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My dear Friends

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Negotiating with Japanese counterparts

Some points I have retained while interacting with Japanese people, some have been addressed in these Fora by other group colleagues, namely the issue surrounding soft no. I would like to stress 6 points that I found vital in my past experiences.

First and fundamental, do your homework and prepare presentations preferably with bilingual text (other + Japanese). I notice a very different attitude on Japanese people when they are surprised with a document written in Japanese. But be extremely careful with the translation; always get quality control on your Japanese texts by another entity.

Second, do not to engage in negotiations under a strong effect of jet lag. In my first trips to Japan very nice Japanese people were always waiting for me at the first day and take me for long sessions with dinner party and so on. Don´t fall on that “pleasant trap”. Arrive, head to your Hotel and get to sleep at the convenient local time, even if you have to induce sleep. This way you reduce fatigue and reinforce control of emotions, which you’ll really need during negotiations. This a basic issue but it is the most common mistake. It has been quite unpleasant to see persons, who normally behave correctly in their own country, having an odd behavior under the effects of jet lag. Play it safe, it is hard to negotiate with people in a different business and cultural environment so don´t make it impossible.

Always take interpreter with you, preferable two: One for language and another, preferably a local, to tell you more than the words that were said, in other words a cultural interpreter. So many times I found out that what one said, what one heard and what one meant were quite divergent issues.

Be prepared to make several trips and several presentations to the same persons before reaching a conclusion. For each new time, improve your presentation considering the questions people posed but keep saying the same over and over. Unlike most western styles, you have to repeat every time the same message. Actually, Japanese people enjoy it, It´s like Kabuki: If it´s beautiful you must repeat it again and again.

While in meetings, Japanese people keep saying yes and shaking their heads as if they were agreeing with everything one says. As a matter of fact, what they really mean is that they are listening or paying attention, no agreement whatsoever.

Negotiations and presentations are Tatemae (formal) moments. If possible as negotiations develop invite your counterparts for an early dinner in order to create a hone (casual) moment. Many negotiations come to a conclusion after an animated dinner takes place but be very careful: don´t push too much on those occasions, issues often come naturally.

This is not much, and there is not much elaboration on these lines. Anyway, I believe it is such a waste to see people forgetting these simple and basic requirements while negotiating with Japanese counterparts.