Nguyen_Hai_Anh
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Join date : 2014-03-17
 |  Subject: Business meeting with Japanese  Wed Apr 09, 2014 8:30 pm | |
| In a Japanese language meeting, the Japanese side are likely to be very polite, show a substantial amount of formality and reserve and you will be concerned that they are not 'opening up' and that the meeting is not going well. Very often the pattern is as follows:
- you are greeted by your initial contact upon arrival and taken to a meeting room,
- the Japanese team troop into the meeting room and politely exchange business cards with you,
- they politely sit through your presentation and take copious notes,
- ask some questions, bow politely then all troop out leaving you with your initial contact!
Such polite, reserved and well-mannered meetings are typical of Japanese business but are often especially frustrating for US company executives because, in the US (and to a lesser degree in Europe), business is very informal and businessmen meeting for the very first time can often seem to have been lifelong friends within minutes of first shaking hands. Do not be disheartened though - just because the Japanese side is not talking about yesterday's ball game does not mean they are not interested in your product/service. In this second scenario, a good businessperson will use his/her interpreter to probe and test the Japanese sides impressions and reactions. They will often be more forthcoming because they are talking to your interpreter (and in a sense rejecting him/her rather than you) and your interpreter will be able to advise you accordingly. If the Japanese side is genuinely interested in your product or service then they will want to meet again irrespective of language differences. If they are not interested then you saved a lot of time, energy and can move on to more profitable prospects. |
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