Talking about business

Be on time. That is rule number one, no academic half-hours, that is considered rude. If you would be late, ring or send an SMS. Meetings are nowadays set up nu e-mail or even SMS together with the normal telephone-call.

Dressing for success, or business, may not be quite as strict here in Finland as it is in the rest of Europe, but do not make the mistake to dress too casual and stay with your normal dress-code to be safe.

Calling- or business-cards are frequently handed around in Finland, especially if you do have a “difficult” foreign name. Giving the card makes it easier for people to get your name right and also make them remember you better.

And as the Finns are notoriously straight down to business, not because they are being ignorant or rude, they just want to save time for more pleasurable things later. So keep your own talking time to the brief and to the point, the Finns do not want to waste time and you negotiations might not take as long time as they would have taken somewhere else or back home in your country if the person present at the negotiations are in full rights to make a deal. If they have to get back to their boss for an approval it might stretch out a bit more.

During business negociations soft drinks, tea and coffee are normally served together with biscuits.

And be on time for lunch and dinner as well where the business talks will continue as the Finns do not want to waste their time on smaller things, the time for business and time for relaxation are different.

In general, busy lifestyles are in fashion, and a diary full of meetings and negotiations is a matter of pride and a status symbol in Finland rather than a demonstration of poor time management skills as elsewhere in the world. When people here stop their constant watching of their clocks, and suggest something further to eat or drink, even a sauna, or perhaps a visit to the summer cottage, the visitor can rest assured that a lasting business relationship, or even friendship, is on its’ way.

And don’t be surprised if you get invited into a sauna during your business talks, the sauna is a reward not a punishment and is commonly used here in business negotiations as you really can not pretend to be something else than you are when you are naked in a hot sauna. When you are nude you are considered to be honest and “what  you see is what you get”.

Truning upto business meetings looking "the morning after" is also not to reccomend, professionalism is expected at negotiations at all times.