Doing Business in England

Even the smallest of US businesses competes in a shrinking global village, where understanding subtle cultural contexts can make or break sales and marketing efforts. This excerpt from the book Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: How to Do Business in Sixty Countries, offers insight into doing business in England.

Language

• George Bernard Shaw said it best: "America and Britain are two nations divided by a common language." A couple of simple examples: To the English, to "table" a subject means to begin a discussion of it, while in the United States it means to postpone the discussion. The "ground floor" in England is our first floor, and the "first floor" is the American second floor.

Appointments

• Always be punctual. In London, traffic can make this difficult, so allow plenty of time to get to your appointments. Executives generally leave their offices by about 5:30 p.m.

Negotiating

• The hierarchy in business is as follows: the managing director (CEO in the United States), the deputy (corporate vice president to US executives), the divisional officers, the deputy directors, and, finally, the managers. Decision making is slower in England than in the United States. Don't rush the English toward a decision.

Business Entertaining

• A business lunch will often be conducted in a pub and will be a light meal. With senior executives, however, lunch will be taken in the best restaurants or in the executive dining room.
  
• Dinner is from 7 to 11 p.m. in most restaurants. When you go out after work, do not bring up the subject of work unless your English associates do; otherwise, you'll be considered a bore.
  
• It is not polite to toast those who are older or more senior than you. If you are the guest, you must initiate your departure, as your hosts will not indicate that they wish the evening to come to an end.
  
• While US citizens hold the fork in the right hand, or switch from left to right, the English hold it in the left hand. When passing items around the table, always pass them to the left.

Protocol

• A handshake is standard for business occasions and when visiting a home. Women do not necessarily shake hands. A woman may extend her hand; men should wait for women to do so.

Gestures

• The British often do not look at the other person while they talk. Don't point with your fingers, but instead indicate something with your head. Tapping your nose means confidentiality or a secret.
  
• It is inappropriate to touch others in public; even backslapping or putting an arm around the shoulders of another can made the English uncomfortable. The English maintain a wide physical space between conversation partners.

Dress

• Conservative dress is very important, for both women and men. Men should wear laced shoes, not loafers. Men's shirts should not have pockets; if they do, the pockets should be empty. Men should not wear striped ties; the British "regimentals" are striped, and yours may look like an imitation.

Gifts

• Gifts are not part of doing business in England. Rather than giving gifts, it is preferable to invite your hosts out for a meal or a show.