FastTrain

The other day I was having a coffee with a friend when the conversation turned to business etiquette, particularly when doing business in a foreign country.

In my friend’s office there is a Serbian staff member. He had commented that it is incorrect to go into a business meeting in Serbia and smile. He said that this could be seen as being flippant. Having visited Belgrade on a number of occasions I was surprised by this and decided to check it out. So I contacted a close friend and interpreter in Belgrade.

He responded back by saying that smiling is fine, but it would be wrong to crack a joke or be flippant at the start of a meeting. That left me wondering how much more bad advice was circulating the taverns and coffee houses of the City.

Here’s another one; if you look up business etiquette for Serbia you will find advice that people greet each other with three kisses to the cheek. That advice is correct, but my Serbian friend confirmed that it would be inappropriate for a stranger to do this and it is reserved only for close colleagues and family.

We all know the etiquette for China includes not giving clocks or handkerchiefs because they are associated with death or funerals, we also know that the number 8 is lucky, but very often other advice is unspoken or unrehearsed.

Of course the symbolic issues are important, but most businesspeople need straightforward advice about how to greet, hold meetings and negotiate in the country concerned.