Doing business in Belarus

The Republic of Belarus has a population of over 9 million people. The major languages spoken are Belarusian and Russian.

When doing business in Belarus there are some interesting things to know. When you have a business meeting the level of manager you will meet is depending on the status of your own organisation. When the meeting goes well, more senior managers will be brought in.

Business meetings in Belarus tend to be low key, but still formal. So it’s important that you dress accordingly. It is essential to earn trust when doing business. This is the basis to a good relationship here.

The whole process when you want to sell a product could take longer than in other countries. So it’s important to be patient and present your product well. It can also take a while to plan a proper meeting. That’s why it is important to make your appointments in time. It’s ideal when you have a third party evolved who can act as a guarantor for you. This person definitely has to be someone of good reputation and preferably with a reasonable network within the business community.

Before the meeting takes place the top executive of the company should know who you are, why you are there, which business proposals you have and what kind of support you have within Belarus.

When you meet someone older in Belarus he will introduce himself by saying his first name and patronymic; the name of his father. When you address him you should use the same name.

In Belarus people think it’s important to show them you accept the language they speak. That’s why it is important to have some business cards with one English side and one in Russian. That way you can hand them out to everyone at the beginning of a meeting. When you don’t speak Russian yourself hire someone local who will help you translate. This avoids any frustrations about the language.

Sources:

http://www.belarus.by/en/

http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/etiquette/doing-business-belarus.html

http://www.infoplease.com/country/belarus.html