Pitfalls When Doing Business Abroad

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Jonathan Duff
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Does anyone understand the French way of doing business?
Why do businesses, especially shops, seem so reluctant to treat the customer as king? Why do meetings not start on time, are apparently chaotic and inconclusive? And yet how does the country produce successfull multi-nationals such as L'Oréal, Christian Dior, Danone and AXA?

One resource that will help is the book, "French or Foe" by Polly Platt, Culture Crossings, 2004
- 27 Feb 2006, 12:07 pm
Jonathan Duff wrote: > Why do businesses, especially shops, seem so reluctant to treat the > customer as king? Why do meetings not start on time, are apparently > chaotic and inconclusive? And yet how does the country produce > successfull multi-nationals such as L'Oréal, Christian Dior, Danone > and AXA? > > One resource that will help is the book, "French or Foe" by Polly > Platt, Culture Crossings, 2004
Jeff Allen
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Working with the French
Jonathan,

I have addressed many of these points in my article:

Working with the French. By Jeff Allen, In Guide to Getting Started in Europe, published by MultiLingual magazine, Jan/Feb 2006. pp 2, 18-21.
https://216.18.156.115/multilingual/downloads/screenSupp77.p...

I left out the point about them being late to meetings, which in fact goes deeper into arrival timing for invitations to social gatherings as well. I plan to address this in a sequel article.

Another excellent work which I came across at the same time as finishing that article is the following book which is written by a consultant and professor of international management at several French business schools:
"French and Americans: the other shore" by Pascal Baudry. (http://www.pbaudry.com/cyberlivre/index_en.php)

Best,

Jeff Allen

Jonathan Duff wrote:
Why do businesses, especially shops, seem so reluctant to treat the customer as king? Why do meetings not start on time, are apparently chaotic and inconclusive? And yet how does the country produce successfull multi-nationals such as L'Oréal, Christian Dior, Danone and AXA?
- 11 Oct 2007, 12:41 am
Jeff Allen wrote: > Jonathan, > > I have addressed many of these points in my article: > > Working with the French. By Jeff Allen, In Guide to Getting Started > in Europe, published by MultiLingual magazine, Jan/Feb 2006. pp 2, > 18-21. > https://216.18.156.115/multilingual/downloads/screenSupp77.pdf > > I left out the point about them being late to meetings, which in fact > goes deeper into arrival timing for invitations to social gatherings > as well. I plan to address this in a sequel article. > > Another excellent work which I came across at the same time as > finishing that article is the following book which is written by a > consultant and professor of international management at several > French business schools: > "French and Americans: the other shore" by Pascal Baudry. > (http://www.pbaudry.com/cyberlivre/index_en.php) > > Best, > > Jeff Allen > > Jonathan Duff wrote: > > Why do businesses, especially shops, seem so reluctant to treat the > > customer as king? Why do meetings not start on time, are apparently > > chaotic and inconclusive? And yet how does the country produce > > successfull multi-nationals such as L'Oréal, Christian Dior, Danone > > and AXA?
David Petherick Group moderator
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Re: Does anyone understand the French way of doing business?
Very interesting articles Jeff, thanks for the links - this group is obviously 'right up your street' as they say in the UK.

If you'd like to reproduce more content within this group please do so - and I'd be happy to point members towards specific items, or alert them through mailings.

Regards,

David

David Petherick
Co-Moderator, Pifalls When Doing Business Abroad
- 12 Oct 2007, 4:47 pm
David Petherick wrote: > Very interesting articles Jeff, thanks for the links - this group is > obviously 'right up your street' as they say in the UK. > > If you'd like to reproduce more content within this group please do > so - and I'd be happy to point members towards specific items, or > alert them through mailings. > > Regards, > > David > > David Petherick > Co-Moderator, Pifalls When Doing Business Abroad
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Jeff Allen
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French customer service greetings are part of general cultural discourse requirements
To address GH's comment (and MR's reply comment) about greetings in French and English by store salespeople, it is a much deeper issue than customer service. The salesperson will greet the customer in this way, but you also see the opposite when a customer walks into a very small boutique (like a hairdresser) and says "Bonjour Mesdames/Messieurs" to everyone (and says Au revoir xxxxx when leaving). Or when a French person walks into an elevator and says Bonjour xxx and says Au revoir, bonne journée when leaving. It is not restricted solely to business but is also found in the home. A child who walks into the kitchen in the morning without saying Bonjour Maman, Bonjour Papa will get reprimanded.
Why?
It is a cultural imperative for the French to greet someone with Bonjour M./Mme/Mlle (or Name) and part with Au revoir M./Mme/Mlle (or Name). The reason is the need to establish a verbal exchange in acknowledging the presence of the other people in the room because verbal contact (also usually physical contact by shaking hands or "bises") must take place for opening and closure of the relationship during the timeslot/space. The lack of establishing the verbal contact (and physical contact) means that you have not recognized that they are there, and this can be easily interpreted as offensive.
On the other hand, in Anglo-Saxon cultures, visual contact (and just presence) can suffice for opening the relationship at that point in time. It is not essential to use verbal cues for the acknowledgement. It drives the French crazy when Americans will come into the room, say nothing for 10 minutes, and then start a conversation. The French person will reply with "Bonjour XXXX !!!! " (same as above for child entering kitchen). That verbal greeting is a must for the French.
So, coming back to point on customer service, the French waiter must always start with Bonjour Monsieur, and must end with Au revoir Monsieur because it is a habit learned and reinforced from early childhood. And yet despite those greetings and parting salutations, you might still get treated with poor customer service.

Pragmatics (speech acts and discourse analysis) investigates these details.

As for a good description of customer service, based on the concept of vertical relationships, go download PB's book that I cite up above in my first posting on this topic. Go to page 123 (in the French version of his book).

Jeff
- 21 Feb 2008, 10:46 pm
Jeff Allen wrote: > To address GH's comment (and MR's reply comment) about greetings in > French and English by store salespeople, it is a much deeper issue > than customer service. The salesperson will greet the customer in > this way, but you also see the opposite when a customer walks into a > very small boutique (like a hairdresser) and says "Bonjour > Mesdames/Messieurs" to everyone (and says Au revoir xxxxx when > leaving). Or when a French person walks into an elevator and says > Bonjour xxx and says Au revoir, bonne journée when leaving. It is not > restricted solely to business but is also found in the home. A child > who walks into the kitchen in the morning without saying Bonjour > Maman, Bonjour Papa will get reprimanded. > Why? > It is a cultural imperative for the French to greet someone with > Bonjour M./Mme/Mlle (or Name) and part with Au revoir M./Mme/Mlle (or > Name). The reason is the need to establish a verbal exchange in > acknowledging the presence of the other people in the room because > verbal contact (also usually physical contact by shaking hands or > "bises") must take place for opening and closure of the relationship > during the timeslot/space. The lack of establishing the verbal > contact (and physical contact) means that you have not recognized > that they are there, and this can be easily interpreted as offensive. > > On the other hand, in Anglo-Saxon cultures, visual contact (and just > presence) can suffice for opening the relationship at that point in > time. It is not essential to use verbal cues for the > acknowledgement. It drives the French crazy when Americans will come > into the room, say nothing for 10 minutes, and then start a > conversation. The French person will reply with "Bonjour XXXX !!!! " > (same as above for child entering kitchen). That verbal greeting is a > must for the French. > So, coming back to point on customer service, the French waiter must > always start with Bonjour Monsieur, and must end with Au revoir > Monsieur because it is a habit learned and reinforced from early > childhood. And yet despite those greetings and parting salutations, > you might still get treated with poor customer service. > > Pragmatics (speech acts and discourse analysis) investigates these > details. > > As for a good description of customer service, based on the concept > of vertical relationships, go download PB's book that I cite up > above in my first posting on this topic. Go to page 123 (in the > French version of his book). > > Jeff
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Pitfalls When Doing Business Abroad

Does anyone understand the French way of doing business?

Working with the French

Re: Does anyone understand the French way of doing business?

French customer service greetings are part of general cultural discourse requirements