Business Development in Russia.
1. Attend Exhibitions as Exhibitors: Russians lay extraordinary emphasis on Exhibitions, whether they are held in Moscow, Dubai, Berlin or Guangzhou. Anyone seriously interested in tapping the Russian market, should be ready to invest in participating in trade fairs that attract a strong Russian presence. Contacts made there would be your most reliable keys for future business in that country.
2. Have a Modern Informative Website: For a Russian, your website is the visiting card of your company. Even if it is only in English, make sure that it is of modern design, has relevant product and contact information with bright(not garish) product images, and absolutely no photographs of dirty, cracked walls or shabbily dressed workers. Pretty much no one care about your social initiatives either.
3. Prepare Documentation in Russian: English is becoming much more common in Russia today and every business house has at least one person who knows it fluently. Nonetheless it always helps to have brochures and technical specifications professionally translated into Russian. Having a well-designed and printed product catalogue along with a brief company profile also helps make a good first impression. No Google translations please..
4. Be Honest: Russians had spent 70 years under communism and have developed an uncanny skill for discerning falsities. So stick to facts, be honest, don’t exaggerate, spin yarns or drop names. Even if they don’t understand you fully, they always know when you are bullshitting. And remember, any exaggerated display of friendship, incessant smiling or subservience is always treated with utmost distrust.
5. Hold your Ground : Unfortunately, it is common for many Russian businessmen to try seize the dominant position during preliminary discussions and they often tend to overprice themselves when selling or halving the seller’s price if buying. In both the cases, the best way of dealing with them is firmly sticking to your negotiable price and holding the ground without much further sales talk. If it is within reasonable limits they are usually open for a next round of gentler negotiations.
6. Price Sensibly: Gone are the days of easy money and gullible cash-rich "Biznezmen". Modern Russian business houses, those already importing from overseas or planning to do so, are manned by skilled people who have seen the world, well informed about global trends, prices and quality. Quoting outlandish prices to gauge their paying capacity is a guaranteed way for loosing both your credibility and all potential business .
7. Cold Calls are Met Coldly: A Russian company’s receptionist is often their strongest firewall. So in 8 out of 10 cases, unsolicited emails are ignored and cold calls just not connected to anyone and even when they are, it can be to someone who doesn’t speak a work of English. Personal visits without prior appointment are not appreciated, unless it is to a small shop or trading company.
8. Have a Price-list and Catalog Ready: Russia has a small population and the same reflects in their organisations. Having an indicative price-list, product catalog and samples ready during the first contact, whether in person or electronically, helps them decide whether they are interested or not. Typical Indian sales tactics like “just look at the product we shall discuss the price later” don’t go down well with most Russians.
9. The Email Minefield : Here's the toughest one, because if writing in English, there is scope aplenty for misunderstandings, but it is a veritable minefield if you have a degree of proficiency in Russian as it is automatically assumed that you are also proficient in their work practices and etiquette. So detailed questions may get answered with vague one-liners or in curt ways which would be considered extremely rude elewhere. Patience is the only way to navigate this maze and sometimes the best way out is picking up the phone and talking it out. Surprisingly, this hurdle is almost non-existent when dealing with Russian expats or even those who work in MNCs in Russia.
10. Relationships Go a Long Way: Personal likes and dislikes go a long way in determining business opportunities in Russia. Nonetheless, a polite firmness, consistency and honesty backed by reasonably priced quality products more often than not helps in tilting the arrow towards being liked, while an appetite for copious amount of vodka further helps in sealing the deal later on..
