A friend of mine from Germany, “Micha”, has been studying the English language as an additional skill/ability for conducting business in Europe and the United States (where English is a “linguistic common ground”). He just sent me an email asking me to answer some questions (i.e. briefly give my opinion) about business practice/culture in the US.

I just wrote him back (very informally). I thought it interesting to record my own responses to his questions. What would you write to a friend in Europe asking you these questions?

Here is Micha’s email (and his points/questions):

Hi Mark,

how are you? I need your help Since several weeks we have english lessons at work. Today I got some homeworks for next week. I have to talk about american business etiquette. So, I thought to ask you, cause you are a businessman.

Maybe you have some minutes to write down some headwords about this topic, so I can get a knowledge about it.

We got some points:

- punctuality (germans normally are punctual, spain people not, how about americans?)
- meetings (how does a meeting proceed) … I hope this does translate
- business dress / attire
- interesting facts (dos / don’ts)
- small talk
- presents (in germany it’s normal to send presents to businesspartners on christmas)

Take your time for answering – I need the information next wednesday.

Thank you in advance

Cheers,
Micha.

My informal opinions written impromptu in reply:

Punctuality – Americans do rely on punctuality. I think today it is more associated with business then personal life here (people require a lot more flexibility in their personal lives in terms of being on time). In the business world however, we expect to make our meetings on time, complete tasks on time and keep a schedule. These practices fit well with achieving business goals.

In my own mind, I would say that punctuality is important to the average American because our lives are so very full of “activity”. We are a society of achievers.  Being on time is important to have any hope of achieving the over-abundance of things so many of us schedule for ourselves every day.

Meetings – Micha, this very much depends on the meeting. Officially, Roberts Rules of Order http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberts_Rules_of_Order are well known and adhered to (especially in committee meetings, town hall meetings, government, etc…) However,  meetings in the American business world vary a great deal based on the “culture of the company”. In America, (in my opinion) one of the reasons people choose a work environment today is both because of the professional opportunities and income at the company but also because of the “culture” of the company. Different companies choose to do things in VERY different ways. I explain this because companies can have very informal meetings:  one company may hang out on bean-bag chairs, eat bagels and snacks and literally lay around having a meeting while other companies may be highly formal (this has been the more acknowledged tradition – especially in larger established companies). It varies a lot Micha based on the company you are with. Another perspective is that of Small Business. Solely owned small businesses are very common today in the United States. These are companies owned by a single person and meetings in those companies tend to take on the personality of the owner.

One thing that is almost universally common is to define an agenda supporting the function of the meeting. No matter what the culture is for a business, knowing what you intend to discuss and having goals that support what the meeting is meant to achieve are generally always part of the framework.

Business Dress and Attire – Business dress and attire is also flexible enough to say that today, there is no particular “common practice” in the US (although suit and tie was once quite common). Many companies these days no longer require a certain type of dress for employees. Work culture has changed a lot here in recent decades and our country has become far more “ability, competency and talent” oriented in the acquisition of it’s “human resources” requiring people much less now to “fit into a certain type of mold”. Dress is today (I personally believe) now also oriented more toward “company culture” than a particular standard of business attire. We do however, still define when an “event” is formal and when these occur we dress accordingly (suit and tie, evening gowns, etc…).

Interesting Facts Dos/Don’ts –
DON’T: interrupt, be impolite, talk over another person.
DO: “listen”, encourage, promote unity (when appropriate), help others

Small Talk – Micha, I think in the United States most business is built on “Small Talk”. Building relationships with “people” is how business is done. It’s rare that someone wins an account or a contract or makes a BIG sale based on simply being the best choice or having the best product or reputation. It takes someone to “like you” and “trust you” and that takes small talk. It’s important to build rapport with clients and know them as people. Opportunities rise from relationship.

Presents – Yes, we do give gifts. Sometimes at Christmas but also, we give gifts after we make sales. It is a practice in the United States to send some small (or Large) thank you gift to a client after a sale. Sometimes, the practice of giving gifts is built into a company sales and marketing strategy and is very carefully scheduled, financed and practiced. Not everyone does this but really good salespeople do. It’s good business (and good manners as well) to recognize your client.

Hope this helps brother.
Cu online,

Your friend,
Mark