First, the negotiation style.
The so-called negotiation style mainly refers to the characteristics of negotiators' manners, ways of doing things and habits and hobbies in the negotiation process. Due to different cultural backgrounds, negotiators from different countries and regions have different negotiation styles. The negotiation style of American businessmen is more influential in the world. Americans are usually extroverted, enthusiastic and easy-going. Soon after Americans get to know people, they will show intimacy like bosom friends. When American businessmen negotiate, they like to discuss one problem after another and finally complete the whole contract or agreement, which has a vertical negotiation style. Generally speaking, American businessmen have little room for bargaining in negotiations, because most of the contract terms they put forward are drafted by the company's legal adviser, and the board of directors decides that the specific executors generally have no right to modify the contract terms. They like to talk while eating. It is generally best to start negotiation activities at breakfast. In addition, American businessmen like to negotiate directly, which often makes people feel very sudden. Ford Motor Company of the United States has promised to acquire the production line of Ferrari Motor Company in Europe and use the Ferrari brand in the United States. At that time, transactions were based on words. Soon after, Ford's lawyer came to Ferrari with the contract and the accountant with the property list, which is a prominent business operation mode of Americans. But Ferrari found it hard to accept and was disappointed. They thought they should associate with gentlemen, not lawyers and accountants, and the deal failed. Coincidentally, an American company went to Japan to discuss the establishment of a joint venture, and the contract was predetermined. When Americans meet the Japanese for the first time, they will put a contract in front of the Japanese. Suddenly, the Japanese were dumbfounded. The Japanese think it is very rude and inappropriate for Americans to produce contract documents at the beginning of the first meeting. For this reason, the Japanese come to the conclusion that it is unwise to do further business with such a company.
Although both Britain and the United States are English-speaking countries, there are obvious cultural differences. British businessmen are friendly, polite and sociable. However, when interacting with people, they often keep their distance at first, and then gradually get closer. When they negotiate, they are generally in no hurry, and the price is negotiable. They like to determine the basic principles and framework of the contract, solve important problems, and then discuss other issues within the principles and framework. Their focus is on whether the whole negotiation can go smoothly, but they pay little attention to some minor issues. When negotiating with British businessmen, we should also pay attention to not calling the British, but calling the British; Don't talk about the private affairs of the British royal family; It is not advisable to wear a striped tie. In this way, we can make a good impression on British businessmen.
Different from American businessmen, the negotiation style of French businessmen is horizontal. They like to agree on the main trading terms and principles first, and then talk about the terms of the contract. In the negotiation, they have to repeatedly involve the whole content of the transaction. The focus of the negotiations is to formulate some important principles, without paying attention to details. French businessmen will sign the contract after negotiating the main trading conditions of the contract. They believe that some minor terms can be settled by both parties through consultation during the execution of the contract. Therefore, after the agreement is signed, it often needs to be revised. Therefore, the agreements negotiated with French businessmen must be mutually confirmed in writing, even after signing the contract. During the negotiation, French businessmen also like to talk about some social or cultural topics to enliven the negotiation atmosphere. However, they don't like personal and business secrets. Therefore, we should pay attention to avoid such problems in the negotiations.
Germans attach importance to decency, have a strong sense of national superiority, pay attention to form and are good at business negotiations. German negotiators often try to get concessions from the other side one minute before signing the contract. Be prepared for this when negotiating with German businessmen. Like American businessmen, German businessmen usually prepare every detail of the contract before negotiation. In formal negotiations, German businessmen don't like to ramble. Once the price is determined, they don't bargain. Before signing a contract, German businessmen should carefully check every clause. After signing, the change or explanation of delivery date will be ignored. Because of this, Germans are considered inflexible. In the negotiation, they pay great attention to what others call them, especially businessmen with titles, who especially like to be called by others. Germans attach great importance to etiquette and hope the other side will do the same. Therefore, when negotiating with Germans, you should wear formal clothes.
Japanese people pay attention to listening in negotiations, aiming at fully understanding each other's intentions and trying not to expose their own views. For example, a Japanese company sent people to the United States to conduct large-scale trade negotiations with an American company. At the beginning of the negotiations, the representative of the United States kept talking and tried to reach an agreement quickly. But the Japanese representative didn't say a word, just listened attentively, recorded it, and then proposed to adjourn the meeting, and the first round of negotiations was over. Six weeks later, the Japanese side sent several people to the United States for the second round of negotiations. These Japanese representatives don't seem to know what was discussed in the first round of negotiations, so they have to start from scratch. The representative of the United States is still talking, and the representative of Japan is still listening and recording without saying a word. In this way, we talked five times. Just as the United States complained that Japan was insincere, Japanese decision-makers suddenly arrived in the United States. Japan, uncharacteristically, made a statement and made a decision on the spot according to the promises made by the US in the past negotiations when the US was unprepared, which made the US very passive.
Second, customs and habits
In international business negotiations, there are usually some formal or informal social activities, such as drinking tea, coffee and banquets. These activities are greatly influenced by cultural factors and restrict negotiations. For example, Arabs often invite each other for coffee in social activities. According to their habits, it is impolite for guests not to drink coffee, and refusing a cup of coffee will bring serious trouble. Once, an American businessman turned down a Saudi Arabian's friendly offer to invite him for coffee, which was regarded as an insult to the inviter in the Arab world. As a result, the American businessman lost a profitable business opportunity.
Most Germans wear formal dresses most of the time, but no matter what they wear, they don't put their hands in their pockets because it is considered impolite to do so. Germans are very punctual, and if the other party is late for the negotiation, Germans may be cold. Besides, Germans are not used to shaking hands again and again. If you shake his hand again and again, he will feel uneasy.
Finns will hold a long banquet and invite each other to take a steam bath after the business is completed. Taking a steam bath is an important etiquette for Finns to welcome their guests and cannot be refused. Because Finns often solve important problems and strengthen friendship in steam baths.
In Australia, most transactions are conducted in bars. When negotiating in Australia, negotiators should remember who should pay for which meal. We should not forget or give too much.
In South America, no matter how hot the local climate is, it is advisable to wear dark clothes. When negotiating with others, South American businessmen are close to each other, showing intimacy, and stick their mouths to each other's ears when speaking. Businessmen in some South American countries are willing to accept some small gifts. Businessmen in the Middle East are hospitable, but they lack a sense of time when negotiating. We should try our best to gain their trust by negotiating with them, that is, to establish friends first, so that it is easy to reach a deal.
In the process of intense negotiations with the French, having a working meal with them or visiting places of interest is of great benefit to easing the atmosphere and enhancing mutual friendship. But never talk about business at the dinner table or while playing, because it will ruin their appetite and let them feel disappointed. The French habit is to praise the chef's skill at dinner.
In Japan, many deals are made after a few hours in restaurants, bars and geisha houses.
Nordic people like to have some privacy when talking about business with Americans. In Britain and Germany, the secretary will keep new visitors out of the door to avoid the manager being disturbed during the meeting. In Spain, Portugal and some countries in South America, doors may be opened, but new guests are often invited to wait outside. Arabs also have the habit of "opening the door to welcome guests", and guests are welcome to come at any time. So many times when an Arab businessman talks to someone, new guests may come in. In this regard, Nordic Americans who are used to undisturbed conversation will soon feel embarrassed because there are several new guests sitting around.
Third, language.
Due to cultural differences, both Japanese businessmen and American businessmen have encountered the trouble of unclear usage of the word "no". Japanese businessmen feel that if his answer is categorically negative during the negotiation, it will make Americans lose face, so they never express it clearly. The American businessman doesn't understand this. As long as he thinks he hasn't got a clear answer, he will insist on continuing the conversation. When an American says "yes", it usually means "I accept this view". But for many Asian countries, "yes" has four different meanings: first, one party already knows that the other party is talking to him, but he does not necessarily understand the content of the conversation; The second is to show that what the other party said is understandable and clear; The third is that he has understood each other's hints; The fourth is to express complete agreement. When negotiating with businessmen in these Asian countries, we should judge the actual meaning of "yes" according to the situation and ask the other party to confirm it if necessary.
In international communication, the French often ask for French as the negotiation language, because they think French is the most perfect language in the world. Even if they can speak a foreign language fluently, they will. But if the French hear broken French, it will be very uncomfortable. Therefore, when negotiating with the French, if the French of the negotiators is not up to standard, it is best to translate or suggest that the French personnel negotiate in English, and the French side will still accept it as long as the reasons are explained.
In business negotiations, in addition to oral communication, negotiators also express their views and feelings through body language such as gestures and facial expressions. However, due to cultural differences, the expression and meaning of body language are different. For example, in most countries and regions in the world, people mostly nod their heads to show their agreement or acceptance and shake their heads to show their disagreement or opposition, but in some countries in South Asia, people do the opposite, nodding their heads to show their disagreement and shaking their heads to show their agreement, which often confuses foreign businessmen who negotiate with them.
The meaning of gesture language in negotiation is more abundant, because hand is the most expressive part of body language. Due to cultural differences, the meaning of the same gesture is very different in different countries and nations. For example, thumbs-up means "good" in many countries, but in Bangladesh and some Islamic countries, it means contempt and even insult to people. In Brazil, this gesture has a strong derogatory meaning, so using this gesture on Brazilians will arouse their anger. It is generally accepted in many English-speaking countries that the thumb and forefinger are connected in a circle and the other three fingers are spread out, which is similar to the English word "ok" for "smooth" and "OK". But in many countries in South America, people regard the circle of thumb and forefinger as an insult. In France, this gesture means "worthless" and "zero egg". Once, an American tourist stayed in a hotel in France. When the foreman politely asked him if he was satisfied with the service here, he made a friendly OK gesture, which caused the foreman's anger. In many countries, tapping your finger on your forehead is a common gesture, which generally means "I'm thinking" and "let me think", but in the Netherlands, this gesture is considered to mean that someone is "crazy" and "crazy" and contains derogatory meanings. If you don't make any gestures, there should be no problem. But if you talk with your hands in your pockets, it is a very rude "gesture" in France, Germany, Japan, Indonesia and other countries. According to body linguistics, communication can only be established by looking into each other's eyes. But different cultures have different interpretations of eyes. Like most behavioral languages and gestures, the length of time a person looks at each other's eyes depends on the cultural background. In America, looking the speaker in the eye is a sign of respect; In southern Europe, staring at each other often causes offence; For Indians, not staring at people shows respect; Japanese people look at each other's necks, not their faces. Smiles on the faces of Britons, Germans and Scandinavians indicate good progress, but if they appear on the faces of Japanese people, they may represent embarrassment and anger. But when Finns and Japanese are happy, they look a little sad.
For negotiators, as an old song says, "every little move has its own meaning." [2] Everything the other person says and does is a language, and people who deal with him must understand it.
Fourth, the concept of time.
Eastern and western cultures have different views on time, and even there are some differences between countries belonging to western (or eastern) cultures. For example, in North America, the United States and Mexico have very different views on time, which makes the businessmen of the two countries prone to fierce friction.
Generally speaking, people in developed countries have a fast pace of work and life and a strong sense of time. People believe in the concept that "time is money", so they pay great attention to punctuality in business negotiations. However, in some countries with backward economy or strong feudal consciousness, people often pay little attention to time, attend business negotiations and banquets on time, and sometimes even delay time consciously to show the preciousness of their status. For business negotiations, South American businessmen are sometimes an hour or two late. As far as Koreans are concerned, in business negotiations, if the other party chooses the meeting place, they will never arrive in advance (even half a minute), and they are always on time or deliberately a little late. Of course, the situation in developed countries is different because of cultural differences. For example, the Frenchman pays great attention to whether the other party is on time during the talks, but he is often late himself, often using excuses such as "traffic jam". The Swiss view of time is quite different from the Italian view of time.
Verb (abbreviation for verb) interpersonal relationship
The French are cheerful by nature and have a tradition of attaching importance to human feelings, so they cherish the interpersonal relationship in the process of communication. Some people say that in France, "the relationship between people is firmly linked by the chain of trust" [3]. In addition, when negotiating with French businessmen, you can't just think about business, otherwise it will be considered too boring.
In Japan, people have a strong sense of status and a strong sense of hierarchy, so it is very important to negotiate with Japanese businessmen and find out the level and social status of their negotiators. In Germany, people pay attention to etiquette and form, and German negotiators with titles must be addressed by titles. When Australian businessmen participate in negotiations, their negotiators generally have the right to decide. Therefore, when negotiating with Australian businessmen, those who have the right to decide must participate, otherwise the Australian Chamber of Commerce will feel unhappy and even interrupt the negotiations.
Due to the outstanding achievements of the French nation in social sciences, literature, science and technology in modern history, the French people have a strong sense of national pride, and sometimes even some pride. Therefore, when negotiating with French businessmen, negotiators should be modest, so that they can neither damage the national pride of the other side nor belittle themselves. When negotiating with French businessmen, you should send people who are familiar with the products, because most French businessmen are very professional. If negotiators know nothing about the professional knowledge of products, even if they have rich business experience, it is difficult to get the respect of French businessmen.
Successful negotiation requires always unimpeded information exchange. However, different cultural backgrounds make international business negotiators have different negotiation styles, customs, language expressions, interpersonal relationships and time concepts. This makes the information exchange between them face many obstacles and conflicts. Therefore, international business negotiators must have a broad understanding of the world cultural background, fully understand the differences between different cultures, and be familiar with the influence of national cultures on negotiations. In this regard, American scholar Winkler pointed out: "The negotiation process is a process of social interaction. Like all other social affairs, the behavior of all parties in the negotiation process is crucial to the success or failure of the negotiation, and its significance is no less than a wonderful negotiation strategy. " [4] Every negotiator came to the negotiating table with his deep cultural brand. Therefore, before conducting international business negotiations, he should carefully study the cultural background and characteristics of the other negotiator, make full preparations, so as to establish and strengthen his own negotiating strength, and guide the negotiations according to the situation, so as to achieve the success of the negotiations. Francis Bacon, a British philosopher, pointed out as early as in the article On Negotiation: "If you want to work with people, you should know their habits to guide them; Only by understanding its purpose can we convince it. Reasoning with cunning people, only when you never forget what they are doing, can you know what they are saying; At least talk when you least expect it. In all the difficult negotiations, you can't think about it overnight, but you can't be ripe. " 〔5〕
It is precisely because of the great influence of cultural factors on international business negotiations that it is an important task for international enterprises to train cross-cultural international business personnel to have strong adaptability.