introduction to doing business in india

Introduction to doing business in India

NTTE Nordic Trade & Technology Exchange

By

Yogesh Kale Director – 4Nature Oy

Moderator – Nordic Trade & Technology Exchange ( NTTE )

4N – Company business Case

• 4Nature OY Ltd manufactures and supplies Eco-Friendly Smart building material & solutions, with special focus on infrastructure capacity building in emerging economies.

• 4Nature has business activities in India, Nepal, Central & West Africa, Russia and Finland.

• NTTE – facilitates trade & technology exchange in addition to International Business Development for NORDIC companies looking for expansion in India & parts of Africa



Doing business in India

• 4Nature Oy - India experience – since June 2012

• Projects implementation in Bihar (a north eastern state) Maharashtra (western state) & New Delhi (national capital region)

• Current Projects in Konkan region ( close to Mumbai & Goa)

• NTTE – in existence as an informal advisory since 2010 – has been formalised as a company very recently.


India - Culture & Diversity

• India is a vast country & cultural diversity is enormous

• 325 Spoken Languages • 1652 dialects • 18 Official Languages • 29 states & 7 Union territories • Population 1,3 billion • Literacy : 66 %


India - Business

• Indian businessmen in general are sensitive & watchful of smallest of gestures

• Sell yourself before you sell your product or an Idea

• Hospitality is common practice.

• Feelings & relationships are important (for decision making) so it’s a good investment to build trust

• Indian businessmen in general are sensitive & watchful of smallest of gestures

• Sell yourself before you sell your product or an Idea

• Hospitality is common practice.

• Feelings & relationships are important (for decision making) so it’s a good investment to build trust


India Business Culture

• Do not underestimate Indians or India in any way

• ‘My way or the highway’ attitude will halt your journey before it begins

• Disturbances & distractions during a business meet is common, does not mean lack of interest.



• New Ideas must be accompanied with endorsements & history of success, that could be verified

• First time Ideas (never implemented before) are usually a challenge to implement

• Disagreements are not aired openly & directly



• Bargaining for price or concessions is very common, do not take it personally. Always keep a price buffer

• Flexibility in negotiations is expected

• Straight forward offers are not always a good idea

• Avoid insisting on commitments and decisions in your first meeting




Some Significant Aspects

• India is a Heterogeneous Society, therefore differences due to region, religon, language & cast can vastly change the etiquettes, behavior & approach of people.

• HIERARCHY in business environment

• Respect for age & experience

• Women doing business in India will receive lot of respect & courtesies however has to SOMETIMES put in extra effort to close deals.


4N India experience – what helped us

• Building relationships with Dignity & self respect

• Establishing trust ( Not going to run away)

• BE CAREFUL – and always be on the right side of the law

• Right business partner.

• Not succumb to paying bribes, there are ethical ways too.


Concluding words

• There is no specific formula for success in Indian Business Environment - Having a right partner can certainly change your fortunes.

• Appreciate Price sensitivity & make that a part of your strategy

• Seeing is believing – foes for products & People.


Thank You

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