Over the years, there have been several articles in Agency Sales magazine about international companies coming to the United States and what an independent manufacturers’ rep should do to make it a successful partnership — if they contact you. Many of these articles discussed what should be done even before meeting prospective principals.

Reps are advised to learn all they can about the company, the products they want to sell, and the differences or complications that can come with conducting business with international companies new to the United States.

These are all great articles on what you need to think about and the preparation needed before going international. Now that you have completed the due diligence and have decided it is time to take the plunge into the international marketplace, what do you do now?

All cultures are unique and have their differences, but with some basic understanding and knowledge of the culture, your chances of a successful partnership will increase exponentially. The following observations are based on 30 years of experience working directly with and studying the Japanese business model, however, they are general enough that they can pertain to other international business people as well.

Together with Japanese companies that desire to expand their marketing efforts in the United, States, I have traveled approximately 100,000 miles in the past 2½ years visiting reps and distributors. The majority of Japanese companies I travel with speak very little or no English. This does not mean they cannot understand English, they usually can, but it is limited. Most non-English speaking countries require English to be taught in school, so they usually have a basic understanding of English when they read it and hear it, but have limited speaking opportunities. That is why, at least in the case of the Japanese, they are very shy when it comes to speaking. This is very important to remember during business interactions.

Introductions and the Exchange of Business Cards

Until an actual face-to-face meeting you have most likely only e-mailed and/or spoken on the phone with the consultant or translator completing all the preparations for the initial meeting. Your meeting will be the first time to meet face-to-face with all parties involved. Let the consultant / translator begin by greeting everyone, but then right away he or she should begin to introduce the customers, always from the most senior official first, then on down the line.

Japanese treat the business card as a very important introductory tool. With a slight bow, they will always hand it to you with two hands. The card is given to you facing you, so you can easily read it. This is done for two reasons:

• First to show you — the receiver — respect in handing you the card. That is why it is done with both hands on the card and with a slight bow.
• Second is so you — the receiver — can read the card to see what the exact title of the person is. This will tell you how low to bow, that is, if you were Japanese. In the United States you do not have to bow, but a nice smile and greeting of thanks will be sufficient.

Now, here is how not to present and exchange business cards. I was visiting a small rep company with a group of four Japanese businessmen. When we were shown into the conference room the two reps we were to meet with were already in the room. We all came in on one side of the table as they were on the other side waiting for us to arrive. I began to introduce all of us and the two American reps began to deal their business cards to the Japanese guests like we had just walked up to a blackjack table in Las Vegas. There was no hand shaking, no individual greetings, and no knowledge of who the senior official was. They just kept on dealing as a blackjack dealer would.

We all took the cards and I had to apologize to my customers in Japanese, so they would not be too offended. I made a quick comment that they had just returned from Las Vegas and were practicing their blackjack dealing to lighten the mood and lessen the offended feelings and to get a smile out of my Japanese customers so they did not look like they were offended.

Now that we all had their business cards, we still had to present our business cards, so it was a little awkward as we handed them our card and got nothing in return. The exchanging of business cards is a give-and-take as you introduce yourself, so if you are giving and not taking it makes for an awkward situation. Now that you have exchanged business cards, do not put them away in a folder or your pocket — keep them on the table in front of you. This is very important so when you are talking to them you can remember names. If you have been in meetings with Japanese businessmen in the past, once they sit down they position the business cards they have received in accordance with how the people they are meeting with are sitting across from them at the table. It is a polite and respectful way to keep the card in front of you and on the table, but it has a purpose in helping you know to whom you are speaking all the time. The business card and its presentation are very important to a Japanese businessman, so treat it that way — and your first impression to your Japanese guests will be a good one.

Using a Translator During Your Meeting

When I travel, usually I am both a translator and a business consultant. A translator has to be respectful to both parties and keep both parties engaged in the conversation. To do this you cannot talk too long with one side because the other side loses interest and focus on the meeting. What I have noticed is that the American rep, or Americans in general when I am translating, talks to me and does not address the Japanese customer directly. Remember, the translator is there to help facilitate the business discussion between the Japanese manufacturer and the American rep. He’s not there to be the focus of the meeting. So try to speak to the most senior member of the group that came to visit you and the translator will just translate. When you are introducing yourself and your company, please remember to do it in short spurts. The translator has to remember all that you are saying so they can translate it. If you talk too long things are missed and forgotten when they translate. Slow down and take a breath so the translator can do his job to keep all parties engaged in the meeting and conversation. Basic introductions and product information is where this is most difficult. You want to tell them all about yourself and what you can do for their product in your territory and that is great, just take your time and go slowly.

I have been in meetings where many reps speak for a few minutes — I could not even get them to stop to take a breath or even a slight pause so I could begin to translate. The translator does not want to be rude and stop you as you are talking, but sometimes we have to, otherwise you will just keep going.

I was in a meeting with a Japanese client and he put up his hand like a stop sign to get the rep to stop talking during our meeting. He wanted to know what he was saying and the rep would not stop for it to be translated. This was a little abrupt, but it worked, and the rep got the idea to slow down and let it become a two-way meeting.

As you are talking, I am trying to take notes so when I can get you to stop, I can remember what they said and translate it. So a few minutes of your talking hopefully is a few minutes of translation, but it almost never turns out that way. Most of the Japanese can understand some English, so if you speak slowly they will get some of it and the translator will just have to fill in the gaps. If you are in a meeting with a manufacturer that speaks English and wants to talk to you in English, that is great, but do NOT expect it to be native-level English. Keep it slow and clear and the conversation and meeting will go just fine.

When you are talking to this person, please be aware of their body English — no pun intended — as well as what they are saying. When you say something and you get a facial expression like, “I have no clue what you just said,” try and say the same thing over again using different words. Also, try not to use local slang or idioms when you speak to foreign guests. I know this will be difficult since it is just natural to use them, but you have to remember you are not talking to a native-English speaker. This leads me to my third point.

Limit Your Use of Slang and Idioms

I could write an entire article on just this topic and the many different ones I have had to explain in detail that have come up during many of my meetings. Being a native-English speaker I understand most of the slang and idioms and can explain them to the Japanese speakers I am translating for. However, if you happen to have a non-native English speaker as your translator who may not understand how you are using the slang or idioms in your discussions, it will really slow down the meeting, so be careful. Some examples of what I have come across in the past few years:

• Quite often many reps ask for a price on the product. We were not ready to give them a firm price, yet they say, “just give me a ballpark figure” and I’ll see if it fits the market price of your competitors. The rep is looking for a price range, but the Japanese person just heard the discussion switch to baseball. I have to stop and explain that the conversation did not switch to baseball and how this is related to our discussion. As I said, they can understand some English, so be careful of what you say. This is very common expression and easy to explain, even though most of the Japanese do not understand it when it is used.

• Another example — I was visiting a potential rep in the south and we got to talking about various things, not work related, just getting to know each other. So we were asking some questions and he said, “Ah BUBBA, that’s an easy one.” The Japanese businessman I was with looked at me and asked who was Bubba and have we met him already? This one took a little longer to explain, but it was a good comic break in our discussions.

• One more example to show you how these can come up almost anywhere and at any time and can disrupt a meeting or confuse a translator. We were in a meeting discussing the very technical aspects of the product the Japanese manufacturer wanted the rep to sell in the United States, and they were going into great detail on how it works. We were going over all the parts and showing how they fit together and worked, and right in the middle the rep says, “This is not rocket science, I get it.” That told me he understood the concept, and let’s move on to the next topic. However, the Japanese manufacturer looks at me and says, “No, this is not for rockets, it is for lasers and lab equipment.” It took me almost five minutes to get the manufacturer to stop talking about how this is not for rockets and why would he want to use them for rockets?

This time the use of an idiom actually slowed our meeting down and caused a lot of confusion, when all the rep wanted to say was that he understood the equipment and we could move on to the next part of the meeting/product demonstration. As you can see the use of slang and idioms can slow the process and flow of a meeting down, so please be careful when you are talking in a meeting. You never know what they will understand and how much confusion it can create if they do not understand it.

You have made it through your meeting and an action plan was made so all parties know what to expect as the business relationship moves forward. As the Japanese businessmen are getting up and heading to the door, go with them and say your final goodbye at the door, or the elevator, if in an office building. Do not go back to your desk or stay in the conference room and let them find their way out of your office.

There are many great opportunities for an independent manufacturers’ rep out there for internationally-made products. As  the United States and the Japanese economies continue to improve, more and more companies are going to be looking to this country’s market for their expansion. The quickest way for this expansion is by setting up a manufacturers’ rep network throughout the United States. When you get the opportunity to meet with a Japanese manufacturer and hopefully rep their product, don’t miss your chance by doing something to embarrass you or your company or offend your guest. With just a few basic gestures and common courtesies you can make them feel more comfortable and at ease, so your meeting and business relationship can proceed to the next level.