Sales are one of the most important components of any business. Behind them are successful negotiations. And even in the conditions of the crisis, in which many find themselves today, the ability to establish business contacts will be a necessary skill. Also, various services to help optimize your business will help in this matter, for example: https://www.incluence.net/en. At this time, you can not only strengthen but expand the pool of useful contacts. Therefore, pay attention to business correspondence, cultural characteristics of different countries, and small talk, so that today you can confidently hold on to any business conversations online and offline.
Master the rules of business correspondence
A significant proportion of communications before and after face-to-face negotiations is carried out online, so it is imperative to know the rules and features of business correspondence adopted in a particular country.
An important point that applies not only to personal meetings but also to business correspondence is small talk. This is a short conversation for three to five minutes in the beginning and at the end of the meeting on an abstract topic: the weather, and impressions of recent purchases.
Small talk, along with a smile, is one of the basic rules of politeness in the United States. If you are corresponding with a company from this country, be sure to include at the beginning and at the end of the letter a few sentences on neutral topics. This may be a thank you for a letter or a prompt response, an expression of joy about working together, etc.
Be mindful of the time
Time is the most important resource for any businessman. Therefore, if your potential client feels that you are not ready for a meeting (have not thought through how your product will help him in business, or, even worse, have not provided such basic things as a translator, have not figured out Zoom or Skype if negotiations are going online, have not prepared the necessary documents), then you run the risk of no longer establishing contact with this partner because you have wasted his time.
In the context of international negotiations, this is especially important, since transactions at this level are usually large, and communication has many limitations: short business trips, time zone differences, etc. Therefore, the primary task of businessmen is to make sure that all meetings/calls are as useful as possible. It happens that they have to hold two meetings in one day in different countries or even on different continents. In such a schedule, the loss of time is the loss of opportunity.
Consider cultural characteristics
In planning international negotiations, one must take into account the cultural characteristics of both parties. It is important not only to appear polite but also to speak the same language as a person. Clearly understand which rules of etiquette are most significant. If you do not know or do not take into account cultural characteristics, you can cause negative impressions on the counterparty and influence the entire course of negotiations even before they begin.
Overcome the language barrier
It would seem that this is an obvious point, however, it is often neglected. Lack of mutual understanding at the initial stage is a direct road to unsuccessful negotiations. It is important, for example, to be able to distinguish situations when the interlocutor tells you something or tries to be polite (this applies equally to personal communication and online communications).
