Business can be anything but impersonal in Russia. Russians are reluctant to deal with anyone they haven’t met face-to-face, regardless of how many telephone calls you may have made or faxes and emails you’ve sent. The relatively slow pace of meetings, the mountains of small talk and the post-meeting “booze-a-thons,” while seeming unproductive on the surface, are all part of relationship building. Without a strong personal relationship, it’s unlikely that a deal will stand the test of time or survive a better offer from another foreigner partner.

Congratulate potential or existing partners/clients Congratulate potential or existing partners/clients on holidays that matter to them: New Year January 7 - Orthodox Christmas January 14 - “Old” Russian New Year March 8 – Women’s Day February 23 – Men’s Day Orthodox Easter Professional Holiday (i.e. Day of Transportnik - transport workers). [A unique aspect of Russia/CIS societies is holidays celebrating a particular profession—such as law enforcement, food production, medicine, etc.] It’s socially correct to congratulate business associates upon their birthdays. What may be thought as personal or intimate in the West is not so perceived in Russia/CIS. Here’s a prime example –taking part with your business associates in a Russian banya (sauna) is often a necessary component in serious business negotiations.

In developing DM strategy for you, we take into account all factors which will may help you to establish solid business relationships with your partners. One of these cultural factors is that the peoples of Russia/CIS love personal contacts and warm attention in conducting business. The better they know you and trust you – the more you will succeed.

We’ll alert you about holidays and special days when you should send good wishes to your partners. The dates will depend on the CIS country you are doing business in.

We send out “holiday business letters”. After they are sent, we follow up with calls to your clients.