Ideas For Marketing Your Business

You have a business trip in the wonderful country of Japan and you don’t know the first thing about gift giving. Before you take a flight to Japan here are some pointers you may want to consider before getting ‘lost in translation’.

In Japan, gift giving is a sign of respect, friendship, gratitude and a form of art. A gift giving ceremony is very important; the gift is always presented in a gift box, wrapped in beautiful paper and given with respect. To the Japanese, symbolism is very important although the gift may be modest.

 It is expected that a gift will be offered at the first business meeting, and for further notice gifts will be part of your business dealings. At the first meeting be prepared with a perfectly wrapped gift that is not too extravagant. It is a gesture to show that you are looking forward to an extensive relationship. This serves as a foundation to conducting business.

One tradition is to reciprocate a gift that half the value of a gift received. If your gift happens to be too expensive it could create an unwanted awkward situation. Sometimes it is hard to find a unique corporate gift. Make sure you consider your gift more than once.

If you’re an executive, don’t be surprised if you receive an expensive gift. The Japanese executive considers your status and the business relationship that you share when selecting your gift. If you have a gift to present, it is important not to show up at the end of the meeting with the gift. It is not a good idea to surprise your Japanese associate. It would be better to warn you associate during the meeting that you have a gift for them and you want to present it at the end of the meeting. This allows the associate to make any arrangements for anyone else who needs to give gifts or anyone else who may need to come to the meeting for the presentation.

When you present your gift, hold it with both hands and bow. While presenting the gift let the person know that your gift is irrelevant in contrast to the importance of the relationship. By saying that your gift is a small thing even if the gift is expensive conveys this feeling.

The Japanese will politely refuses a gift once or twice before accepting it and your corporate business gift will not be opened in your presence. When a gift is offered, follow this same tradition. You are to refuse once or twice, then accept it with both hands and save it to open later.

There are two gift giving seasons of each year. One is mid-summer and the other at the end of the year. It is best that a gift is given during each of these seasons.

Good gifts will include food, liquor, expensive candy are good choices for modest gifts. If you are bringing a gift from your home country, make sure it is not ‘made in Japan’. Don’t be too quick to select company items with your logo on them, sometimes they may be considered cheap.

It is a good idea to go to Japan with your gift unwrapped, that way the gift wrapper at a local store will let you know if your gift is proper to give. As mentioned earlier, symbolism is important in Japan. A gift with a pair of items is considered lucky, but sets of four or nine are unlucky. It is also good to know that the number four means death and red is associated with funerals; make sure your corporate gift does not have any of these elements.

Make sure that you never write in red pen or give sharp objects like knives, scissors or letter openers because they symbolize severing a relationship. So, before you take that business trip to Japan, make sure that you learn about the traditions and that you are comfortable with them. After you take the time to learn, you will be more confident in gift giving ceremonies that will strengthen your relationship for years to come.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 5th, 2008 at 4:43 pm and is filed under Business product. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.