negotiations go smoothly. Ordinary employees in Australia observe working hours very much and leave the office as soon as the time comes. However, managers have a strong sense of responsibility, enthusiasm for work, freedom in dealing with people, and are willing to accept hospitality. It should be noted that don't think that it is good to do business together after drinking wine. Their idea is that entertainment belongs to entertainment, has nothing to do with business, and is clear between public and private. In addition, due to Australia's narrow industrial scope and fast information transmission, we should pay attention to the wording in the negotiations.
Middle East
The Middle East includes Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Sudan, Tunisia, Somalia, Algeria, Morocco and Mauritania. The main ethnic groups in the Middle East are Afghans, Iranians, Turks and Arabs. Arabs (Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait) are stubborn, stubborn, not trusting others easily, conservative and family-oriented. In Arab society, the hierarchy is still deeply rooted, and the master will never do what the servant does, even if the job is extremely easy. Feudalism is very strong. Doing business in Arab countries, it is impossible to negotiate a deal through a phone call. When you want to sell a certain commodity and visit a customer, you must never talk about business for the first time and the second time. You can only mention it a little for the third time, and you can enter the negotiation after one or two visits. In other words, you must make friends first, otherwise, when the conditions are ripe, they will ignore you. Iranians are optimistic and fit by nature, and pay great attention to appearance. Except for non-Arab societies such as Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and Israel, Islam controls daily life, politics and economy in Arabic-speaking areas. Therefore, before engaging in business activities, we must first understand religion, especially the four most important things in Muslim canon: worship, donation, hunger strike and pilgrimage. Ignore these and you will get into trouble.
There was once a story that a Japanese businessman with considerable status got on a waiting car after a courtesy visit, and the driver who knew Arabic went to get cooling water, so he had to wait in the car for a while. He forgot that it was during the local hunger strike, so he took out his cigarette and began to smoke. Local residents soon found someone smoking in the car and immediately gathered around the car. Some of them pointed at him and shouted loudly. Because of the language barrier, he was confused and seemed at a loss. Later, he thought these people were curious and greeted them with a smile. As a result, the cries of local residents became louder and became an explosive and uncontrollable state. Finally, it was only after the police explained that the local residents were accusing him of smoking, but people in unknown so greeted him with smiles. As a result, they feel more insulted, so that adding fuel to the fire makes the problem more complicated. The pilgrimage season is the best time to do business. Because according to their habit, they will buy household items and clothes when they go to pilgrimage to mecca. Therefore, local businessmen will complete the purchase before the pilgrimage season, usually mainly consumer goods, so remember this season.
Switzerland
According to Swiss business etiquette, it is usually more appropriate to wear a three-piece suit. When visiting major companies or government agencies, you must book the time first and remember to be on time. The head of a general company or government agency is in 7&; Mdash8 goes to work at 8 o'clock. Swiss people are rigorous and conservative, and pay attention to credibility. But sometimes it also has a stubborn side. You must be patient when negotiating business with them. Once the other party decides to buy your product, it will continue to buy it almost indefinitely. On the contrary, if the other person reveals the word "no", you don't need to continue to work hard. Because they seldom change their minds easily. Switzerland's bulk exports include precision and optical instruments, watches and clocks, machinery, chemicals, medicines, textiles, glass products, food and so on. Among them, watches and clocks are world-renowned, and drug exports rank first in the world. Switzerland advocates free trade and free competition. At present, it has established trade relations with more than 70 countries and regions in the world, but the focus is still on Western Europe. Germany is the largest trading partner. Abide by the contract, be honest and trustworthy. The Swiss are exemplary. Most of Switzerland's big companies are located in Zurich, which is the largest city in the country and the hub of commerce, finance, culture and land and air transportation. Swiss banking is very developed. There are more than 5,000 large and small banks in China, three fifths of which are headquartered in Zurich. Write a letter to a Swiss company. Only the company name is written on the envelope, not the name of the person in charge. Because, if that person is not here, others will not open this letter, which is likely to ruin the atmosphere. Remember, Swiss businessmen are very interested in "famous brand" products. If your product brand is hard, be sure to indicate the year when the company was established on the envelope or stationery, which will greatly increase the value of the product. According to Swiss etiquette, never invite each other to lunch or dinner on the first day of meeting. Wait until the two sides have more contact and get to know each other before inviting. You'd better treat each other to dinner before you leave Switzerland. In case the other party refuses to keep the appointment, it doesn't matter, the business can still be successful. Swiss businessmen are generally reluctant to invite guests home for dinner. If you receive an invitation, please remember:
First, bring flowers or posts to the hostess;
Second, keep appointments on time. If you send red roses, you can send 1 or 20, but don't send 3. Usually, 3 means give it to your lover. Swiss business activities should be arranged in March, May and September, 10, 1 1. One week before Christmas and two weeks after Christmas, and one week before and after Easter, activities are generally not arranged. June & mdash August and February are mostly holiday time. There is no strict currency control in Swiss customs entry and exit. Switzerland is located in the south of Central Europe, with an area of over 40,000 square kilometers and a population of nearly 7 million. German, French and Italian are the official languages.
Greece
1In June, 972, China and Greece established diplomatic relations. In recent years, the economic and trade relations between the two countries have developed steadily. From 65438 to 0998, the trade volume between China and Greece was 406 million US dollars, of which China exported 385 million US dollars and imported 2 1 10,000 US dollars from Greece. Greece's main export commodities are food, flue-cured tobacco, petroleum products, textiles, olive oil and cement. Most of the imported commodities are raw materials, crude oil, natural gas and lubricants, daily necessities and transportation equipment. According to Greek business customs, you can wear a three-piece suit when visiting government agencies and large enterprises, and you usually need to make an appointment in advance. Greece implements interest time in winter and summer, and in summer (5&; Mda65438+10) working hours are from 7: 00 am to 3: 00 pm, and from 8: 00 am to 4: 00 pm in winter. If you need to make an appointment, it is usually about two weeks in advance. In the process of business negotiation, you must wait for the other party to finish, and never interrupt in the middle. Don't ask questions unless it is particularly necessary. If you do this, it will be considered very impolite.
At the end of business negotiation, it is likely to meet the usual cash payment method of Greek businessmen, that is, D/P instead of L/C. So in order to avoid misunderstanding, be sure to ask about the payment method on the spot. When doing business in Greece, it is inevitable to drink strong coffee and Greek spirits. If you refuse rashly, it will be considered as a great disrespect to the host. Greeks are used to eating western food, preferring light taste to greasy taste. They like to eat dry fried food and drink ice water all year round. The custom of the Greeks is very interesting, with the crooked neck indicating affirmation and the raised head indicating negation. No matter men, women and children, they all like to say a shocking thing. As a sign or signal of desire, you don't need to care about it. When doing business in Greece, remember not to point your palm at others, which is their most taboo action. Greece has a subtropical Mediterranean climate with an average temperature of 6-; Mdash 13℃, 23&in summer; Mdash33℃, so it is appropriate to go to Greece for business activities from September to May of the following year.
South Africa
South Africa is located at the southernmost tip of the African continent, bordering Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique in the north and the Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean in the east, south and west. Most parts of the country have a tropical grassland climate, with a maximum temperature of 32&; Mdash38℃, the lowest temperature in winter-10&; Mdash is below zero 12℃. South Africa is one of the most developed countries in Africa, with good infrastructure, abundant resources and a high degree of economic openness. Gross domestic product accounts for 22% of Africa, and foreign trade accounts for 24% of Africa. Mining, manufacturing and agriculture are the three pillars of the people's economy.
South Africa's main export products are: gold, metals and their products, diamonds, food, beverages and tobacco, machinery and transportation equipment. Most of the imported products are: machinery and equipment, transportation equipment, chemical products, petroleum and so on. When going to South Africa for business activities, dress casually, attend general business negotiations and wear a two-piece or three-piece suit. South Africa is divided into four major races: black, white, colored and Asian. Most people believe in Protestantism and Catholicism. English and Afrikaans are common languages. It is most convenient to hold an English business card for business activities in South Africa. At the business negotiation table, only English is allowed to talk. South Africans seldom travel abroad, so they can go all year round. The currency name of South Africa is Rand. According to government regulations, there are no strict restrictions on Rand's entry and exit.
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