HOW TO NEGOTIATE SUCCESFULLY

https://issuu.com/globalmarketing1/docs/librohowtonegotiate

Argentinian optimistic and talkative character may give the impression on a first visit to the
country that business deals are going to be easy and agreements will be strictly adhered to. But
putting a foot wrong is all too easy.

Argentina has great potential in the medium and long term for foreign companies investing in the
primary sector.

In spite of its natural wealth, Argentina in not a country where it is easy to do business.
Macroeconomic imbalances (inflation, external debt, unstable exchange rate) make foreign trade
operations and new business projects difficult.

Argentina is a country of contacts. A network of family, political and business relations dominate
the business world.

You should be punctual even if the other party turns up at least half an hour late, which is to be
expected.

Argentines hate to feel pressurized in business deals. Aggressive or confrontational tactics are
sure to be counterproductive.

Argentines approach matters subjectively. They accept facts as long as they do not contradict
their own ideas.

You should invest time in personal relationships. Social activities are very important and are the
key of doing business.

Nearly all decisions are taken at the very top of the pyramid. Dealing with middle managers is
not usually effective.

Argentinians are hard negotiators. Each point in a proposal is analyzed separately and they will
want it to be improved upon. Concessions are granted gradually and reluctantly even if they start
from a weak position. You should be prepared for long discussions.

Argentines have a reputation for being unreliable when doing business, so the foreign
businessman should beware. It is understood that people are more unreliable in cities in the
interior of the country than in Buenos Aires. Chantaje (meaning blackmail) is used for people
who cannot be trusted or whose apparent power is baseless. Another social type to look out is the
chanchero, the person who thinks that he knows everything and is superior to everyone else.

It is advisable to establish the agreements in a contract covering the functions and obligations of
both parties are established. In Argentina there is no specific legislation regulating business deals
between companies, so disputes may lead to litigation.
 Negotiating in Argentina
http://thornhillcapital.info/latin-america/negotiating-in-argentina

 Argentinian negotiators tend to be less individualistic and, instead, will get their group’s input
prior to making a decision. This is seen as a way to retain harmony and relationships among
group members. Therefore, when you’re negotiating or trying to make a point, ensure that you
address the entire group and not just the person sitting across from you.

Respect is the cornerstone of negotiations. Honor, pride, and respect are important factors in
the negotiating process. Just as in China, it’s important that your actions don’t cause your
negotiating counterpart to lose face. The person you’re negotiating with will not consummate a
transaction with someone who offends them or degrades them in any way. In addition, since
transactions in Argentina are done on the basis of relationships, offending someone will likely be
extremely detrimental to one’s other business interests in Argentina as one person’s influence
will almost always transcend the transaction you’re negotiating on.

Hard-sell tactics don’t work. Being aggressive and using hard-sell techniques may end any
further discussions you have with your Argentinian counterpart. Argentineans want long term
relationships. Therefore, coming to a mutually agreeable solution is important, as your
counterpart is looking at this transaction as the beginning of a business relationship. You’ll be
viewed as believing your relationship with your counterpart’s company is short term if you
employ this tactic.

Status is important. Who you are is extremely important in the Argentinian culture. Your
position in the company, educational background, and even the hotel you’re staying in can be
important. In your initial visit to an Argentinian company, upper level management should be
present. Subsequent visits can then be attended by mid-level executives. This will demonstrate
how seriously you take these meetings. In addition, even inadvertent actions can change an
Argentinian’s perception. For example, carrying your own luggage to your hotel room, rather
than using a porter, can cause you to be viewed as a lower ranking person. The reason for this is
that there’s a wide gap between the rich and poor in Argentina. If you’re rich you’ll be staying at
the best hotels, having a porter take your luggage to your room, and dressing appropriately.
Argentinian businesspeople will want to work with someone on their social plane. As a result, in
their eyes your actions and dress display who you are.

Don’t try and solve the world’s problems. Don’t discuss religion, politics, or sports if you can
avoid it as criticism is not well received. Instead, stick to business discussions and avoid areas
which might embarrass those with whom you’re negotiating.
Argentineans have a difficult time compromising or giving concessions. In some respects, they
feel that making a concession will cause them to lose face or esteem. Instead of coming right out
and trying to force a concession, a better way to obtain one is to address that subject in a
subsequent meeting after you’ve had time to make the other party aware of the concession you
want. In this way, any barrier to your proposed concession can be gradually relaxed and
positions reconsidered. Time gives your counterpart the opportunity to take another position and
not lose face. Also, just as in China, reciprocity is expected. If a concession is made on one side
of the negotiating table, a concession is expected from the other side. In addition, pricing in the
negotiating process will rarely move more than 20 to 30 percent. Concessions will generally be
made somewhere in this range.

Pressure techniques. Employing pressure techniques in Argentina is dangerous as you run the
possibility of offending the other party. Therefore, a “take it or leave it” ultimatum almost never
works as they’ll usually select the “leave it” portion. In addition, setting a time deadline isn’t
usually effective as most Latin Americans will view this as an unwillingness on your part to
establish a long term relationship.

Contracts. Legal documents in Argentina tend to be lengthy and very detailed. However, most
Argentinean businesspeople believe that the strength of what they’ve negotiated is not so much
in the signed contract, as in the commitment both parties have to work together for their mutual
benefit. In addition, attorneys should be brought into corporate meetings once negotiations are
concluded. Earlier than this and their attendance will be viewed as a sign of mistrust.

Negotiating International Business - Argentina

http://www.leadershipcrossroads.com/mat/cou/Argentina.pdf

Business relationships in this country exist between people, not necessarily between companies.
Even when you have won your local business partners’ friendship and trust, they will not
necessarily trust others from your company. This makes it highly beneficial to keep company
interfaces unchanged. Changing a key contact could require the relationship building process to
start over

Establishing personal relationships with others in Argentina can create powerful networks and
may help you a lot to achieve your business objectives. Who you know could determine whether
people want to get to know you. Similarly, whether people think you are worth knowing and
trusting often weighs much more strongly than how competent you are or what proposals you
may have to make. Personal networks rely mostly on strong friendships that also represent
dependable mutual obligations. They may open doors and solve problems that would otherwise
be difficult to master. Maintaining honest and cordial relations is crucial.
In Argentina’s business culture, the respect a person enjoys depends primarily on his or her
status, rank, and education. The country’s population is fairly young and age may not be
respected as highly as it generally is in some other Latin American cultures. Showing status is
important since people will take you more seriously. Carefully select your hotel and
transportation. Use the services of others, such as a porter, to avoid being viewed as a low-
ranking intermediary. The extreme differences that exist between the rich and the poor in this
society are usually accepted, and people believe that those in powerful positions are entitled to
the privileges they enjoy. Accordingly, showing respect to those of higher status is very
important. Admired personal traits include sincerity, integrity, and charisma.

Choosing a local intermediary who can leverage existing relationships to make the initial contact
is highly recommended. This person will help bridge the gap between cultures, allowing you to
conduct business with greater effectiveness. Your embassy, a trade organization, a chamber of
commerce, or a local legal or accounting firm may be able to provide a list of potential
intermediaries. Without such a contact, it can be difficult to gain access to the right people.

Given the strong emphasis on hierarchy in the country’s business culture, a senior executive
should attend the initial meeting for your company and your negotiating team should include
senior leaders who know your company well. There will not be an expectation for this executive
to attend future meetings. Similarly, the top executive on the Argentinean side, who may also be
the ultimate decision maker, might attend only initially. The most senior Argentinean executive
to attend throughout the negotiation will likely be at a similar level in the hierarchy as your own
negotiation leader.

If possible, schedule meetings at least one to two weeks in advance. Since Argentines want to
know who they will be meeting, provide details on titles, positions, and responsibilities of
attendees ahead of time. Agreeing on an agenda upfront can also be useful. Reconfirm your
meeting and be prepared for your counterparts to cancel or postpone meetings with little advance
notice. While meetings may start as much as 30 minutes late, people generally expect foreign
visitors to be very punctual. Avoid being more than 5 to 10 minutes late, and call ahead if you
will be. Displaying anger if you have to wait reflects very poorly on you. The most senior people
usually arrive last. Otherwise, authority can sometimes be difficult to pick out, so watch for
small hints of deference to identify the decision makers.

They expect long-term commitments from their business partners and will focus mostly on long-
term benefits. Although the primary negotiation style is competitive, Argentines nevertheless
value long-term relationships. While proposals should demonstrate the benefits to both
negotiating parties, neither of them should take attempts to win competitive advantages
negatively. It is crucial to remain non-confrontational and avoid direct conflict throughout the
bargaining exchange. Ultimately, the culture promotes a win-win approach.
You will earn your counterparts’ respect by maintaining a positive, persistent attitude. Do not use
pressure tactics such as applying time pressure or making expiring offers, as these could be taken
as signs that you are not willing to build a long-term relationship.

Even when personal relationships are strong, your Argentinean counterparts could be reluctant to
share information openly. Many believe that privileged information creates bargaining
advantages. However, they are often very good at obtaining intelligence and information about
their counterparts that puts them in an advantageous position. It is crucial to come well prepared
with substantial background information about your potential business partner.

Expect negotiations to be slow and protracted. Argentines rarely hurry and dislike people who
do. They see impatience as a sign of weakness and may even think it rude. Be prepared to make
several trips if necessary to achieve your objectives. Relationship building, information
gathering, bargaining, and decision making could all take considerable time. Attempts to rush the
process are unlikely to produce better results and could be viewed as offensive. Throughout the
negotiation, be patient, control your emotions, and accept the inevitable delays.

While Argentines are not overly fond of bargaining and dislike haggling, they can be tough and
very competitive negotiators. The bargaining exchange can be extensive. Concessions never
come easily, and requesting a compromise may become an issue of pride if presented in the
wrong way. Rather than pushing for concessions, it may be better to re-address disagreements in
follow-up meetings, which gives your counterparts the opportunity to reconsider their position
without overtly losing face. Prices rarely move by more than 20 to 30 percent between initial
offer and final agreement. Leave yourself sufficient room for concessions at different stages.
During the bargaining exchange, keep in mind that intangible benefits such as increases in power
and status may sometimes be more desirable to your counterparts than financial gains. Offers to
provide continuing service to an Argentinean client, in spite of long distances, can also be
valuable bargaining concessions. Businesspeople in the country often find it difficult to
overcome the isolation imposed on them by geography. Dependency requires trust.

Deceptives techniques includes tactics such as telling lies and sending fake non-verbal messages,
pretending to be disinterested in the whole deal or in single concessions, misrepresenting an
item’s value, or making false demands and concessions. Do not take such tactics personally and
refrain from lying at or grossly misleading your counterparts, as doing so could damage business
relationships. Negotiators in the country use pressure techniques very carefully since there is
always a risk of hurting someone’s pride. In general, Argentinean negotiators avoid openly
aggressive or adversarial techniques. While they may use indirect threats and warnings, or subtly
display anger, they will be careful not to appear aggressive when doing so. Your counterparts
may use temperamental outbursts as a way to throw you off-balance. Keep your cool and do not
respond in kind since this could become counterproductive
Decision Making – Most companies are hierarchical, and people expect to work within clearly
established lines of authority. Decision makers are usually senior executives who will consider
the best interest of the group or organization. They rarely delegate their authority, so it is
important to deal with people at the top of the hierarchy. Gaining access to top managers can be
difficult, though. You may have to deal with subordinates who could strongly influence the final
decision, which may be made behind closed doors. Maintaining good relationships with these
intermediaries is crucial to your success. Although the pace of business is accelerating, decision
making can be a slow process that requires much patience. Attempts to rush or put pressure on
the process are not likely to succeed. When making decisions, businesspeople may not rely much
on rules or laws. They usually consider the specific situation rather than applying universal
principles. Personal feelings and experiences weigh more strongly than empirical evidence and
other objective facts do, but people will consider all aspects. Argentines are often uneasy with
change and reluctant to take risks. If you expect them to support a risky decision, you may need
to find ways for them to become comfortable with it first, for instance by explaining contingency
plans, outlining areas of additional support, or by offering guarantees and warranties.

Agreements and Contracts Capturing and exchanging written understandings after meetings
and at key negotiation stages is useful since oral statements and even handshakes are not always
dependable. Do not rely on interim agreements to be final, even if they come in the form of
written protocols. Any part of an agreement may still change significantly before both parties
sign the final contract. Written contracts tend to be lengthy and often spell out detailed terms and
conditions for the core agreements as well as for many eventualities. Nevertheless, writing up
and signing the contract is a formality. Argentines believe that the primary strength of an
agreement lies in the partners’ commitment rather than in its written documentation. It is
strongly advisable to consult a local legal expert before signing a contract. However, do not
bring in your attorney until the negotiations have concluded. Argentines could read it as a sign of
mistrust if you do. Contracts are usually dependable and the agreed terms are viewed as binding.
Although partners are expected to remain somewhat flexible, requests to change contract details
after signature could meet with strong resistance.