Doing Business In India

By Jason Kirk

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In January of this year, I visited India for the first time.

My company, Kirk & Kirk, designs and sells eyewear to independent opticians around the world and, recently, we had seen success with a few clients in India so I decided to explore and see if we could stimulate a new market.

I had always wanted to visit so, despite only having two active clients, I booked two weeks to allow for prospecting and a little tourism.

I announced my dates on LinkedIn and was immediately inundated with enquiries and requests for appointments, some relevant, some speculative but the first thing I learned was that our audience was delighted that we were making the effort to visit and learn about the market.

As CEO of the company, some potential clients were surprised that I had not sent a rep instead of visiting myself but there is no substitute for first-hand experience. I wanted to absorb and understand as much as I could in two weeks and the opticians appreciated my commitment and interest in their world.

I’m not an expert… but some lessons are clear: go with an open mind and an open heart. I was treated royally and welcomed with open arms.

Here is my advice and experience…

1. Take gifts, gifts with a story that you can share and engage with. The value is not important, the thought is. I took local items from Brighton and explained their cultural relevance. My hosts reciprocated with generosity, items varying from clothing to foods and perfumes. All were considered and all were beautiful.
2. Internal travel requires time. The shortest journeys, by taxi or auto (tuk-tuk), take ages and are no small toll on your nerves! Don’t try to pack too much into each day.
3. Go with an empty stomach. Every meeting was a pleasure. Some stores even prepared delicious food to serve during our meetings. It is impolite to turn down this delightful hospitality, not that you would want to, and be prepared to have second helpings! Food is an important part of the culture. I experienced market cafes and high end restaurants. Everything was beautiful, delicately flavoured and clean. When I was on my own and needed to decide where and what to eat, I followed the locals and stumbled across some rare treats. If you get an opportunity to eat tandoori mushrooms……..wow!

One thing is certain, there is an impenetrable layer of cultural communication that we will never get beyond. I have travelled extensively for work and there are some places where you can only sit back and listen, resigned to the fact that you might understand some of the interaction but that there is a local ‘code’, a body language and a vocabulary that would take forever to absorb, but that is a “forever” that I would happily dedicate to India.  My limited experience there was wonderful, enjoyable and professionally successful.

I now understand why people fall in love with India…..instantly.

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To find out more about Kirk & Kirk, visit their website: https://kirkandkirk.com/about-us/our-story/

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