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More Tips for improving relationships with Thais
July’s topic continues the tips for improving your relationships when doing business with Thais, following up June’s column. I articulated the column based on the assumption that you are the foreigner consultant, foreigner investor, or foreigner business partner with Thais.Accept the hospitality
If you come to Thailand for a business trip of over a week, usually you will have to spend your weekend in the kingdom. If you are new to Thailand and here for the first time, your Thai contact will most likely offer to take care you of during the weekend. You should accept that hospitality. You may choose to decline the offer, but it has to be done in a polite way. If you decline the offer, you create a “Leave Me Alone” perception in their eyes. Indirectly, you send the message to Thais that “I come for business only, forget about relationship”. It might cause you some difficulties in business aspects.
Here are some polite ways to say NO to the offer;
- If you come with your spouse or family and would like to spend good time together, please say so. You might ask for help from local contacts by asking for suggestions on places to visit or tour arrangements. They will happy to help you.
- If you are so tired from the jet-lag, just tell them that you need the rest over the weekend.
- If you are facing some difficulties about your stomach due to the hygiene in local food or water, let your hosts know that you have a little stomach upset but that it is not serious. It happens often, and again they will understand.
If you think it doesn’t require you too much effort to spend some part of the weekend with Thais, here are some ideas and thought stimulators for spending the weekend with Thais
For Introverts, you might consider one activity from the below list;
- Go out with them for a lunch or dinner only. If you select this option, go back to my March column for tips when dining out with Thais.
- Ask them to take you to an art related place like the museum, The Royal Grand Palace, or Grand Temple (Wat-Pra-Kaew). These kind of places do not allow much chit-chat that will bother you.
- Ask them to take you to an English book store. Again it’s a silent activity when searching in a book store. Some recommended book stores are ; "Asia Books", or "DK Books".
For Extroverts, you may consider the below;
- Go out for a golf game with them. Try to go for a very early tee-off (5-6 am). There is a very strong sun in the day time. You will be burned in the field. Normally, Thais love some gambling - just for fun. You can play along with them if they ask. Be yourself, win as much as you can! You might use the money that you gained (in case you won) to offer them an expensive meal or a drink. If you want to impress them in term of hospitality-reply, try to spend more than you earn from the game.
- Ask them to take you shopping/walking at a Giant Open-air Market like Ja-tu-jak Market. This is the place where you can buy real local stuff at an inexpensive price. Usually, most foreigners like to buy a lot of things here as souvenirs. Since it’s an open air market, you can anticipate a very hot sun during the day time. Early morning(6-8 am) or late evening (4-6 pm) are recommended.
- Ask them to take you to the Floating Market (Ta-Lad-Nam). This is an early morning trip. Or the Rose Garden tour for a person who wakes up late.
You will find that any of the above activities will lead you to the opportunity of learning about each other's human side. Later, you will find that the business aspect is more flexible, relaxed and informal. This will definitely strengthen the relationship between you and Thais. In my March column I explained more about how Asean people pay more attention to the relationship.
Project Management with Thais
Many times, you as a foreign consultant or counter part has to work with Thais in the project work environment; for example; implementing a new hardware system , new software system or, or a change initiative. Most of the foreigners are frustrated by project delays.Most of the time, time schedule estimates in a project are based on similar project experience from other countries. For example, some change projects in US, Singapore or Malaysia take only 12 months. For some companies in Thailand it might take 18 to 24 months. Do not use other country experience and epect it to work in Thailand. Here are some suggestions;
- Ask your Thai partners that based on say youe estimated 12 months project time frame, how long do they think it will take in Thailand? Most of the time they will tell you more that it should in the other countries. That’s fine. Ask them the following question.
- How can we (you and the Thais) make the project finish earlier than other countries?
- What resources that we need?
- What are our constraints?
- What could go wrong?
- Use the answers as a critical input in your project plan. Try to work on the project plan together. You role is thought leadership by coaching and facilitating their thinking in the project plan together. Do not manipulate, you will not get their commitment.
- It takes more effort and patience in working with Thais from the perspective of foreigners (particular the Westerner). But once you know the pattern, at other times it’s just the same process....
Kriengsak Niratpattanasai
DBS Thai Danu Bank, Bangkok, Thailand
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