How much do you know about Indians and Indian customers?
1. India is one of the countries most deeply influenced by religion in the world, with the influence of religion deeply penetrating every part of its society and culture. Religion plays a central and decisive role in the lives of this country and the vast majority of its people, with Hinduism being the most important religion. About 83% of Indians believe in Hinduism, followed by Islam, and about 11% of Indians believe in Islam. So if communicating with Indian clients, it's best to know some of their religious etiquette.
2. There are many vegetarians in India who prefer black tea and milk, and the higher the social status of Indians, the more they avoid meat. At the same time, Hindus do not eat beef, while Muslims do not eat pork. In daily life, Indians avoid eating snake meat, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and fungus, and many Indians even do not eat eggs. They love to add spices such as curry powder to their diet and never use soy sauce and sauce seasonings. So if there are Indian customers who want to be entertained, try to choose a suitable restaurant for dining to avoid creating customs taboos.
3. When talking face-to-face with Indians for the first time, the most easily misunderstood thing is their shaking of their heads. They always tilt their heads slightly to the left and then immediately return to their original state. This action is easily understood by us as "disagree or" unwilling ", but in reality, it indicates agreement. In addition, the numbers 1, 3, and 7 are all considered unlucky by them. At the same time, in our dealings with Indians, we should not actively engage in topics such as religion, ethnic conflicts, India Pakistan conflict, nuclear weapons, and gender relations, and try to avoid them as much as possible.
4. English is the official business language of India, but the pronunciation of most Indians is very non-standard. Therefore, in the process of developing and following up with Indian clients, important communication and negotiation details should be avoided as much as possible, and the use of text is better.
When providing product quotations to Indian customers, it is important to leave a considerable margin for oneself. Indian bargaining is well-known globally, and price factors play a significant role in their purchasing and consumption processes. Moreover, Indian bargaining has no tricks, and price is the center of their negotiations. So when dealing with Indian clients, don't be happy when they offer very tempting terms, as this may indicate that they are going to negotiate prices and payment methods, and the prices will be cut back and forth. In addition, Indian customers have a very bad habit of showing the quotes from the "East" company to the "West" company, and then showing the quotes from the "West" company to the "East" company, in order to lower prices and compare prices.
6. Indian customers are very suspicious, and it takes a very long time to establish a mutual trust relationship with them. Even old customers who have worked with them multiple times find it difficult to establish intimate relationships with them. Especially when there is a conflict of interest, they will set up defenses and be suspicious everywhere until the problem is completely resolved.
7. Indians have a natural sense of cultural superiority, so in the process of interacting with Indians, learning to praise and compliment is a good way to establish relationships and communicate.
8. Finally, it is important to remember that Indians are generally dishonest, and Indian clients are notorious for not being trustworthy in business cooperation. If you want to give Indian clients credit terms, the risk coefficient is very high, so you must be careful, take precautions in advance, think of foolproof solutions and countermeasures, and then make decisions and operations.
Inquiry source: India
Product industry: Electronic components
Buyer Returns:
Basit Abdul
Supplier Returns:
Alisa
Buyer returns:
Brief analysis:
The buyer wants to lower the price through competitors and probe my reaction. At this time, we need to always be clear that bargaining with Indian customers does not have a cost concept, and even if you give them a cost price, they will still say it is high. In addition, based on my understanding of this market and product, my price is still relatively competitive among peers, unless some core components are modified.
So I have decided to offer two solutions to the customer: the first solution is to keep the original product unchanged and the price unchanged, tell the customer why it is so expensive, provide the customer with a simple analysis of the cost composition, explain it with facts, and offer a certain discount, but on the premise of increasing the order volume. The second plan is to make partial changes to the product, reduce costs, and let buyers do multiple-choice questions.
The negotiation characteristics of Indian clients
1. Lai
What I said to you today, as long as the wind changes tomorrow, it will follow and never leave you with any mercy. Even if he signs a signed contract with a deposit, he can still find some trouble from certain clauses, even to the point of requesting additional clauses. Previously, a foreign trader and an Indian client discussed an order for 300 tons of chemical products, and there were over 100 emails back and forth discussing the market, specifications, prices, and terms. As a result, the formal invoice was sent over, the shipping schedule changed, the port changed, and CIF became CFR So in communication and negotiation with Indian clients, remember never to give the initiative to the other party.
2. Dragging
Dragging is the most skilled technique for Indian clients, which can effectively weaken their willpower and thoroughly uncover their weaknesses. For the information you urgently need to know, they don't eat anything soft or hard, and sometimes they won't even give you a simple Y/N result. If you're really in a hurry, it's their way. For this characteristic of Indian customers, we need to learn to scare them, sometimes even at the cost of arranging some stories to make them feel that if we delay, the loss will be their interests, not ours.
3. Grinding
To achieve the goal, Indian clients sometimes resort to various means. The purpose of grinding is to make you restless and lose the usual patience. Therefore, when dealing with this move, it is necessary to have firm patience and know how to take the initiative. A "stone heart" is also an essential basic quality that cannot be lacking.
As the saying goes, "knowing oneself and the enemy is the key to winning a hundred battles." The more we understand our customers, products, and market, the more we can become adept at developing and negotiating with them.
This is true for both Indian and foreign clients, so we must strive to improve our knowledge and abilities in all aspects!
