Do's and don'ts 2014
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Transcript of Do's and don'ts 2014
Do’s and Don’ts
“Coming to America” Peter Laanen
“The business of America is business” – Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
30th President of the United States
In officeAugust 2, 1923 – March 4, 1929
The small stuff• Tipping• A glass of Coca-Cola?• Ice breaker• Red Light• Fun with cops• Spanish anybody?
The small stuff
• A glass of Coca-Cola?• Ice breaker• Red Light• Fun with cops• Spanish anybody?
The small stuff
• Ice breaker• Red Light• Fun with cops• Spanish anybody?
The small stuff
• Red Light• Fun with cops• Spanish anybody?
The small stuff
• Fun with cops• Spanish anybody?
The small stuff
• Spanish anybody?
Navigating Cultural Differences
American Values in Business
Time is Money!
*Get to the point
*The elevator pitch
American Values in Business
American Values in Business
Time is Money!
*The elevator pitch
American Values in Business
American Values in Business
Results count
* What is the “Bottom Line”
* What’s in it for me?
American Values in Business
American Values in Business
Results count
* What’s in it for me?
American Values in Business
American Values in Business
American Values in Business
Networking – a necessity
*Meet a wide variety of contacts- and, you can do it anywhere!
American Values in Business
• Business attire: casual vs formal
• Be assertive: being modest doesn’t do well• Be persistent: somewhat aggressive follow up• Business gifts: only after closing deal (VCs)• Do not: discuss politics or religion
American Values in Business
American Values in Business
• Be assertive: being modest doesn’t do well
• Be persistent: somewhat aggressive follow up• Business gifts: only after closing deal • Do not: discuss politics or religion
American Values in Business
American Values in Business
• Be persistent: somewhat aggressive follow up
• Business gifts: only after closing deal • Do not: discuss politics or religion
American Values in Business
American Values in Business
• Business gifts: only after closing deal
• Do not: discuss politics or religion
Since we are on the subject
American values in Business
No flowers or bottles of champagne
Get a warm introduction
No business plan
Make sure you have a good one pager
American Values in Business
• Do not: discuss politics or religion
American Values in Business
• Sell yourself and your company; active selling is not considered excessive
• Quality doesn’t speak for itself – promote the benefits of your solution
• Long hours are the norm• When negotiating, US executives expect you
to “work with them”, i.e. show flexibility to explore options
American Idioms in Business
• “Touch base” – to casually follow up• “Slam dunk” – to be fully successful at a
venture• “Throw a curveball” – something unexpected• “Ballpark figure” – estimated price/cost• “Jump the gun” – an activity before the
appropriate time• “Test the waters” – to evaluate a situation
Misconceptions and Assumptions
• Our firm is well known in –country where you live-, our name will carry weight in the USA
• “This is the way it is” – our way is the right way entitlement
• We will launch easily in the USA (scalability, range, infrastructure)
Do’s when doing business in the US
• Prepare carefully www.hollandinthevalley.com
• Develop a marketing plan• Enlist help from local partners like business
development, legal and media coaching• Attend network events• Sell yourself and your company• Follow-up on any opportunity
The Pitch
• Useful to quickly explain what your company does
• Serves to capture your audience’s attention• Mention a problem your service/product
solves• Show competitive advantage• Maximum 60 seconds!
Art of Networking
• Networking is:• About establishing a mutually beneficial
relationship• “what can I do for you”, not “what can you do
for me”• Not limited to events; can be done during
business gatherings and certain social events
Don’t whine about……
Don’t whine about……
And hey!
Be happy that…….
The Extras!
• Confirm appointments• Use all relevant social media• Make sure you don’t cook the books• Build your credit status• Be smart and creative• Decimal point = comma• No liters, kilometers and Celsius or Euros• S = Z
Are you ready to do the USA?
• Financial requirements for a USA market entry• Identified an appropriate niche?• Do you understand your US competition?• Can you clearly and concisely present your
competitive advantage?• Committed to maintaining a long term
presence?• Do you understand US tax laws?