Without Facebook, kisses and the word 'no': a Russian-speaking immigrant told how to start business relations in the USA - ForumDaily
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Without Facebook, kisses and the word 'no': a Russian-speaking immigrant told how to establish business connections in the USA

Why can't business partners post on Facebook? How to accidentally insult a female partner? How to distinguish “yes” from politeness from real “yes”? The experience of working in the US market, the founder of the Candice confectionery brand, Marina Martyanova, was described by the publication Forbes.

Фото: Depositphotos

Marina Martyanova is the 25-year-old founder of the sugar-free dessert company Candice. The entrepreneur launched the brand in 2016; in Russia, the product is present in the chains Starbucks, Lenta, X5 Retail Group, and Azbuka Vkusa. In 2019, Candice entered the US market and is now sold in small grocery chains across the five boroughs of New York. The revenue of Martyanova’s company is 4-5 million rubles per month ($63 - $000).

Next - from the first person.

Dating is necessary in any field. Companies belong to the ecosystem. The ecosystem includes suppliers, customers, service companies, investors, competitors. Behind legal entities are people. They make decisions, sometimes subjective. The more connections and acquaintances you have, the easier questions are solved and results are achieved.

In Russia, a market economy has existed for less than thirty years - since 1992. Many of its orders have not yet become familiar, not embedded in our mentality and education. In the USA - since 1776, from the very foundation of the country. Since childhood, Americans have been taught communication and self-presentation. MBA programs specifically focus students on communication rather than homework. Networking here is the focus of an ambitious person, regardless of profession.

Russian companies that enter the US market must understand this difference. Their task is to clearly know the features of American networking and business etiquette. It doesn’t matter which country you come from and what your emphasis is. But you must follow the unspoken rules of business communication - otherwise you simply will not be taken seriously.

Online dating

In the Russian business environment, you can often hear the request "share the contact." If you are well acquainted with a person and can vouch for him, the answer, as a rule, is “hold and say what is from me”.

In the United States, things are different. Representation of interlocutors to each other is possible only with the participation of a third party and is called "intro". This scheme exists for two reasons:

The transfer of human contact without his permission is unethical.

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If a person familiar with the object of your interest has personally vouched for you, if he spends time organizing online dating, you are immediately treated with attention and trust. So, the probability of a deal or any other cooperation increases.

From the very beginning, when we were just going to the States with the Candice Cake project, I asked a friend to introduce me to a partner of an American corporation. In response, a friend asked me to write blurb. Blurb is a paragraph that briefly describes who you are, what your company does, and why you should be introduced. In fact, these are two or three capacious sentences, of which you add up your impression of yourself.

My friend first sent the paragraph I wrote to my partner. And only after his consent to meet did he write an e-mail letter in which he introduced us to each other.

According to the rules of etiquette, I had to:

  • Reply first within 24 hours.
  • Thank a friend and move his mail to BCC (Blind Carbon Copy, Bcc).
  • Contact your partner with an offer to meet or call.

Social Networks

What social network in Russia is considered professional? That's right, Facebook. So I thought so when I found the page of the director of the New York accelerator, which I wanted to get into. She received no reply to the message, which contained a completely adequate proposal for a meeting. I thought I didn’t see it.

But when we met live, he instantly recognized me and held out with a smirk: “Ahh ... it's you. I remember you wrote on Facebook. It hit me a lot. ” My face probably expressed a genuine misunderstanding - he changed his tone and politely explained that Facebook in the USA is an exclusively personal social network for close friends and family.

For business communication, Americans use LinkedIn. If you write “cold” to a person and don’t have his mail, then as a means of communication give preference to Linkedin. They don’t know that it is banned in Russia.

Expect a detailed page with contacts of at least 500 people, a description of your achievements, work positions, graduated universities and, possibly, a couple of articles on your behalf. Linkedin is your business card.

Make an appointment or call

Suppose you managed to interest an interlocutor and he is ready to meet you personally. How to arrange a meeting?

Give your interlocutor at least two options by day and time. In Russia, it is normal and habitual to propose one option. Americans don’t like it when their choice is limited. Sometimes the coordination of a meeting is delayed by two or three letters - for the sake of observing the rules of good form.

Send Google Calendar Invite - an invitation using the Google calendar, which allows you to immediately book a time in the schedule. This is an expected action after an agreed time and venue. In Russia, this tool is also used, but not everywhere.

In the US, the line between personal and work relationships is very clear. Compliments about looks may be perceived negatively.

The same rules apply for call coordination. In addition tospecify the time zone of the interlocutor and the method of communication.

For calls to the United States, Zoom conferences are most often used. If you are an initiator, attach a link to a personal conference in Zoom to your notes in Google Calendar Invite, so that it’s easier for a person to immediately connect to the conversation.

Events

Even if something informative happens at the event - speakers speak, a conference with discussion takes place - often people come to them for the sake of acquaintances. Networking events are organized daily in the States. To choose among them worthy is a separate art, but now is not about that.

Let's say you are at a standing event and around dozens of useful professional contacts. How to behave?

Come to the right person and start a conversation. It is so customary here. The first time I was very surprised how a person could just fly up, introduce himself, shake hands and ask what you are doing.

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It is advisable to start the conversation with a small talk - a dialogue of five or six sentences on a neutral topic. You can notice something at the event, ask a question whether the interlocutor likes the exhibition or make a professional compliment. If the event is aimed specifically at acquiring acquaintances, you can immediately ask the question So what do you do?

The more connections and acquaintances you have, the easier the issues are resolved.

In principle, it is similar to Russian acquaintances, but in the USA small talk pay more attention.

A handshake is an essential element of dating. It happens the moment you exchange names. Example:

  • - Hi, how do you like the event so far? This speaker is truly extraordinary.
  • - I absolutely agree, the tips she gave on fundraising were extremely helpful. I'm Marina, by the way.
  • - Martin, nice to meet you! (handshake)

The gender of the interlocutors is not important - hands shake each other everything and in the same manner. Kisses of female hands are strictly forbidden to men and are perceived negatively.

In the negotiations, the Americans are tuned for a quick result, not for building relations. It is considered bad form to hold up an interlocutor for a long time, as he may miss other important acquaintances.

At one of the professional events, the interlocutor and I spent 20 minutes in a dialogue. After the conversation ended, he apologized and the next day wrote a letter with repeated apologies for taking a large amount of my time.

If you want to continue communication, the next day after meeting you need to send follow-up by e-mail or on Linkedin.

Suppose, during your conversation, you agreed on cooperation. They sent a follow-up, but received a polite response, which did not imply any further action. This is normal. Americans don't like to say no. It's okay to get a "yes" out of politeness. Over time, the difference between “yes” out of decency and the present “yes” begins to be felt intuitively.

Large American cities are unique - here everyone becomes his own, regardless of country of birth, skin color and emphasis. But in order for networking to be successful, it is important to follow generally accepted etiquette rules. The chances of successful dating and negotiation are many times greater if you play by the rules.

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