How a gift can bury your partnership

Gifts are an integral part of international business relations. With their help, any partnership is started, continued and maintained. Business gifts, chosen correctly, can lead you to amazing results of cooperation.

Maksim Kirilenko, SeoPult International Expansion Director, tells how to choose a gift for foreign business partners.

Don't be formal when choosing a gift

A gift, as ridiculous as it sounds, can bury your partnership or make it very difficult. Therefore, you should not approach this issue formally, without preparation.

The theme of business gifts is always relevant, but on the eve of the holidays it is especially important. I decided to collect all my experience in this matter and share tips on how to choose a present for foreign business partners and how to give it. I will also tell you about the collection of my mistakes and how to avoid them.

Our company is from Russia, so the bias will be towards national Russian gifts. And what's that? That's right: vodka, nesting dolls, caviar, national toys and souvenirs.

I'll tell you which of these are suitable for partners in Asia, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. In addition, I will focus on local features: how the process of delivery goes and what to do when none of the above can be given.

Reminder about countries and gifts

I specifically studied the issue of gifts in different countries and based on this analysis I prepared a short memo. It covers quite a lot of countries and will be useful when planning a business trip.

Countries where business gifts are accepted and expected at the first meeting:

• Europe: Czech Republic, Poland, Russia, Ukraine.
• Latin America: Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica.
• Asia: China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand.

Countries where business gifts are not accepted at the first meeting but are expected on subsequent visits:

• Europe: Portugal, Spain, Finland, Norway.
• Latin America: Brazil, Chile, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Venezuela.
• Asia: Singapore.

Countries where gifts are not accepted or very rare:

• African countries.
• Australia
• Europe: England, France, Hungary, Italy, Denmark.
• Latin America: Uruguay.
• Middle East: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia.
• United States of America.

If in doubt about a gift, choose another one

When you choose a business gift, you should carefully prepare and think through all the points related to who you plan to give it to. Important points to pay attention to: gender, religion, food preferences, cultural characteristics.

It is also worth considering gifts related to alcohol, meat and animal products, because they may not be acceptable. You don’t want to buy and give something that will be inappropriate or even taken strictly negatively?

If in doubt, it is better to avoid choosing such a gift, ask a local friend for advice, or choose something completely neutral.

For example, what Russian person would refuse a can of black caviar, complete with good vodka? That's right, no one will refuse. But in Brazil, people do not perceive caviar at all: red, black or overseas eggplant. Brazilians don't understand how they can eat caviar, and they have strong negative feelings about caviar, no matter how much it may cost.

Wrapping and presenting a gift — it's 50% success

• First thing to pay attention to is — packaging.

If the gift is packaged with high quality, it will symbolize the seriousness of your intentions and the desire of your company to provide quality and the best partnership conditions. If the packaging looks bad and sloppy, then the impression of your company will be the same.

Don't put the gift in a simple box or regular package. Consider beautiful packaging — it strongly influences the first and subsequent impression.

If you give a gift from a company, make it branded, use your logo, corporate colors in the package (if they do not contradict cultural characteristics).

• Second Moment — presenting a gift.

Different cultures have different traditions regarding how to give and receive gifts. For example, give only with the right hand or with both hands.

Don't be surprised if in some countries the partners will refuse the gift several times during the meeting. This does not mean that they do not want to accept it. On the contrary, they show you great respect.

For example, in Singapore it is customary to politely refuse a gift several times before accepting it. Also, in many cultures it is not customary to open and look at gifts immediately. It is believed that this is a manifestation of greed and characterizes a person from the negative side.

Understanding these features and traditions is just as important as choosing a gift carefully.

Don't choose very expensive gifts

What else you need to pay attention to:

• Are there limits on the value of accepted gifts.

As an example, I will give our partner — Google company. There is a $100 gift limit for Regional Head level employees.

If the item is more expensive, then the employee is prohibited from accepting it. Consider this nuance when choosing a gift.

• Cultural and psychological characteristics of a person.

With a gift, you emphasize respect for the partnership.

It is not recommended to go beyond and choose very expensive gifts. After all, this is a business, and the receiving party may feel uncomfortable that you are giving an expensive item.

Also, it will create the feeling of being reciprocated and giving you a gift of similar value, which may not have been planned or simply not accepted.

Gifts to Indian partners can be a good example. In India, most people take care of their karma. When you accept a gift, you must give something of equal value in return. And your partner may not have money planned for an expensive return gift.

According to the Indians, this can adversely affect a person's karma. Therefore, he will refuse the gift and further relationships — it's easier and doesn't spoil karma.

• An expensive gift can give the impression that you are careless with money.

This may also have a negative impact on future business partnerships.

A good gift should be compact

Make sure the item you're gifting is easy to transport and won't cause problems when your partner passes the border. Do not give sharp objects, plants, perishable products.

From personal experience: Beijing, airport, three hours before departure. Chinese partners organized a transfer and decided to go see me off. We stand in front of the registration desk. They hold out a large package with something heavy and say: please accept a gift from us.

Gift — traditional strong alcohol in very beautiful bottles. You can’t take it in hand luggage, you can’t hand it over in luggage in a box — will break. You can't refuse either — not so understood. As a result, I spent 40 minutes thinking about how to pack and transport it so as not to break traditions and spoil good relations.

What gifts are given in different countries

Brazil

What to give:

• Vodka — always accepted in any form and in any volume. Excises on foreign alcohol in Brazil are very high. Plus, the choice is not so rich; and Russian vodka is rare. Brazilians especially appreciate vodka in unusual bottles. Vodka in bottles in the form of a Kalashnikov assault rifle was delightful; ammo.
• Matryoshka dolls, football-related souvenirs, chocolates and sweets will be a good addition.

What not to give:

• Never give caviar as a gift. Any. Brazilians do not understand this delicacy. They can try, but only out of great respect for you. But they will think that you want to poison them.
• Do not give handkerchiefs or yellow, white or red flowers as they are associated with death and funerals.
• You shouldn't even think about giving any sharp objects, as such a gift is always associated with a breakup. Unless, of course, you're going to hint that the partnership has come to an end.

How to give:

• In Brazil, there are no special traditions on how to give or receive gifts, when to open and look at them. Therefore, act as your intuition or situation dictates. But it is important to remember a number of features when wrapping a gift. Do not use dark colors, as well as black and purple, as these colors are only used during Holy Week.

South Korea

What to give:

• Again, vodka. Tested with different partners. The secret turned out to be in the ingredients: this particular vodka is made using ginseng. And every Korean feels something of his own and dear in it. You can give games that are somehow related to alcohol and its consumption. Koreans are very fond of diversifying the feast with games. Caviar will be a great addition to the gift.
• Women — Russian toy Cheburashka. Koreans pronounce it like "Zebra". Cheburashkas are very popular here. Fashion for them came from Japan. Very good options — nesting dolls, Pavloposad shawls, Gzhel, tea sets that cause a lot of delight.

What not to give:

• Honestly, I have not come across any gift that is not suitable for partners from Korea, but I will still investigate this issue.

How to give:

• With two hands or one right hand (while the left one is pressed against the chest), it is possible with a slight bow towards the partner. On the one hand, employees lower in rank press their left hand to their chest when they pass something to their boss. But between partners, this will be regarded as a sign of additional respect.

Indonesia

It all depends on who you give the gift to. Indonesia — multinational country. And a country of many faiths. 80% of the population — Muslims. Therefore, I will single out several groups.

Indonesians with Malay roots and Muslims

What to give:

• Sounds unusual; but a good gift would be a compass. Muslims must pray facing Mecca daily. With such a gift, no matter what business trip your partner will be on, he can easily find the right direction. From the usual gifts: chocolate, sweets, good coffee will be received positively.

What not to give:

• The Qur'an forbids the consumption of alcohol. Therefore, we immediately delete any alcohol from the list of gifts. Even eau de toilette with an alcohol content is not suitable for gifts. Similarly, pork is prohibited, which immediately excludes any gifts made of leather or with leather elements. Clothing and too personal accessories, sharp objects are inappropriate.

Indonesians with Indian Roots: see the Indian memo (below).

Indonesians with Chinese roots: See the Chinese memo (below).

China

What to give:

• Strong expensive alcohol, in our case vodka, is better to choose in a beautiful package. It will be a great gift.
• Expensive chocolates and sweets in beautiful packages or limited editions. Business accessories will also be well received.
• Matryoshka with Putin — a super gift, there are a lot of fans of our president in China.
• If you know that your partner has a family, it is good manners to give a gift to a spouse. This will further emphasize your respect and the value of the partnership for you.
• Red symbolizes good luck, pink, gold and yellow — happiness. Keep this in mind when choosing the packaging for your gift. Number 8 — the luckiest number in China, using this number on a package or card can be a good sign to start a partnership.

What not to give:

• Any item that contains the number 4 in a name or picture and that contains black, white, or blue. All this is associated with death or funeral.
• In China, you won't even find the buttons for the fourth floor in an elevator. Similarly, do not give watches and handkerchiefs. As in most other countries, do not give sharp objects — they symbolize the breakup of a relationship or partnership.

How to give:

• Any gifts should be well packaged, given and accepted with two hands. Gifts are opened and evaluated later and in privacy. This tradition eliminates any fear that the face of the recipient of the gift will reflect dissatisfaction with the gift that the giver will see.
• Officially, in China, gifts are considered a bribe, so it's good practice to give a gift after negotiations are over.

India

What to give:

• Win-win gifts — classic Russian confectionery and chocolate. Pay attention to the content of animal components.
• Matryoshka dolls, mini-samovars, gadgets are also suitable. When I was thinking about gifts for partners from India, I conducted a survey among acquaintances of diplomatic workers from different countries.
• The diplomatic protocol of the countries of Latin America states that partners from India can and should be given cufflinks, scarves and scarves.

What not to give:

• Alcohol can only be given if you are 200% sure that your partner drinks it. Do not give delicacies containing animal products — Most Indians are vegetarians and do not drink alcohol. Do not give any goods made of leather or containing leather elements. Why? First and foremost: the skin may turn out to be calf, and the cow, as you know, is a sacred animal. This gift may be the first and last in your partnership.
• As already noted, in India, karma has a very large influence. Keep this in mind when choosing a gift. Do not choose very expensive gifts, this will mean that your partner will need to return a gift of no less value to you so that there is a balance in karma. Your partner will be burdened if he cannot return a gift of comparable value to you.
• Keep in mind that gifts at the first business meeting are also not very welcome, especially expensive ones. Most regard this as a bribe, which negatively affects further negotiations. Again, karma.

How to give:

• Any gifts are given with the right or both hands. Remember this. Gifts are not opened immediately after receiving.