Ireland: Let's Make a Deal! - Part 1
From ExecutivePlanet.com
What you should know before negotiating
It is appropriate to present a business card at an introduction.
Before a meeting proceeds, there is usually a good bit of preliminary 'small talk.' Establishing rapport is important in Irish business culture. Appropriate small talk would be discussions about the weather, the traffic or your journey over to Ireland, the surroundings of the county etc. Silence will be taken as rudeness and will make you appear cold and unfriendly.
Speak plainly and expect what you say to be taken literally. In turn, interpret what the Irish say to you in the same direct manner. However, there is a lot of superficiality in the early stages. Don't expect wild promises to come true!
Do not expect to do a deal in a hurry. The Irish buy from the Irish primarily, and secondarily from within their circle of network contacts. As a foreigner, it's very hard to break into these networks. It takes time and persistence until such time as a] you are trusted and b] you have something to offer that they cannot get from an Irish supplier. As the years progress, this is changing slowly, but this is still the experience you should expect as the norm. Even if you do take the plunge and set up shop here, expect to do it the Irish way. A well-known example is the British supermarket retailer, Tesco, who even had to change their logo from Blue and Red to Green since Blue and Red had too many anti-British connotations. Racism is pretty rife still in business and socially, even if it's not spoken about.
Expect to spend a good while getting to know people in order to get into a network. Once you're in, you will be referred on repeatedly [providing you deliver on the deal.]
A good way of getting to know people is to meet for coffee in a good hotel. You'll find the foyers of most Dublin and city hotels heaving with people having business meetings over coffee. It is enough simply to say, I'd like to meet to see if we can do business together--it doesn't need to be any more concrete than that at the initial stage, because the Irish love extending their network of contacts--you never know when you might need someone! It's the currency on which Irish business is done.
Do join business networks, trade and professional associations and, most importantly, attend their events. They are an ideal forum for making business contacts.
Family is everything. Many businesses are family owned and family run. Promotion is often given to family members first above other employees, regardless of skills and experience. So check who's related to whom when you meet them and be careful of sisters, cousins and third cousins twice removed who will pop out of the woodwork when you least expect them!
In view of all the above points, introductions from people within the network are goldust. Always follow up an introduction if you are given one, because it's likely that the person who gave it will check up. If you don't follow up, you will be perceived to be a time waster. Introductions are not given lightly--they're the currency that makes Irish business go around.
The Irish are usually distrustful of authority and of people who think that they are somehow 'better' than others. Remain modest at all times.
Cynicism is an important part of the national character. A great deal of cynicism is directed at people who seem too wealthy or powerful. In this culture, there is greater respect for the 'underdog.'
Aggressive sales techniques are generally disliked. Since they value directness, presentations of any kind should be straightforward, with an emphasis on both the positive and negative outcomes. However, expect to haggle and negotiate over prices.
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