DOING BUSINESS IN FRANCE - International Trade Club Busin… · invented in Paris in 1895 by Louis Lumiere ... Famous French Names and Accolades • 1783 – Montgolfier brothers

DOING BUSINESS IN

FRANCE

DR MARK ORME

6 NOVEMBER 2014

1INNOVATIVE THINKING

FOR THE REAL WORLD

Overview

• General Introduction and Facts about France -

How much do you know?

• Business Etiquette in France

• Top Tips for Doing Business in France

• Some French Business Phrases

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The Holy GrailFrance: it regions and people


The population of France today is:

(a) 46 million

(b) 66 million

(c) 86 million



French is spoken in:

a) 5 countries in the world

b) 18 countries in the world

c) 40 countries in the world



French is the language of:

a) 2 countries in the European Union

b) 3 countries in the European Union

c) 4 countries in the European Union

(France, Belgium & Luxembourg)



The three biggest cities in France are:

a) Paris – Toulouse – Marseille

b) Paris – Bordeaux – Lille

c) Paris – Marseille – Lyon



• The total surface area of France is 674,843 squared

kms – includes Metropolitan France and overseas

departments and territories

• The surface area of Metropolitan France is 551, 695

squared kms

France: Some Statistics


Geographical Divisions in France

• Metropolitan France = 22 regions (“régions”) and 96 departments (“départements”) – roughly equivalent to counties in the UK;

• 327 “arrondissements” (districts);

• 3,694 “cantons” (constituencies);

• 36,433 “communes” (district; parish)


French Regions outside Metropolitan France

5 overseas regions – “Régions d’outre mer”:

• Guadeloupe – French West Indies

• French Guiana – South America

• Martinique – French West Indies

• Réunion – Indian Ocean, east of Mozambique

and Madagascar

• Mayotte – north of Madagascar


A Few Observations of the French People

• French people are patriotic – 83% of French people choose to spend their holidays in France;

• French cuisine is seen to be of the highest quality – les cuisses de grenouille, les escargots, la tarte tatin, with regional specialities

• Work-life balance


Famous French Names

• Fashion DesignersYves Saint-Laurent, Christian Dior

• Writers / Philosophers Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, Simone de Beauvoir

• Cinema invented in Paris in 1895 by Louis Lumiere

• Sport

Le Tour de France, Le Parkour


Famous French Names and Accolades

• 1783 – Montgolfier brothers invent the hot-air balloon

• Blaise Pascal – invented the digital calculator

• Louise Braille – created braille

• TGV world speed record – 357.2 mph (3 April 2007)


A Few Interesting Facts about France

• France has roughly the same population as the UK, but it is a far bigger country

• France is the most visited country in the world, receiving 82 million foreign tourists annually

• France was one of the founding members of the European Union and the United Nations

• French is one of three official ‘procedural languages’ of the European Union (with German and English)

French Business Culture

• Formality

• Use of the French Language

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrw5YgWC0rs

• Business Etiquette – Meeting and Greeting

• Business Etiquette – Cuisine

• Communication style

• How to negotiate

• Dress Codes

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French Business Culture

• Punctuality is a fairly relaxed affair

• Use formal titles and, if speaking in French,

stick to the formal “vous”, not the informal

“tu”

• Avoid personalising discussions

• Avoid exaggeration

• Successful negotiations are based on logic

and having a clear rationale

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Ten Top Tips for Doing Business in France

1. Be formal until and unless invited otherwise by your

French host

2. Arrive on time for business meetings but do not expect

an apology if your French host arrives late

3. “Dress to impress”

4. Be logical and rational in your business proposal

5. Avoid personalising business transactions

Ten Top Tips for Doing Business in France

6. If a stalemate ensues, try to approach your proposal

from a different perspective

7. Avoid hyperbole

8. Adopt a direct, probing questioning style

9. Give serious answers to serious questions

10. Do not try to sell yourself too much

More General Tips

• Don’t hide your hands while eating – elbows on

the table are acceptable in France!

• When travelling on trains / buses you may need

to “composter” [validate] your ticket. Not doing

so can be costly

• Always carry identification

French Business Phrases

• Bonjour / Bonsoir, Monsieur, Madame, Mademoiselle

• Je m’appelle Monsieur / Madame / Mademoiselle /

Professeur / Docteur

• Voici ma carte

• Je suis enchanté(e) de faire votre connaissance.

• Comment vous appelez-vous?

• Ça va bien?

• Oui, ça va très bien, merci

• Au revoir

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Practice

• Bonjour / Bonsoir, Monsieur, Madame, Mademoiselle

• Je m’appelle Monsieur / Madame / Mademoiselle /

Professeur / Docteur

• Voici ma carte

• Je suis enchanté(e) de faire votre connaissance.

• Comment vous appelez-vous?

• Ça va bien?

• Oui, ça va très bien, merci

• Au revoir

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Phrases

• Excusez-moi, Madame / Monsieur,

Mademoiselle

• Je ne parle pas l’anglais

• Je parle un peu le français

• Désolé, Madame / Monsieur, Mademoiselle,

mais je ne comprends pas

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Phrases – encore!

• Merci beaucoup, Monsieur / Madame,

Mademoiselle

• S’il vous plaît

• Au Revoir

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Merci beaucoup, Mesdames et Messieurs, de votre

attention

Avez-vous des questions ?

Doing Business in France

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Documents

DOING BUSINESS IN FRANCE - International Trade Club Busin… · invented in Paris in 1895 by Louis Lumiere ... Famous French Names and Accolades • 1783 – Montgolfier brothers