Networking styles differ from one country to another
Networking is not simply identifying leads and contacts and pouncing. You could get away with that kind of frontier tactic a half-century ago, but it’s not the way business is conducted in a post-pandemic America, or on the larger global landscape.
The world has changed and so have business styles. With the official launching of the European Community on Dec. 31, 1992, and the privatization of Eastern Europe and many Latin American countries, U.S. businesspeople are wheeling and dealing in an international arena for the first time. There is no universal business style, but rather a potpourri of cultures and styles. Welcome to the global economy.
Americans can no longer assume everyone conducts business the way they do. They would do well to respect and understand Japanese, British, French, German, Italian and Russian customs and cultural styles; so, if Americans network, they can do it on an international plain. Many Europeans, for example, still consider Americans culturally backward. American businesspeople are fast learning that Europeans do business differently. Contracts and complex business deals are seldom consummated instantly.
The British style
Even networking styles differ from country to country. Americans have
no lock-and-key on the contract-building art. The British, for one, have been at it for centuries. Unlike many American businesspeople, who create their own business rules as they go along, the British are ruled by tradition and protocol. Business, for example, is relegated strictly to the office, whereas lunch, dinner and weekends are strictly for socializing. They’re offended by Americans who are always “doing business.” They don’t understand why it’s a constant obsession. Americans, however, don’t think twice about melding business and social activities.
A business opportunity is a business opportunity, regardless of time, place or event.
Networking in Japan
In Japan, the business day never ends.
In America, the whistle blows at 5 p.m. In Japan the business day is just shifting into second and third gear. True networking takes place after hours. The movers and shakers spend their evening with business cronies at a local bar. This is when they let their hair down and get to know each other, mixing business and pleasure. It’s networking Japanese style.
A saying among Japanese businessmen is, “You get through to a man’s soul at night.” It’s not uncommon to stay out until the wee hours of the morning and then crawl into work the next morning at 9 a.m. — not an easy feat. But while the rest of the world sleeps, relationships are cemented and deals consummated.
A sophisticated process
Whether you’re dealing with American or foreign businesspeople, keep in mind that networking is a sophisticated process requiring time, effort, and an understanding and respect for the people you hope to connect with. That’s the secret for building career-long associations.
Ineffectual networkers never quite master the game. They either network when it occurs to them or more frequently, when they’ve lost their jobs. Whether they’re too aggressive or downright lazy, their connections are flimsy and temporary rather than solid.
Whether you’re dealing with American or foreign businesspeople, keep in mind that networking is a sophisticated process requiring time, effort, and an understanding and respect for the people you hope to connect with.