In business, first impressions are important – but so are the communication skills necessary to establish and maintain a lasting relationship. Some of these relations may be with businesses set up next door, but more often than not, they can span borders and time zones. When setting up a foreign correspondence, the approach that you’re used to might not always be the optimal solution… so how should we adapt our mindset and writing style to give off a proper first impression? Join Wordsmith and let’s dive into the intricacies of writing international correspondence!
Do you know who you are dealing with (and their business cultures)?
English may be the most commonly used language in international business, but customs and approaches can differ drastically depending on who you are messaging and where the business is located. Let’s compare a few places to see how they can differ:
· America: reaching out to a North American business is pretty straightforward. Open and direct communication is the business norm. Provided that you are courteous and assertive in your message, you can usually expect a similar response. Whether you refer to the person by first name or Mr./Ms./Mrs. family name is also a personal preference, but going on a first name basis is quite common unless dealing with someone of high expertise or position.
· Japan: in contrast to American business norms, Japanese businesses place heavy emphasis on establishing quality relationships – this means it is not only rude to start off your correspondence with your demands, but it might also land you on a blacklist. Furthermore, it is often customary to deal with an intermediary (and not the business directly), so don’t expect to sign a contract or negotiate a deal within the first few rounds of messages! The Japanese also do not use a first name basis unless it is with someone they know intimately, so do refer to them by Mr./Ms./Mrs. family name.
· China: similar to Japan, it takes time to establish a relationship with a Chinese business – they’ll want to know who they are dealing with, so it’s not unusual to expect to answer a bunch of questions alongside conversations that may or may not be related to your business idea/proposals.
The idea of “face” (or mianzi) is deeply ingrained into Chinese culture as well, which refers to the reputation and standings of a person or business. Be humble (but you don’t need to go out of your way to stroke their egos), and most importantly, don’t do anything that may offend or cause them to lose face – this could include making inappropriate jokes, bashing a person/business’s views or making yourself seem superior. Name-wise, some people don’t mind being referred to by their first name, but it’s always safer to use Mr./Ms./Mrs. family name.
Even if you are writing to someone who you have messaged before, Maryann V. Piotrowski, the author of Effective Business Writing: A Guide For Those Who Write on the Job, warns that you shouldn’t get too friendly. “In many cultures, a business relationship is far different from a personal relationship. Though you may have met a business colleague several times, you should not assume that you are friends,” Piotrowski writes. Keep things professional, but if your correspondent initiates friendly conversation and banter, then reciprocating to a similar degree is encouraged.
The elements of your message
International correspondence is just a fancier version of a business email or letter, so you need to make sure that all the essentials are included in your message. Aside from the obvious points like what you want to achieve, there are some other things to take into consideration:
· Your opening
· The letter’s organisation and structure
· Writing style
· Tone
As mentioned earlier, your relationship and understanding of the correspondent’s culture will dictate how you open and structure your message. Even when dealing with people where being direct is the norm, you should avoid being too direct.
Hello Mr. Monroe,
I need to expand my business connections so I am reaching out to you…
It’s one thing to be direct, but compromising on manners gives off a terrible first impression. Instead, why not introduce yourself and the company you represent (like any normal self-respecting person would do when meeting a stranger), then ease into your to-do list, like so:
Hello Mr. Monroe,
My name is Jeff Jonas from Stevenson Robotics and I am reaching out to introduce a prospective joint business opportunity with Monroe Electronics…
With regards to the structure, a logical rundown is often the most effective:
1. Greet the recipient
2. Tell them who you are
3. Explain why you are writing them
a. If there are multiple things on your agenda, arrange them in order of importance (from most to least important)
4. Make it clear what you want from them (and preferably what they can get out of the relationship)
5. (Respectfully) identify any next steps and provide a clear call-to-action
Don’t forget to provide context or details if you mention something obscure, specific to you, your company or industry – if information is available online (eg. on your company website), it’s a token of consideration to provide a link to it so that the recipient doesn’t need to personally look up the material.
The way you choose to converse should also not be neglected – it’s essential that you maintain a professional demeanour across your messages.
“When writing to international audiences, you may need to use formal or standard words instead of less formal language, slang and idioms,” advises Piotrowski. “Within the States, expressions like ‘getting up to speed’ or ‘a hands-on approach’ are acceptable in all but very formal documents, but a foreigner may not understand them or may feel they are too casual for a business letter.”
Not that we should underestimate a foreigner’s capacity for English, as most people have a very good grasp of the language, but idioms and sayings that aren’t part of their daily dialect may cause confusion – so for the sake of clarity, use standard idiom-free vocabulary whenever possible.
· No: Can you ballpark how much this order would be?
· Yes: Can you provide an estimate on how much this order would cost?
Tone-wise, it’s important to look through your wording to see if any of your meanings can be misinterpreted. How would you interpret the following?
1. After discussion with your business partners, you must let me know the results.
2. If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, you need to let me know what your business partners think after deliberation.
3. Please let me know of your business partners’ decision later.
When you use strong words like must or need, it can make you appear demanding (and possibly even impolite). The first option is very apparent, but even after watering it down in option 2 with a weak opener, the need still gives the air of a demand. Some people might also think it’s acceptable to downplay their demands with humour, but Piotrowski would advise against it. Humour is subjective and will often be misunderstood. “The message conveyed by tone is often more potent than the message conveyed by information,” she warns. As a professional, even a light-hearted joke could tarnish your image and that’s just not worth risking.
Reaching out to a new potential business partner, especially someone who is overseas and of a different culture, isn’t something you should do without planning – but it doesn’t mean that you need to put them on a pedestal. At the end of the day, it’s just another form of business writing. There’s no need to be overly curt or falsely polite, so just treat the recipient with the same respect and courtesy you’d like to receive yourself.