Date: Wed, 31 Dec 1997 21:05:59 GMT Server: BESTWWWD/2.1 MIME-version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/html Content-Length: 4517 Last-modified: Fri, 27 Sep 1996 21:02:25 GMT Accept-Ranges: bytes Understanding What's Different About Russians is the Key to a Successful Deal

Understanding What's Different About Russians is the Key to a Successful Deal

Roger H. Madon


If I were to describe an educated American businessman, I would describe him as analytic. Americans come from a culture of people who deal with problems analytically. That's what we value.

Russian businessmen tend to approach a business opportunity in its entirety. Russians view the whole of the deal as larger than the sum of its parts. Russian businessmen use intuition more than analysis.

American CEO's certainly operate intuitively, yet most do this clandestinely. They hide it, wearing the badge of analysis much more prominently.

As one who's in the business of helping to broker and complete deals between Americans and Russians, part of my job is to familiarize each side with the psychological and cultural orientation of the other. The Russian needs to understand and respect the analytical side of the deal. The American can bring much to the table in terms of enabling his potential Russian partner to understand the objective subtleties, variables and relationships inherent in the deal. The Russian needs to understand that the American usually operates in a way that is cooler, more detached and focused. Since Russians interpret coolness in a suspicious way, believing that something is being hidden, they need to be mindful of the probability that this isn't the case.

The American, on the other hand, needs to be sensitive to the fact that this Russian's life hasn't necessarily been as neat and ordered as has his; that he (or she), the Russian, has moved through historical circumstances of major political, social and cultural upheaval, requiring a great deal of psychological adjustment. The American should also understand that though the Russian has emerged from a difficult social and political environment during the last 70 years under soviet rule, his deepest roots come out of a thousand-year-old history which places a high value on things spiritual. Russians value warmth much more than a detached, cool business approach. The American needs to let his hair down a bit when dealing with his Russian counterpart.

Yet this American must never think that he's dealing with someone unintelligent or ignorant. Many Russians see Americans as braggarts, treating them as if Russians don't know anything.

Americans need to know that most Russians are well educated, with many having engineering degrees. You can't tell them too much about how things work. Coming across as "preachy" when explaining the technology of a particular item lead to trouble. American businessmen that believe that if Russians don't have it, they don't know how it works will surely be surprised. They probably do!

Yes, it's likely that many Russians believe all Americans are rich and can afford to pay for most anything. What you, the American, must do is de-emphasize money in your conversations and emphasize the value of the product you're offering -- and to do all of this without demeaning your Russian colleague in any way. Remember, too, that Russians aren't an exploitative people. They do have sharp antennae, and they can be quite sensitive -- so always relate to the person you're dealing with first, in as caring a way as possible, before dealing with the elements of the deal itself.

Finally, if at all possible, if the Russian is in the USA, take him home. Let him meet your wife (or husband) and children. Let him get a good feel of your life at home. When he returns home, you'll want him to have the memory that he was treated with respect and dignity, and that you brought him to your heart. Should things happen down the road that cause you concern or worry about the progress of the deal, those cemented relationships will make all the difference in the world.

The color of the heart is red. In the Russian language, the root of the words "red" and "beautiful" is the same.


Roger H. Madon, P.C. Home Page

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