8-Point Checklist of DOs & DON'Ts

Arrivederci! Au Revoir! Auf Wiedersehen!

I began my EURO-VISIONS series last autumn by promising to provide factual information about Europe and to help promote a more Europe-friendly business climate in our area. I have been very grateful therefore for all the kind feedback I have received from Chamber members in response to this series.

In this final article I would like to try and draw together some of the information and advice I have been giving you over the last nine months. I have produced an easy to read summary of the DOs and DON'Ts when dealing with your business partners abroad.

The key word is indeed INFORMATION. Don't trust your intuition alone, and certainly avoid any stereotypical thinking based on anecdotal evidence. But rather turn to the trade specialists working in the embassies of your target countries, the trade advisors working for UK Trade and Investment, or specialist liaison companies with native speaker expertise.

Here's my 8-point checklist of DOs and DON'Ts, which specialists in the field, both here and abroad, have verified as the essential matters to think about and act upon.

· Put time and effort into learning the local business etiquette.
· Research your target market carefully. Know the competition, price structures, and find the still empty niches.
· Europe is a big continent, and each country is different.
· Make an effort to learn at least a few words, idioms, phrases in the foreign language. This creates a favourable psychological impression.
· Learn to see the business deal from the foreign partner's point of view. Be adaptable and empathetic.
· Don't expect miracles to happen overnight. It takes time to build up trust. That's the basis of any good business relationship.
· Have a flexible business strategy, so that you approach each country as an individual entity. Don't be kidded that globalisation has created uniformity and standardisation.
· Seek advice from trade organisations, such as UK Trade and Investment, the Trade Centres at the Embassies, or the Trade Sections at the Chambers of Commerce. The internet is of course indispensable in this respect.

It goes without saying that I am happy to continue to advise, coach, and support any individual or company in the spirit of the above.

BUONA FORTUNA! BONNE CHANCE! VIEL ERFOLG!

Acknowledgements:

I would like to acknowledge the following people for helping me to research my last five articles:
David Ashworth (dashworth@businesslinkcumbria.co.uk), a former MD of several European companies, who is now working as an International Trade Adviser for UK Trade and Investment in Cumbria;
Bettina Fabich, who is a specialist on The Netherlands; her contact details are: Bettina Fabich, DENIES (Deutsch-Niederländisches Servicescenter für Sprache und Kommunikation), TGO, Marie-Curie-Straße 1, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany, Tel: +49 - 0441 - 36 116 380, web: www.denies.de, email: info@denies.de;
Soteris Georgallis (presscounsellor@chclondon.org.uk), the Press Counsellor at the Cyprus High Commission in London (www.cyprus.gov.cy), and I. K. Shekeris (cytradecentreuk@btinternet.com), the Commercial Counsellor at the Cyprus High Commission Trade Centre, London;
Guy Harrison (Guy.Harrison@fco.gov.uk), First Secretary & Head of Trade and Investment at the British Embassy in Brussels;
Andras Hirschler, the Trade Commissioner at the Hungarian Embassy in London (itdlondon@btconnect.com); he also gave me the following website containing a detailed profile of Hungary: http://www.austrade.gov.au/australia/layout/0,,0_S2-1_CLNTXID0019-2_-3_PWB1199266-4_-5_-6_-7_,00.html;
John Jackson (john@sunnyspells.biz) and Dr Jordan Lancaster (jordan@parthenope.com); they both are members of the Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the UK and provide specialist consultancy services to Anglo-Italian businesses;
Frank Jones (trade.athens@fco.gov.uk), the Director of Trade Development at the British Embassy in Athens, Greece;
Tony McGrath for passing on to me the detailed and helpful information which Enterprise Ireland put together, and the interesting web link: http://www.riverpath.com/library/demography/through_irish_eyes.asp.
A representative from the Trade Section at the Norwegian British Chamber of Commerce (bsd@norwegian-chamber.co.uk) who humbly wanted to remain unnamed.