涉外商务谈判成功的因素和谈判秘笈

PAGEPAGE2InternationalBusinessNegotiation:PavingtheWayforaSuccessfulLong-termCooperation摘要：随着各国之间经济交往的日趋频繁，国际商务成为当今世界经济中越来越重要的活动，国际商务谈判是其中至关重要的一个环节。国际商务的特殊性对其谈判人员在知识、谈判技巧和策略等方面提出了更高的要求。本文主要仔细分析了国际商务谈判中的各个阶段和步骤，指出当中一些值得注意的问题并给予一些建议性的解决办法，同时也说明了国际商务谈判与良好的长期商业合作之间的关系。希望此文对一些国际商务谈判人员及对国际商务感兴趣者能起到一定意义上的启发作用。关键词：国际商务谈判；长期合作；准备工作；策略Abstract:Nowadayswithmorefrequentinteractiveeconomicactivitiesbetweendifferentcountries,internationalbusinessplaysamoreandmoreimportantrole.Internationalbusinessnegotiationcriticallyinfluencesthesuccessofinternationalbusiness,sobusinessnegotiatorsaresupposedtohaveexpertiseincertainknowledge,techniquesandstrategies.Thispaperlooksintothedifferentstagesandstepsininternationalbusinessnegotiation,discussessomeimportantproblemsindetailandcomesoutwithsuggestivesolutions,andpointsoutthecloserelationshipbetweenbusinessnegotiationandlong-termcooperation.Itishopedthatthispaperwouldbehelpfultotheinternationalbusinessnegotiatorsaswellassomepeoplewhoareinterestedininternationalbusiness.Keywords:internationalbusinessnegotiation,long-termcooperation,preparation,strategiesIntroductionNegotiationreferstoadiscussionaimedatreachinganagreementandtheprocessofnegotiating.Internationalbusinessmeansthecommercial,industrial,orprofessionaldealingswhichrelatestoorinvolvestwoormorenations.Inthisway,internationalbusinessnegotiationreferstothediscussioncarriedoutbytwoormorepartiesfromdifferentcountriestoreachanagreementonbusinessaffairs.First,themainpartofaninternationalbusinessnegotiationistosetacorrectgoal,includingthegoalsoftwopartiesormorepartiesinthenegotiation.Second,aninternationalbusinessnegotiationshouldbeconductedonthepreconditionofthegeneralinterestandthechiefobjectiveofacompany,insteadofbeingbasedonpersonalbenefits.Therefore,ageneralgoalhastobesetbeforenegotiation,anditwillbefollowedbythecorrespondingnegotiatingstrategies.Third,aninternationalbusinessnegotiationisdifferentfromadomesticbusinessnegotiation.Somepeoplesaythatinternationalbusinessnegotiationshouldbecalledcross-culturalbusinessnegotiation,foritiscloselyassociatedwithvariedstylesofculturesofdifferentcountries.Asaresult,theculturalelementsshouldbepaidgreatattentiontoininternationalbusinessnegotiation.Asuccessfulinternationalbusinessnegotiationdoesnotonlymeantoachieveadealonce,buttoestablishalong-termcooperativerelationshipwiththeotherpartyorpartiesinbusiness.Especiallyininternationalbusinesses,withtheincreasinglyfiercecompetitionamongrivalsfromdifferentcountries,along-termcooperationmeansmoretoacompanywhichisdoingbusinesswithotherforeignparties.Howtocarryoutanegotiationsothatitwillleadtomorebusinesseswithforeigncustomersinthefutureisthekeypointofasuccessfulinternationalbusinessnegotiation.Thispapertriestofindthewaysofconductingasuccessfulinternationalbusinessnegotiation,includingtheeffectiveplanningandpreparationbeforenegotiation,thetechniquesandstrategiesinnegotiation,aswellastheaffairsafternegotiationtopavethewayforalong-termcooperation.ReviewofliteratureTherearemanybooksandarticlesoninternationalbusinessnegotiation,andplentyofnegotiatingskillsandstrategiesaregiven.Takesomebooksforexample.BreakthroughBusinessNegotiation:AToolboxforManagers,writtenbyMichaelWatkins(2002),aleadingexpertinnegotiationatHarvardBusinessAnotherpopularbookGettingtoYes:NegotiatingAgreementWithoutGivingInbyRogerFisher,WilliamUryandBrucePatton(1991)isconsideredasauniversalguidetotheartofnegotiatingpersonalandprofessionaldisputes.Itoffersaconcisestrategyforcomingtomutuallyacceptableagreementsineverysortofconflict.InChina,manyauthorsalsowriteonthissubject.Forinstance,XieJinsha(1999)talkedabouttheskillsforinternationalbusinessnegotiating.ChenXirong(2001)carriedoutananalysisonthepragmaticstrategieswhichareemployedininternationalbusinessnegotiation.Threeaspectsofthepositivepragmaticnegotiatingstrategieswerediscussed,includingpolitenessandappropriateness,tactandhumor,andimplicitandvagueexpressions.WuXiaochuang(2003)pointedouttheimportanceandvariabilityof“time”intheprocessofinternationalbusinessnegotiationandsuggestedthenegotiatorsshouldpayattentiontothecloserelationshipbetween“time”andnegotiation.Notafewpaperswerewrittenabouttheculturalfactorsorculturaldifferences.ZhouJuanmei(2003)analyzedindetailthedifferentculturalfactorswhichhadagreatinfluenceoninternationalbusinessnegotiation.Itwaspointedoutthatcultureplayedanimportantroleininfluencingpeople’snegotiatingmethods,thinking,decisionmakingandlanguageusagesinnegotiation.Italsoputforwardthesuggestionsonhowtostrengthentheconsciousnessofnegotiationacrossculturesandperformwellininternationalbusinessnegotiation.FeaturesofinternationalbusinessnegotiationInordertoclearlystatedifferentstepsinasuccessfulinternationalbusinessnegotiationinthispaper,somedistinctivefeaturesofinternationalbusinessnegotiationhavetobepointedoutfirst,whichwillhelpusbetterunderstandthefollowingparts.Thesesixfeaturesarecommontoallinternationalbusinessnegotiationsanddistinguishinternationalbusinessnegotiationsfromdomesticnegotiations.Thefirstfeatureisthatininternationalnegotiationsthepartiesmustdealswiththelaws,policiesandpoliticalauthoritiesofmorethanonenation.Thesecondoneisthepresenceofdifferentcurrencies.Theactualvalueofthepricesorpaymentssetbycontractmayvaryduetothefluctuationoftherelativevalueofdifferentcurrencies,andmayresultinunexpectedlossesorgains.Thethirdfeaturecommontointernationalbusinessnegotiationsistheparticipationofgovernmentalauthorities.Governmentsoftenplayalargeroleinforeignbusiness.Whileprivatefirmsareusuallyconcernedwithprofits,governmentsmaybemoreconcernedaboutsocialorpoliticalobjectives.Thefourthoneisthattheinternationalbusinessesaremuchvulnerabletosuddenchangesincircumstancessuchaswar,revolution,changesingovernmentandcurrencydevaluation.Thefifthfeatureuniquetointernationalbusinessnegotiationisthatthepartiesofinternationalbusinessnegotiationsusuallyholdverydifferentideologiesaboutinvestment,profitandindividualrights.Thiswillalsoposeachallengetothenegotiators.Finally,culturaldifferencesareanimportantfactorininternationalnegotiations.Inadditiontolanguagedifferences,differentcultureshavedifferingvalues,perceptionsandphilosophies,socertainideasmayhaveverydifferentmeaningsindifferentcultures.Duetotheabovesixdistinctivefeaturesofinternationalbusinessnegotiation,negotiatorsonsuchoccasionsarerequiredtohaveenoughknowledgeandsocialinsightthatwouldbenecessaryinnegotiating.Theyhavetobecapableofanalyzingunexpectedeventsorrisksinnegotiationandbeawareofideologicalandculturaldifferences.Theyaretopresenttheirproposalsorideasinwaysthatareacceptabletotheotherparty,oratleastneutraltobothpartiesideologicallyandculturally.Theserequirementsarecloselyconnectedwiththeprocessofasuccessfulinternationalbusinessnegotiation,whichistosetupalong-termcooperation.4.NegotiationMethodologyTherearethreedifferentstepsininternationalbusinessnegotiation-thepre-negotiationstage,negotiationitself,andthepost-negotiationstage.Allthemattersreferredbelowprovideanoverviewofthedifferentstagesofinternationalbusinessnegotiationaswellasthemattersthatareworthnoticinginordertorealizetheobjectiveofnegotiation.4.1Pre-negotiation:StructuringasuccessfulnegotiationwithactionplansandeffectivepreparationAninternationalbusinessnegotiationusuallyconsistsofthefollowingsteps:first,setthesubjectfornegotiating,inotherwords,thegoals.Second,listthepointsandfactsfornegotiating.Third,fixtheway,thetime,theparticipantsandtheplaceofthenegotiation.Fourth,setdownandapplysomenegotiationtechniquesandstrategies.Finally,gettotheendofthenegotiation.Thefirstthreestepsareallincludedinthepreparationstage,thatis,tomakeactionplansandeffectivepreparationforasuccessfulinternationalbusinessnegotiation.Inthefollowingpart,wewilltalkaboutsomeproblemsinthisstage.Settingthegoalsfornegotiationisthefirststepforeverybusinessnegotiation,anditisoneofthemostimportantjobsinpreparation.Tosetthegoalsfornegotiationmeanstosetanexpectedvalueandacertainexpectedlevelforwhatisgoingtobenegotiated.Asageneralprinciple,everynegotiationoughttobeorientedbytherealizationofitsgoals,whichliesfinallyinsigningthecontractbytwoparties.Thegoalsofnegotiationareoftenclassifiedintothreecategories.Thatis,thegoalthathastoberealized,thegoalthatonehopestoachieve,andthegoalthatoneiswillingtoreach.Wecanalsoputitinthisway,thegoalsofnegotiationareelastic,andaremadecapableofadaptingtoanychangesinnegotiation.Otherwise,therewouldbenospaceleftforturnaboutsinnegotiation,anditwouldbelikelytofailwhenitcametocertaindivergenceoftwoparties.Thegoalsofaninternationalbusinessnegotiationshouldbebasedontheconditionsofthecompany’sproduction,capital,technologyandequipmentatpresent,aswellasthestatepoliciesthatarerelatedtothebusinessorthenegotiation.Forexample,theassessmentstandard,thedeliverydate,pricesandotherrequirementsshouldbeplannedbeforenegotiation.Onlyinthiswaycananinternationalbusinessnegotiationbecarriedoutwithcleargoals.Onlywithclearandconcretegoalscanitdrawtheexertionsoftheparticipantstogethertoworktoasuccessfulend.Therefore,thegoalsshowthedirectionofthenegotiation,servingasitsstartingpointand,atthesametime,itsend.Itisindispensabletoasuccessfulinternationalbusinessnegotiation.Itisalsonecessaryfornegotiatorstogettingtoknowthesituationsoftheotherpartyinthecomingnegotiation.Inthepreparationstage,thenegotiatorsnotonlyneedtomakeananalysisofitsownconditions,butalsohavetogetacomprehensiveunderstandingoftheotherparty,includingitsstrengthandweakness,thepoliciesandregulationsinitscountry,businesscustomsandculturalbackgrounds,aswellasthesituationsofitsnegotiators,etc.Weshouldpayattentiontothefactthatsomefailuresofthebilateralbusinesscooperationsorinvestmentsresultfromthelackofknowledgeoftheotherpartyinnegotiation.Businesssurveyanddatacollectionareveryimportantwaysofgettingtoknowwhatisneeded.Inordertodeveloptheirbusinessworldwide,manymulti-nationalcorporationsestablishlargeinformationinstitutionsaroundtheworld,andsendinformationeverydaybacktotheheadquartersforpolicyanddecisionmaking.Thequalityofnegotiatorsandthedistributionofworkareimportantfactorsinpreparationaswell.Somepeoplesaythatinternationalbusinessnegotiationisinfactacompetitionofstrengthbetweentwopartiesinacertainsense.Theresultofanegotiationdependsagreatdealonthequalityofthenegotiatorsintheirknowledgeandpsychology.Becauseinternationalbusinessnegotiationinvolvesmanyelementsandisverycomplicated,thenegotiatorsaresupposedtohaveagoodmasteryoftheprofessionalknowledge,suchasinternationaltrade,internationalfinance,internationalmarketingandinternationalcommerciallaw,andsomeknowledgeinotherfields,likemanagement,economics,finance,psychologyandforeignlanguages.Theirkeeninsightandquickwitwillhelpthenegotiatorsalotwhennegotiating,andmakethemconfidentinsuccess.Besides,theinternationalbusinessnegotiatorshavetobedetermined,adventurousandself-confident.Therearemanyunexpectedproblemsoccurringinbusinessnegotiations,andmostofthetime,thenegotiatorswillbechallengedandfrustratedbythecounterpartsfromtheotherpartywhilenegotiating.Therefore,onlytheknowledgeablepeoplewhoareresponsibleandreadytotakeallkindsofrisksarequalifiedforgoodnegotiators.Theworkshouldbedistributedinareasonablewayamongthenegotiators,soastoachievethebestresults.Sometimessomeinternationalbusinessnegotiationsinvolvelargeamountsofcapitalorasset,ortheytakequitealongtime,ortheyhaveextensiveinfluenceovermanyothers.Asaresult,someonehastobeelectedasthechiefnegotiator,andsomenegotiationpartieshavetobecomposedbyspecializedteamswhichwillperformdifferentfunctionswhilenegotiating.Thesespecializedteamsaremadeupbyvariousprofessionalswhoareexpertsandareveryfamiliarwiththeirbusinesses.Theyworktogetherandcomplementeachother’sfunctions,thuseasilyresolvingmanydifferentkindsofproblems.Thepressureofthechiefnegotiatorwillberelievedinthisway,andtheefficiencyofbusinessnegotiationswillalsobeimproved.Innegotiation:techniquesandstrategiestoachieveasuccessfulbusinessnegotiationAfterpreparation,itistimetosetdownandapplysometechniquesandstrategiesfornegotiation.Internationalbusinessnegotiationisspecialinthatthetwopartiesfromdifferentcountrieswillhavetotaketheinternationaleconomiclawsandtheirdifferingeconomicsystems,socialandculturalbackgroundsandmanyotherfactorsintoconsiderationwhentheyarenegotiating.Besides,theinternationaltransferofassetiscloselyconnectedwithsuchproblemsasinternationaltrade,internationalfinance,internationalinsuranceandinternationaltransportation.Therefore,inordertoachieveasuccessfulinternationalbusinessnegotiation,thenegotiatorshavetolearnandapplysometechniquesandstrategies.First,attentivelisteningandobservingisveryimportantinnegotiation.Manyinexperiencednegotiatorsthinktheirtaskistotalkaboutthemselvesandcontradicttheotherpartywhennegotiating,anddonotlistentotheotherpartypatientlywhilesomeoneisspeaking.Someofthemdonotpayanyattentiontowhattheotherpartytalksabout,andasaresult,theymissmuchusefulinformation.Theyholdmistakenlytheviewthatthebestnegotiatorsalwayswintheinitiativeofnegotiationbytalkingmuch.邹建华.国际商务谈判业务与技巧邹建华.国际商务谈判业务与技巧.广州：中山大学出版社,1990.Thechieftaskforanegotiatoristocollectnecessaryinformationinnegotiation.Heorshehastolistencarefullytowhattheircounterpartsfromtheotherpartysay,andfrequentlyaskthemquestionstomakesureheorsheunderstandswhattheysay.Bylistening,thenegotiatorsgettoknowtherealdemandoftheotherparty,andwhilelistening,theyareonthewaytofindsolutionstoproblems.Somepeoplepointoutthatininternationalbusinessnegotiation,talkingisatask,whilelisteningisanability.Whetheranegotiatorisgoodatlisteningornotwillhaveagreateffectonhisorhersuccessorfailure.Observingisasimportantaslisteningininternationalbusinessnegotiation.Thenegotiatorsaresupposedtoobservecarefullyatthemannersandattitudesoftheircounterparts.Sometimestheyhavetochangesomeoftheirpreviousplansordecisionswhentheyfindthattherearesomealterationintheexpressionsormannersoftheotherparty,soastoleadthenegotiationtocontinueandcometoanexpectedend.Manysmallincidentsmayhappeninnegotiation,andcloseobservationcanhelpavoidtheadverseeffectsoftheseincidents.Itisalsoanimportantabilityforthenegotiatorstoobserveininternationalbusinessnegotiation.Second,effectiveuseofverbalandnon-verballanguageisausefultoolfornegotiating.Toestablishafriendlyrelationshipwiththeotherpartyisoneofthemostimportantstepsofnegotiation,whichwillcreateafavorableatmosphereforthewholediscussion.Thenegotiationmaybeginwithsometopicsthatbothpartiesareinterestedin,forinstance,theclubstheyjoinandtheexercisestheydo.Thisgivesagoodbeginningforthenegotiationandleadsittogooninaneasyandpoliteatmosphere,andfurthermore,tobuilduptrustandconfidenceineachother.Itishelpfultouseverballanguageinacorrectwayininternationalbusinessnegotiation.Fromtheanswersoftheotherparty,wecanalsogainimportantinformationforbusiness.Thenegotiatorsmayusesomewordsorphraseswithneutralmeanings,forexample,“oh”,“ah”,“yes”and“Isee”,toshowthattheyareinterestedinwhattheircounterpartsaretalkingaboutandthattheywantthemtocontinue.Reiterationcanalsobeusedininternationalbusinessnegotiationtogainmoreinformationorshowinterestinacertaintopic.Forinstance,ifsomeonefromtheotherpartysays,“Thistimeweneedasignificantincreaseindiscount.”Anegotiatormayrepeatthewords“asignificantincrease”,andseewhatwillhappennext.Mostofthetime,theotherpartywillgoontoexplainwhat“asignificantincrease”is,andheorshecanfurtherunderstandtheintentionoftheotherpartyinthisnegotiationandwhattheythinkisthemostimportant.Meanwhile,thenegotiatorsshouldtrytousefewwordsorsentencesthatwillarousethedislikeoftheotherparty.They,especiallythosenegotiatorswhosemothertongueisnotEnglish,havetoavoidusingwordsandphrasedlike“Totellyouthetruth”or“Iwillbehonestwithyou…”.Becausethesewillcauseasenseofdistrustandnonconfidence,whichcontributestothenegativeinfluenceoftheircooperationinnegotiation.Properquestioningisveryusefulinnegotiationaswell.Byquestioning,thenegotiatorswillgetsomeinformationthatcannotbegainedanywhereexceptinnegotiation;andtheymayalsomakesureoftheirjudgmentsviaquestions.Thenegotiatorsasexportersshouldtrytoaskopen-endedquestionsinsteadofquestionswhichwillberespondedbyonly“yes”or“no”.Theopen-endedquestionsusuallyrequiredetailedexplanationsfromtheotherparty.Becausetheseexplanationsalwaysenabletheimporterstotalkabouttheirdemandatliberty,thiswillprovideanopportunityfortheexporterstofindoutwhattheyreallyneed.Takeforexamplethattheexportersmayasktheimportersthefollowingquestions,“Couldyoutellmemoreaboutyourcompany?”“Howdoyoulikeourproducts?”Andtheexportingnegotiatorshavetotakedownthekeyandimportantthingsforfutureuse.Theconditionalquestions,eachofwhichiscomposedofaconditionaladverbialclauseandaninterrogativeclause,areoftenemployedininternationalbusinessnegotiation,too.Amongthem,thetypicalsentencestructuresare“What…if…”and“If…then…”.Forinstance,“Whatwouldyoudoifweguaranteeweeklyshipping?”and“Ifweagreetocutthepriceby2%,thenwouldyouplacealargerorderthanyouhadplannedto?”Properconcessionwouldopenadoorforthesuccessofinternationalbusinessnegotiation.However,anyconcessioninbusinessisbasedonequalityandmutualbenefitofbothparties.Theconcessionintheformofconditionalquestionsleadsthetwopartiesinnegotiationtothisend.Thisisbecausetheconditionaladverbialclausesofferanopportunityfortheparty,whomakestheconcession,toproposethecorrespondingdemandfromtheotherparty.Asaresult,bothpartieswouldgaintheirequalinterestsandbenefitsthroughconcession.Besidesverballanguage,non-verballanguagealsoplaysanimportantroleininternationalbusinessnegotiation.Non-verballanguageincludesfacialexpressions,gesture,posture,spaceanddistance,appearance,timingandsoon.Itcannotbeseparatedfromtheprocessofdiscussioninnegotiation;however,manynegotiatorsneglectthis,whichcausesdifferentdegreesofdifficultyforthebusinessnegotiation.Thenegotiatorsshouldalsopayattentiontothefactthatpeoplefromdifferentcountrieshavedifferentnon-verballanguages.TakeforexamplethattheJapanesenegotiatorsuselesseyecontactandwearlessfacialexpressionsthantheAmericannegotiatorswhentheyareininternationalbusinessnegotiation.TheykeepsilentmuchmoreoftenwhennegotiatingthantheChinesenegotiators,whotendtokeepsilentonlywhentheywanttoshowtheirdisagreementoncertainmatters.Anynegotiatorshavetomakeclearthesedifferencestoavoidanyunnecessaryconfusionormisunderstanding.Third,thenegotiatorsshouldpayattentiontotheculturaldifferenceininternationalbusinessnegotiation.Differentculturalbackgroundswillposecertaindegreesofdifficultiesfornegotiation,andsometimestheywillleadtosomemisunderstandingbetweentwoparties.Therefore,thenegotiatorshavetobeawareoftheculturaldifferencesandpayenoughattentiontothesituationsoranyunexpectedincidentscausedbythem.Negotiatorsfromdifferentcountriesmayhavedifferentwaysofthinking,andthiswillhaveagreatinfluenceontheirdecisionmaking.Whenfacingacomplexnegotiationtask,thenegotiatorsfromthewesterncountriesprefertodividetheirmajortaskintosmallpartsandsolveproblemsstepbystepwhilenegotiating.Forexample,whentheyarenegotiatingwiththeotherpartyaboutprices,delivery,insurance,servicesandotherproblems,theytendtomakeconcessionandcometoagreementineachofthesedifferentsubjects,andeventuallycombinethesesmallagreementsintothefinalagreement.Thisisquitedifferentfromthatoftheorientalnegotiators.Thosefromorientalcountrieswillnotmakeconcessionandpromisesinalltheproblemsuntiltheendofnegotiation,whentheycometotheirfinalagreementwiththeotherparty.Fourth,therearesomeotherproblemsthatareworthnoticingininternationalbusinessnegotiation.‘Thenegotiatorshavetobeconfidentinthemselvesandtheoutcomeofthenegotiation.Theinternationalbusinessnegotiationisbasedonmutualbenefit,sobothpartiesareinanequalposition.Onepartyinnegotiationcannotgettoadesirableresultwithouttheotherparty.Thenegotiatorsshouldbeclearofthisandactconfidentlywhilenegotiating.Afewnegotiatorsoftenusesomewordswithcertainmeaningofthreateningwhentheycometosomeconcreteproblemsininternationalbusinessnegotiation.Theythreatentoabandonthenegotiationifoneorsomeproblemscannotberesolvedinthewaytheyarepleasedwith.Thiskindofthreateningsometimesbringsagoodending,butitcannotbeusedtoooften,becausethiswillarousedisgustintheotherparty,andisnotfavorabletoalong-timecooperativerelationshipbetweentwoparties.Problemscannotbesolvedbyforceontheseoccasions.Anypartyissupposedtobeconcernedwiththeinterestsoftheotherparty,notjusttheirown.Theinternationalbusinessnegotiatorsshouldbeclearthatbusinessisnotcheating,sotheyhavetotrytousetrickmeansasfewaspossible.Cheatingisanunwisemeasureforashortterm.Inthelongrun,anicecooperationmustbebuiltuponthebasisofhonestyandfaithfulness.Ifthenegotiatorsarenotgoodatcheating,theyhadbetternotusetricksatall.Otherwise,oncetheirtricksarediscovered,theircreditinbusinesswillbeadverselyaffected.Ifthenegotiatorsofonepartyfindthattheircounterpartsareusingtricks,theyhavetoremindthemtogointherightwaybyindicating.Ininternationalbusinessnegotiation,thenegotiatorsarenotsupposedtomakepromiseseasilyorinahurry.Theyshouldholdgoodcontrolofthesequenceandspeedofnegotiation,anddoremembertoleavesomespaceforturnaboutswhilenegotiatingasmentionedabove.Iftheexpectedgoalisreached,theyhavetomakepromptdecisionsandputtheiragreementsintocontracts.Becausesometimesoneofthetwopartieswouldcanceltheiragreementsthenextday,oreveninseveralminutesaftercomingtoagreements,whicharecausedbymanyreasons.Therefore,theinternationalbusinessnegotiatorshavetobedecidedatcrucialmomentsandcatchthechancetosigncontractswiththeircounterpartswithoutanyhesitationintherighttime.Post-negotiation:pavingthewayforasuccessfullong-termcooperationThecompletionofanegotiationandthesigningofacontractdonotmeantheendtotheinternationalbusiness.Thecompanieshavetokeepfurthercontactwithcustomersbye-mailsorvisits,andmaintainagoodrelationshipwiththem.Internationalbusinessesarenotshort-termwork.Thelongerbothpartiescooperatewitheachother,themorebenefitstheywillget.Asuccessfulbusinessrelationshipisonewhichwilllast,notjustoccursonce.Theexportingcompaniesaresupposedtogettoknowthedemandoftheircustomersaswellastosendinformationabouttheirnewproductsorservicesintimetothecustomers.Thebestwaysaresendinge-mail,payingvisitsandinformingbyphone.Summarizingandaccumulatingtheexperienceinnegotiatingarealsooneoftheimportantjobsafterinternationalbusinessnegotiation.Everynegotiationisaprocessofstudying,whichprovidesexperiencednegotiatorstoapplytheirknowledgeandtechniques,andnewnegotiatorstolearnhowtocopewithproblemsonsuchoccasions.Acompanymakesprogressbecauseitisalwaysstudyingandaccumulating,sodoesabusinessnegotiator.Afteraninternationalbusinessnegotiation,thenegotiatorshavetolookbackandthinkaboutwhathashappenedinit.Forexample,whatthetwopartiesaredifferingfromeachotherfundamentallyandwhatcouldbedonetobridgethegap.Thisreviewwillhelpalotinthenextnegotiation.Internationalbusinessesareallaboutpreparationandopportunities,andopportunitiesarealwaysforthosecompaniesthatgetwellprepared.Itis,again,timetodoagoodpreparationforthenextsuccessfulnegotiation.Onecompanymaybehandlingdifferentthingsatonetime,negotiatingwithorcontactingseveralparties,aswellaspreparingforsomeothersatthesametime.Nomatterwhichpartytheyarecooperatingwith,theyhavetogetwellprepared,becauseagoodpreparationmeansafavorablebeginningofaninternationalbusinessnegotiation.5.C