The Executive Suite: Tips for Doing Business in Other Countries

Friday, September 27, 2013

Tips for Doing Business in Other Countries

When a company begins to expand, it my start doing more extensive business overseas. While the Internet can make doing international business easier, there is a difference between contracting business with someone from another country over the Internet and doing that business in person. When you are trying to establish long-term international business relationships, there are a few things you need to do first.

In the United States, we tend to pride ourselves on being early or on time for every meeting and business function. It's often considered rude for someone to be late to a business meeting, or late to work. Other countries may not share that same cultural feeling about punctuality, and that is something you may have to adjust to when doing international business. According to BusinessIntelligenceLowDown.com, it is common for people in India to show up for business functions on their own schedule as opposed to when the meeting was actually supposed to begin. To them, it is not rude. It is simply the way that people from India run their lives.

Language considerations are an important part of doing international business. While English is not the official language of some countries, it is still considered appropriate to conduct business in English. Internet international business resource Kwintessential says the official language of Kuwait may be Arabic, but it acceptable to expect to conduct business in English. Before doing business with a foreign country, you must first determine what languages are acceptable. If you do not know any of the languages that are used, then start taking lessons or hire an interpreter.

Another important aspect of international business is to understand is the laws involved in doing business within a particular country. Latin American Internet business resource Gringoes.com points out that the level of legislation involved in doing business in Brazil can sometimes become cumbersome. In order to be able to sell to clients within a particular country, you will need to become familiar with how legislation may hinder or help the selling process.