Business etiqutette in the workplace

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                                    BUSINESS ETIQUETTE IN THE WORKPLACE

All over the world, doing business with international clients requires more than just financial capacity. A lack of knowledge about a customer’s culture can lead to misunderstanding, frustration and potential embarrassment. The building of successful business relationships is a vital part of any international venture, and such relationships rely heavily on an understanding of each partner’s expectations and intentions. Each culture has its own particularity when it comes to social business relations. As a representative of your company, you want to ensure that you make the best impression on potential clients and that means having at least a basic familiarity with the customs and practices of the region. The following lines are intended to point you in the right direction for creating lasting partnerships with international clients. It should be important to highlight that there as many ways to do business as their countries to do business with; here are basics things that need to be observed while minding your global P’s.

• HOW TO BUILD A RELATIONSHIP

When you're interacting with people from around the world, it is important to understand the culture and etiquette of the people around you. By taking the time to learn a bit about how people do business in other countries, you'll be better at building good professional relationships.

• UNDERSTANDING THE HAND SHAKE

Around the world, business people use the handshake for greeting and meeting others businesses. In countries with large populations, such as Kenya and South Africa, you can expect European style handshakes from the white people you'll meet. In the Muslim countries of northern Africa, you may find men holding handshakes so long that they become a handhold. Do not be offended. This is a common practice.