5 things you should know before taking your business international

July 22, 2016

Recently, I read an article that addresses many of the aspects that we encounter in the day-to-day operations at Kreston.

Kreston members offer clients the opportunity to develop effective working personal relationships internationally – bridging the cultural divide and ensuring ease of communication.

In the article I read, by Kayla Matthews, for e27 website, there are five topics that we must remember when dealing with working personal relationships in international business. As you can see below- there are no secrets!

– Clear communication – when working with distance, it is important to have clear communication via email, phone or text. You must always check if everything is perfectly understood.

– Know local time – it is always good to be aware of the local time when scheduling meetings or sending emails. You must be aware of the time zone differences to find the best time to talk to people.

– Understand the culture – there may be some cultural differences in the country in which you are working and which you need to take into consideration; for example, a joke in your country could be very offensive in another country.

– Do not disappoint – we have to be more careful when not working face-to-face. If you fail to deliver on something promised, it is much easier to disappoint people at distance than if you were in a normal office situation.

– Add a personal touch – when we don’t handle the distance in our business correctly, communication can become a little cold with clients in other countries over time. To minimise this, you can try to find something out about the people you work with and add a personal touch.

If you follow these five steps, communication has everything it needs, to flow better, regardless of where your business is located and where the people you need to deal with are.

In Kreston, our members are well accustomed to helping clients operate across international borders and to building effective personal business relationships that really help this whole process – we have long retained the strapline “people do business, with people they know, like and trust”.