Doing Business in India - Business Traveling in a Strange Land

Paula Williams The Opportunity Your company is outsourcing work, finding new markets, opening a new division, or working on a project. You need to go to India to meet with co-workers or customers. You’ve never been there. You have no idea what to do or where to start.
	Woman in a Sari riding a motorcycle in Bangalore

The Solution

• See your doctor about vaccinations. Make sure you’re up to date. If you’ve only travelled in the U.S. and Europe you may find that you need additional vaccines.
• Ask about antimalarials. Your doctor may advise a low-dose antibiotic if you’re going to be in Mumbai or other tropical areas. Mosquitos are insidious – we got bit more in the Mumbai airport than almost anywhere else in Asia.
• Don’t overpack. Take two business suits and at least three nice shirts. Arrange for laundry and dry cleaning through the hotel. You’ll have less to tote through airports, fewer things to worry about getting lost, and fewer delays waiting for lost or delayed luggage.
• Get there a day early. You’ll have spent a very long time on airplanes, and you’ll be 12 hours opposite of you usual schedule. If you get there a day early and stay awake during the day (take the opportunity to see the sights.) Sleep, or try to sleep that night, you’ll be another step toward “normal” by the time you start doing work. And you’ll have something to say when people ask you “so what do you think of our city?”
• Arrange for a car and driver to meet you at the airport. The airports tend to be full of licensed and unlicensed “taxi drivers” who will take the long way ’round, not use the meter, or charge outrageous inexplicable “fees.” Arrange through your travel service or hotel to have a car and driver meet you at the airport. This is usually less expensive than simply renting a car in the States, and offers a lot more peace of mind knowing you’ll get where you’re going for a price you’ve agreed to beforehand. Traffic follows rules that Westerners can’t seem to comprehend, and city planning is not a strong suit. You will have enough to concentrate on between business, culture, meeting people and keeping track of your schedule. Let a professional do the driving.
• Tip well and appropriately . Tip drivers, porters, bathroom attendants, hotel maids, and others. Tips don’t need to be large, but people depend on them for their income. Ask a local what the customary rate is for tipping. You don’t want to get a reputation for throwing money around, but you also want to be good to the people who work hard to take care of you.
• Use the hotel facilities. The concierge and other hotel staff will help you with faxes, laundry, mail, tickets, travel arrangements, places to eat, and so forth. Things that are arranged through the hotel might be more expensive than you could find with a little bargain-hunting, but people who do business through the hotel are used to Westerners and their habits and idiosyncrasies. They also have a reputation that they won’t risk by cheating a tourist. By going through the hotel or through your company’s travel service, you will find that your hosts can take care of most of your needs.
• Make small talk. People in airports, on planes, buses, hotels, restuarants and around the water cooler at work will be very inquisitive. Have answers ready to friendly questions. “What do you do for work? Are you married? Do you have children? Are you a vegetarian? How do you like your current president or your country’s stance on a certain political issue?” It’s easiest to have a simple answer ready than to seem to demur. Indian people will be friendly whether or not they agree with you, but they will find you much easier to get along with if you are willing to speak honestly on a variety of topics.
• Don’t drink the water. Even in business hotels, you can’t be sure that the water does not contain bacteria that will do a number on your system.
• Stay hydrated. The corollary to don’t drink the water! It’s very easy to get dehydrated and run down. Bottled water and soft drinks are easy enough to find.
• Wear a money belt. There is almost no violent crime in India, but there are some really amazing pickpockets. Keep your passport and at least one credit card in your money belt. Keep a small amount of money in your pockets.
• Dress up more than usual. Indian businesspeople wear beautiful suits, spotless and impeccably ironed shirts, and polished shoes. Women usually wear pantsuits or long skirts, or else the colorful and beautiful native salwar kameez or sari outfits. I recommend that American women not try a sari for the first time for a business meeting – they can be rather tricky.
• Address people formally. Address people by “Mr.” or “Ms.” and their last name. If you don’t know how to pronounce a name, ask, and do your best to imitate. If they ask you to use their first name, do so, but
• Relax and enjoy. Enjoy the hospitality of your hosts. Your experience will be unforgettable.

Conclusion

Indian people are very talented, helpful and friendly. They are some of the most unpretentious, resourceful people I have ever met. Their cities are fascinating studies in culture-shock.

You will enjoy their friendship and prosper from doing business with them.