International Business Negotiation

For many business owners the prospect of trading internationally for the first time can be a very worrying experience. The choice to locally source products has always been a favoured method of conducting business however in today’s day and age there is simply so much money in international trade that businesses often cannot afford to miss out. Due to lower labour costs, lower tax and generally lower production costs countries such as China, as a small example, manage to produce high quality products at a fraction of the price; something which could seriously increase your businesses profits.

The first thing that many people have to realise is that international business negotiation is never going to be exactly the same as local business negotiation. As you travel around the world various different countries and business communities have various different business principles. Being able to adapt to these principles is therefore a must if you wish to trade in those regions of the world.

An international business site offers a very in depth look into the cultures and business principles of the most common countries where international business takes place and aims to help those new to international trading get a head start. It will teach you not only about the culture and common practices in the country, but also about the business etiquette and how you should move towards international business negotiation.

Common things you need to know about the country before you start international business negotiation.

The chances are that if you wish to conduct international business negotiation you will be flying out to your country of choice. Even if you find a company you would like to trade with online this is a certainty. Here are some of the things you should know before you make your initial visit:

1. The business practices for greeting / meeting a new person such as handshakes and hellos.
2. What the general business attire is in any given country. Some countries will keep the idea of wearing a suit whereas some may be more relaxed on what you can where to a business meeting.
3. Different countries have different practices when presenting business cards or exchanging credentials. For example in Asia you are meant to treat a potential partners business card with the up most respect, meaning that you receive it in two hands and place it careful in your inside jacket pocket.
4. You should learn about the rules when eating in said country as the company you are negotiating with may take you for a meal. This is important in places such as China, where cleaning your plate is considered an insult; very different to countries such as the UK where it would be a compliment.
5. Look into the countries culture and what they like to do for business entertainment.

Using the international business site will help to learn all of the things mentioned above about various different regions of the world. This will give you a head start when it comes to travelling abroad when looking to kick start some sort of international business negotiation.

Why should you stop your gambling habit now? After all, it is fun for you and it provides a great escape for you. You work so hard during the week, and do you not deserve some fun?

The truth is that gambling habits that start off as recreation can turn into full-fledged gambling addictions and gambling problems. Not everybody who gambles for fun will become an addict. However, there are some good reasons to stop gambling now.

You will prevent yourself from developing a full fledged gambling addiction if you stop your gambling habit now. If it is just a habit, but your trips to the casino have been increasing, you may actually have a strong chance of developing an addiction.

If you stop gambling now, you will most likely realize that you have other interests that you have been neglecting. Gambling can take you away from more creative pursuits because of its’ powerful, mesmerizing, and addictive nature.

When you stop gambling, you will most likely focus more on your current responsibilities and realize that you may have been procrastinating different things in your life. Gambling has a way of pulling you out of the reality of life, even if it is just a bad habit and not a full fledged problem.

Stopping gambling may make you also get more in touch with your true feelings and emotions. When you gamble, you can become numb to your feelings. Gambling has a way of putting you in a dream world, and stopping you from being authentic and honest with yourself and how you feel.

Lastly, if you stop your habit now, you will save hundred to thousand of dollars per year. Even if your gambling is just a bad habit, and had not progressed to a gambling problem, you will still save a lot of money. If you add up how much money you have spent on your gambling in the past year, it may be a lot more money than you thought!

As stated previously, having a gambling habit does not necessarily mean that you have a compulsive gambling problem. It does, however, indicate that you are more at risk for developing an addiction. If you stop now, you will see various areas of your life start to improve significantly.

No matter which way you look at debt, it is still debt. However, unlike the more conventional impression of debt being something that happened because of a home mortgage, car payment or credit card usage, gambling debt is unique. The number one difference here is the temptation to continue gambling, hoping to hit the big one and then pay off all that debt accumulated due to gambling in the first place. The fact is, the odds are definitely stacked against anyone accomplishing this goal.

In a similar manner, those who continually run up credit card debt buying clothes, furniture and other electronic gadgets will never find themselves out of debt. If there is any hope of them one day getting out of debt, the first thing they need to do is stop over-spending. In like manner, this is what the gambler must also do. They must stop gambling in order to truly solve their debt problem.

Unfortunately, unlike those who spend money in order to have things, the gambler looks at their gambling in a different light. If they have lost money betting on horses or at the casino, they often think that their luck is about to change. All they need is that one big jackpot and they will then be living on easy street. They often convince themselves that all their efforts to win are about to pay off, so they continue to go deeper into debt gambling.

As is often the case, the individual begins their gambling problem in a small way. It usually starts with buying lotto tickets, playing bingo or placing bets with co-workers on their favorite sports team. Even though they lose more often than they win, the euphoria that overtakes them whenever they do win compels them to up the stakes in their gambling adventure. They soon begin visiting the race track, betting on horses or dogs, or they make the trip to the local casino for a little slot machine fun. The bottom line here: they begin to lose more than they win back and the debt begins to grow.

Even though they fully recognize the debt they are getting themselves into, they still believe they will one day win the big payoff and will be able to get out of the debt mess they are currently in.

Another aspect of this dilemma is purely psychological. Because no one wants to feel stupid or made a fool of by others because of their propensity to waste money gambling, they often justify their actions by making themselves believe that they will beat the odds and sooner or later hitting the big win will have made it all worthwhile.

The gambling industry doesn’t make it any easier with mottos such as “Lotto does good things” and “If you’re not in it, you can’t win it”. It can make the perpetual gambler think that, even if they continue to lose, at least they are ‘contributing’ to a good cause that benefits the community.

Even though this all makes sense, in the heart of the gambler they know they have a problem. They know that the casinos and other forms of gambling wouldn’t be in business very long if they lost more money than they won. The odds are clearly in favor of the gambling industry and the gambler instinctively knows this.

However, one of the cruelest things to happen to any gambler is to see the occasional big winner. That is often enough to keep them playing the game, hoping that they will be the next big winner. In truth, the very small numbers of instant millionaire jackpot winners are simply being used by the gambling industry to keep the rest of the gamblers going for broke.

The reality is this: in order to get out of gambling debt, the gambler must forsake one dream for another dream. Instead of dreaming about hitting the big jackpot and ending up on easy street, the gambler needs to come to the conclusion that the odds are clearly stacked against him, and this will never happen.

Accept that you are not going to realize a profit from all of that gambling. Admit to yourself that, even if you did win something, you will always lose it back in an attempt to win even more. The bottom line is, as long as you believe you can see a profit from gambling, you will never stop.

Begin to educate yourself by reading books that reveal the true statistics of the game to understand that no one can truly beat the casinos in the long run. You could even research the lives of those that have hit the lotto and see how their lives have turned out. You will soon discover that most of them are miserable, often suffering from depression, divorce, drugs or alcohol, not able to properly manage their unexpected riches, soon to be found poorer than ever, their self esteem gone as well.

The next step is to cease gambling in all its forms. It may require you to request being banned from casinos and race tracks. You will also benefit by canceling any accounts with a bookie or other sources of gambling. It will also mean that you must stop betting with friends and co-workers on potential outcomes of sports matches. You will even need to stop purchasing that occasional lottery ticket, even when it is at a new record amount.

By doing so, you can now use that money you were spending on gambling to start getting out of debt. Instead of thinking that you can buck the system by winning the jackpot and then paying off your debts, take that mindset and apply it towards really winning the big one by paying off your debts the right way. When you are willing to get out of debt through hard work and discipline, only then will you truly be the winner!