Trade knowledge / In the Global Marketplace, Protocol is Business Strategy
Date: 2016-11-27
In the Global Marketplace, Protocol is Business Strategy
A big part of the thrill of traveling to a new place is discovering the sometimes subtle and sometimes profound ways it’s different from your home. The language, the cuisine, the architecture, the fashions, all tell stories about the history and culture.
But other differences aren’t always so apparent, and those can trip up an SME who’s expanding into a new global market.
“Most mistakes are innocent really,” says Marie Betts-Johnson, president of the International Protocol Institute of California [IPIC], which trains people how to adapt to doing business in other countries and cultures. “If you’re using chopsticks, for instance, don’t stand them upright in the bowl. That’s a funeral ritual.”
While that’s an example that you couldn’t guess on your own, she says that many
cultural mistakes can be avoided by simply taking things more slowly and observing how the other person behaves in a given situation.
Perhaps most important: in many other cultures, business relationships are never merely a matter of fulfilling contracts. There won’t be a contract if there isn’t first a relationship between the people involved.
She points out that although people in the US tend to do everything they can by email and phone, when working across borders, a face-to-face meeting can be worth a thousand emails.
“You have to be there,” she explains. “You have to build a relationship or things are just not going to happen.”
She tells the story of two US sales professionals. One was having great success with his Indian suppliers, and the other was having the opposite experience. The successful fellow had a local person working for the company who knew everybody, and could get things done at the other end. The unsuccessful fellow had no such connection in India. He hadn’t even visited.
For this problem, there was an obvious fix—just show up.
Marie says that being attuned to the person you’re doing business with, rather than laser-focusing on business, business, business, can also make all the difference. “It’s all about giving them time to know who you are and then it’s such a rich experience after that because it’s not all rules, and times, and schedules, and deadlines, and contracts.”
Of course, if it were always that easy to intuit all the possible pitfalls, there would be no need for an IPIC. From one country to the next, you’re likely to encounter cultural differences that can throw you if you’re unprepared.
“In France, expect a lot arguing. It’s the way they interact.” An American who isn’t accustomed to this quirk in French ways might think she’s done something wrong, but Marie says not to take it as a conflict. Meanwhile, in Russia, a shot of vodka is roughly equivalent to a handshake. “If they offer you vodka, it’s seen that you’re not trustworthy if you don’t drink it.”
In many countries, she explains, it’s what happens during off-hours that’s most important to the business relationship. And that can be particularly true in Japan. Be prepared to go out on the town, and take no notice if your hosts drink a bit more than you anticipated. Such things are never discussed. Do be prepared to sing karaoke, though.
Marie Betts-Johnson began her career in protocol working for King Hussein and Queen Noor of Jordan, where she met and interacted with dignitaries from around the world on virtually a daily basis. She says that much of what she learned during that time about protocol came from observing these dignitaries, and from mirroring what they and their hosts did. She noted how they greeted each other, and where they were seated, and how the different interactions signaled whether a visitor was a head of state, an ambassador, or a more junior member of an entourage.
Executives, entrepreneurs, diplomats, and others who come to the IPIC headquarters in San Diego for training get the benefit of that insight and experience. “We’ve worked with Gucci, IBM, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, the United Nations, and Cognizant Technology,” says Marie.
IPIC offers a number of structured classes and seminars, from the eight-week Master Class in Protocol and International Relations, to more targeted, shorter training in Cross-Cultural Fundamentals and Dining & Social Etiquette. “There are some companies here in San Diego that will just have me come in and work with individuals.” In those instances, the focus is also individualized so it meets specific objectives.
IPIC also offers courses in other parts of the world, such as its upcoming five-day intensive course in Dubai, that trains people to become international protocol specialists.
Does Marie Betts-Johnson have any advice for SMEs venturing into new global markets? Quite a bit, actually.
“They have to develop a sense of executive presence and that’s knowing what to do and when to do it,” she says. “And that’s in business and social situations. Secondly, understand the culture of the people that they’re going to be doing business with. How do they communicate? How do they view time? Are they formal? Are they informal? Take the time to find out, what are their religious beliefs, what are their traditions? Because that will influence business decisions and it will influence negotiations.”
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