Negotiation tactics differ from country to country. Some cultures expect clients to negotiate over things that would be totally unacceptable in other countries. People simply have different approaches to when it comes to negotiation.

Imagine a line of people waiting for a taxi at an airport. Imagine the taxi drivers reaction if his client started haggling over the price of his ride before he got inside the taxi. In the New York airport and even in the Paris airport, the customer would have no chance of getting in the taxi cab. In other countries this is expected. And not only expected, if you do not bargain the locals will laugh at you.

It is very important to know what is culturally expected of you when it comes to negotiation. If you are just starting out in developing your international markets, it is wise to do some homework and identify the standard expected negotiating habits in your target country.

Even with some research, it is not always easy. Some large multi-national companies hire local company representatives to facilitate all business procedures in certain countries in the Middle East and the Far East.

The Problem

The key problem is that in intercultural negotiations, many people prefer to only pretend good faith. Behind this pretence they continue to keep their cultural prejudices and seriously jeopardize fruitful negotiations.

What you should do before

Remember to ask for advice prior to cross-cultural negotiations and arrange for local representation where necessary.

8 Point Beginners Guideline For Multicultural Negotiations

If you find yourself on your own in a country where negotiation practices are different to your own, there is a strategy to follow.

1. Ask to be educated on what is expected of you.
   
2. Explain that you are thrilled at the profitable business opportunities open to both of you.
   
3. Explain that this is your first trip and you have not done business in their country before.
   
4. Ask for forgiveness if you do or say something that seems out of place to them.
   
5. Assure them that you are full of good intentions and do not mean any of your awkwardness proving otherwise.
   
6. Ask them to show or tell you what you should do instead.
   
7. Explain that you feel there is benefit for both of you to proceed in conversation, slowly and openly, being patient.
   
8. Assure them that you are excited about the possibility of doing business with them and learning more about their culture.

If you follow these guidelines you have a good chance of proceeding constructively.

When you travel it is easy to notice a lot of differences in the places you travel through compared to what you are used to back at home. All of your senses are involved. Even music sounds different.

You may not notice it immediately. From the taxi, to the hotel, you may have heard a more international "pop" music. It might not be your favorite kind of music. But it might not sound "foreign".

If you have the time to turn the television in your hotel room onto the local channels, that's where it starts to sound different. And if you happen to turn the television on when the older local generation are watching for entertainment, any music will definitely give you a cultural shock.

That shock makes you realize that the background noises to the other local shows sounds different too. If you leave the television on while putting your suitcase away, you realize this foreign television station has a different sound to it. It has a sound that may be totally unfamiliar to you. It might even make you feel physically uncomfortable.

You may even feel so uncomfortable you get homesick for sounds that are familiar to you. Too much and you get up to change television channels. You might even be lucky to find your own familiar shows dubbed into the local language. Even with the translation, you can hear that the familiar television shows have a distinctive rhythm. The local television shows will have a different overall sound to them.

People listen to different music in different countries. The language sung may have a different sound. Favorite musical instruments may be different. People have different musical tastes.

We all get used to the music and sounds in our environments. If you live in a foreign country long enough, you may well come to appreciate the local music that first made you feel uncomfortable. That is when you realize you have adapted to your host country.

With the increase in use of audio online, small business should pay attention to their choice of jingles and how any audio or sales presentations may come across in each specific foreign market targeted.

Sometimes the different consumer habits people have in different countries can really surprise us.

Our first reaction can be total incomprehension:
* Wow! Those people are weird!
* How can anyone be like that?
* You mean someone actually likes that?

Curiosity might follow.
* Now I wonder why those people do that.
* Does everyone over there think that way?
* Why do they like that?

The answers are often fascinating. With the answers to these sorts of questions you can really begin to understand different cultures. You might even be able imagine someone living such a different life. Then you might even imagine yourself living the same sort of life.

One example is the research Nokia has done on mobile phone use over the world. In an effort to find out how they need to modify their products for future needs, they have researched how mobile phones are being used today.

Research in underdeveloped countries showed some surprising results. In certain places in Africa mobile phones have become the lifeline to the outside world for whole communities. Mobile phones bring rudimentary banking services to remote places.

Imagine having a telephone number painted above your house door instead of a house number. This can be seen in remote villages. No house number, just a telephone number. It must be extremely practical for the locals. It is an intelligent way for them of showing others how they can be reached

Another example is the Indian Airline company that sells its tickets in grocery stores. No one in Europe would think of going to their grocery store to get an airline ticket.

Consumer habits develop differently in different cultures for reasons inherent to their way of life. They live in different environments. They don't necessarily have the same infrastructures.

A better understanding of your targets consumer habits will open up better adaptation of your product and services to their market. If you forget to question your target market's consumer habits you can easily waste your time and money.

Cross cultural communication is not an exact science. When you begin a cross cultural business conversation for the first time, you cannot be sure where it will end. Within cultures people are different. There are different ways of saying hello within the same cultural group.

Most people do not fully understand the way how differences in cultures impact communication. Some people enter a cross cultural conversation without making any concessions. Some go as far as behaving as if everyone is from their home town.

Other people are excessively studious and read up on specific local habits. They will want standardized answers on what to bring if you are invited to dinner, how to dress, when to arrive, what to say.

How can you prepare for your first intercultural meeting?

Both of these methods have their downfalls. The best way to go into your first cross cultural communication is to be relaxed. Be yourself. Let yourself be very open to meeting this new person. If you take a whole brain approach during to your first meeting, with a non-assuming quient inner confidence, you can expect to have a positive meeting.

Allow your right brain to become very in tune with the other person's emotions. Does he appear to be at the same place in your relationship as you are? Open yourself up to communication with this other person. Adapt your response to his.

With your left brain, look at the scene from a different perspective. Is this an interactive dialogue? If something seems out of place in your conversation, ask your left brain if there is something you can do to improve communication. Do not go overboard. Let your left brain keep control of your actions.

Appearing warm and communicative, ready to initiate conversation, and doing the appropriate thing for both parties will ensure great communication.

By the way, if you are asked to dinner in a different cultural environment, don't go overboard. Simple ask your host what would be appropriate to wear, and when to arrive. And then ask their secretary, your hotel concierge, someone local, as to what they would bring to the dinner, what they would wear, when they would arrive.

And remember, a respectful relationship goes down well in all cultures.