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The Turkish Business Culture
Making appointments Arrange appointments in advance. Try to do so via telephone and confirm it with a letter or an e-mail. It is a good idea to call a few days before to check that it is still convenient. Business and banking hours are 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon and 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday to Friday. Friday is the traditional Islamic weekly holiday, although this is now Sunday in Turkey. Many Turkish males will attend the Friday congregational prayer - Cuma Namazi [pronounced juma namz-uh] which will take place from about 1-1:30 p.m. Times to avoid travelling to Turkey on business are the main summer months of June, July, and August since most Turkish businesspeople take extended vacations to spend time with family. In addition, Turkey has many secular and Islamic holidays. January 1st is New Year's Day, August 30th is Victory Day and October 28-29th is Republic Day. In addition to these, there are a few minor celebrations. Islamic holidays will fall on different dates each year due to their being calculated on lunar cycles. Ramazan [called Ramadhan in other Muslim countries] is the month in which the Quran was originally first transmitted to the Prophet Muhammad. It is incumbent on all Muslims to fast from dawn until dusk. Before dawn you may hear drums being banged in the streets to wake people up to eat and at dusk a cannon or the call to prayer [ezan] is used to signal an end to the fasting. In most Muslim countries, eating and drinking publicly during the day may be extremely inappropriate for a foreigner, however in Turkey you will often find locals doing so. It is best to err on the side of caution and avoid doing so. Ramazan ends with the festival known as Ramazan Bayram or Şeker Bayram. Families will visit each other and children will receive presents, sweets or money. Work pretty much grinds to a halt. The other major Islamic festival is Kurban Bayram or the 'sacrifice festival.' Marking the end of the pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, it is based upon the Quranic story of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son for God. A few days prior to the festival you may see herds of sheep, goats or cows on the outskirts of towns and cities that will be bought by families and tied up outside houses until the day arrives. The animal is then slaughtered and the meat distributed among the family, neighbours and the poor. Although Turks do not practice time keeping and punctuality perfectly, they will expect you to do so. If you do arrive on time it is not uncommon for you to be left waiting while a previous meeting is wrapped up or a telephone conversation is taking place. If travelling a distance to get to an office or meeting place, it is a good idea to leave plenty of time for your trip. Turkish roads and transport can let you down. Most Turkish businesspeople have a good command of English. Other international languages spoken included Arabic, Greek, French and German. If you are unsure as to your counterpart's linguistic capability, it may be worth investing in an interpreter. Remember to slow your speech down and to speak clearly. Always confirm meanings, conclusions and agreements. Rather than 'get down to business', engage in some small talk and always wait for the other to initiate the change in topic. Retrieved from
Guidelines for business dress Business dress is conservative. You will be expected to wear a suit and tie. Similarly, women should wear smart professional outfits. In the summer, and especially in the cities of Istanbul, Izmir and Ankara, the weather is very hot and humid. It is acceptable to wear a shirt with trousers and in most cases not to wear a tie. Outside the big cities - and especially in the East of Turkey - both women and men should wear more conservative clothing. Women are advised to refrain from exposing their legs and arms and to ensure clothes are not tight-fitting. Men should not wear shorts. At the beach, normal beach wear is worn by Turk and foreigner alike. When visiting a mosque, bear in mind that it is place of worship. Never enter a mosque with shoes. There is always a rack where shoes can be kept. Make sure your feet are clean and will not bring in dust or mud. Men should not wear shorts and must wear a shirt or t-shirt. Women should be covered fully, especially their hair. If you do not have a scarf, ask an attendant as some are usually put aside for foreign visitors. Retrieved from
Welcome topics of conversation At initial meetings, it is a good idea to get to know your Turkish counterpart on a personal level. Ask about his/her family without prying. Questions about children will be welcomed. Find out about their work, role and company. The Turks are proud of their country and will enjoy answering questions on their culture and history - although be sure to avoid political history. Most Turkish men love football [soccer] and usually support one of three teams: Galatasaray, Beşiktaş or Fenerbahçe. Asking after their team's recent fortunes will always produce lively and animated responses. Turks follow current affairs closely and will usually be opinionated.
Topics to Avoid Avoid giving opinions over sensitive issues involving Turkey, especially Turko-Kurdish relations, the Cyprus issue and EU membership Turkey has had a turbulent political history which may be best left in the past. Try and avoid this subject as a whole. There is a West-East divide in Turkey on the issue of Islam. Generally, the Eastern Turks are a lot more conservative due to their closer adherence to Islamic values. Western Turks, especially those in Istanbul, Ankara or Izmir are usually a lot more westernized. Islam takes on more of a cultural feel rather than a religious one. Depending on where you are, be careful how you approach any topic about Islam Retrieved from
Addressing others with respect When addressing a Turk, the most common method is to call a man by his first name followed by 'bey' [pronounced bay]. So, Ertan Gonca would be Ertan Bey. Similarly a woman's first name would be followed by 'hanim' [pronounced ha-num]. Where professional titles exist, such as Doctor or Professor, always use them either on their own or before the first name. Curiously, this is also the case with many other professions such as lawyers 'Avukat' or engineers 'Muhendis.' Within Turkish companies and organizations, senior ranking staff will be addressed accordingly. A common example is Mr. Manager, 'Mudur Bey.' A common phrase you will hear Turks using is 'efendim' [literally 'my master']. You may hear this from a waiter, a secretary, taxi driver, doorman, shop staff and many others. It is simply a polite way of addressing people you are not familiar with Retrieved from
Selecting and presenting an appropriate business gift Gift giving has no real place in business relationships or etiquette. Relationship building and the like will usually take the form of dining or sight seeing trips rather than lavish gifts. However, if a gift is given it will be accepted graciously. It is always a good idea to bring gifts from your own country such as food stuffs or craft items. Be aware that Turkey is a Muslim country. Before giving alcohol to anyone, be 100% sure that they drink. The only time you would need to give any great thought to gifts would be if you were invited to a Turk's home for dinner. The most common gifts to take are pastries, [especially 'baklava'] and decorative items for the home such as ornaments or vases. Flowers are not usually taken to a host, but can be if felt appropriate. It is best to ask a florist for advice on what is best to take. If the host has children, take some expensive sweets or candy. Retrieved from
What you should know before negotiating Always come to Turkey knowing two things. Your success is defined by your ability to build effective personal relationships combined with a clearly outlined and well presented proposal. Business is personal. Although this is changing with the influx of big multi-nationals and a more corporate culture in some of the larger companies, many businesses are still family owned and run. Turks will want to do business with those they like, trust, feel comfortable with and with those that can provide a long term relationship. If they feel you are hiding something or there is an element of suspicion about your motives, you may not get very far. Building a relationship with your Turkish counterpart[s] is therefore critical. The first meeting should be solely focused on getting to know each other. Once a relationship has been established, you can safely move on to business matters. As well as looking to the person, Turks are also astute businesspeople. Ensure your proposal clearly demonstrates the mutual benefit and profitability of any agreement or partnership. Turks are primarily oral and visual communicators, so in addition to written statistics, projections and the like, try to present information vocally or with maps, graphs and charts. Decision making can be slow. It is most likely that you will meet and negotiate with less senior members of a family first. Once you are seen as trustworthy and your proposal financially viable you will then move on to meet more senior members. A decision is ultimately made by the head of the family/company. When negotiating, the Turks will start at extremes in order to gage your response. Prior to negotiations know your target figure and work slowly towards it through meaningful concessions. When conceding, ensure you present this as a favour and a decision made out of respect and liking for your counterpart[s]. Try to concede only once you have gained agreement on a reciprocal concession on a separate or related issue. Do not use deadlines or pressure tactics as the Turks will use this to their advantage and reverse the tactic by threatening to cancel agreements or end negotiations. Be patient. It may not always be necessary to focus on financial benefits when negotiating. It is just as useful to point to areas such as power, influence, honour, respect and other non-monetary incentives. Retrieved from
Acceptable public conduct When meeting, shake hands firmly. When departing, it is not always customary to shake hands - although it is practised occasionally. Friends and relations would greet each other with either one or two kisses on the cheek. Always respect elders by kissing their right hand then placing the forehead onto the hand. When entering a room, if you are not automatically met by someone, greet the most elderly or most senior first. At social occasions, greet the person closest to you, then work your way around the room or table anti-clockwise. Greet people with either the Islamic greeting of 'Asalamu alaykum' [peace be upon you] or 'Nasilsiniz' [How are you? Pronounced na-sul-su-nuz] Other useful phrases are 'Gunaydin' [Good Morning, pronounced goon-ay-dun], 'iyi gunler' [Good Day, pronounced ee-yee gun-ler] or 'Memnun Oldum' [pleased to meet you]. Smoking is practically a national past time in Turkey. Although a law was passed banning smoking in offices, very few comply with the regulations. Luckily, all bus companies, cinemas and some shopping malls are a lot stricter. When seated opposite someone, try not to sit with your legs apart. Keep them together or cross your legs Holding hands with someone from the opposite sex is acceptable in the cities and beach resorts. In rural Turkey and the East, this would be frowned upon. The Turkish gestures for 'yes' and 'no' can at first be quite confusing. 'Yes' is indicated with a nod of the head upwards, while 'no' is also an upward nod but accompanied by the raising of the eyebrows. A sure sign that a 'no' is meant is if it is accompanied with a hissing of the teeth ['tsk']. To wave down a taxi or bus, stretch out your right arm and move your wrist inwards repeatedly. Queues do not seem to operate along the same basis as they do in the US or Europe. It is not uncommon for people to jump queues or even go straight to the front. It is best to be patient. If frustration gets the better of you, politely point out you were in the line before them - although most of the time this will make little difference. Retrieved from |
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