Business culture in Turkey can vary regionally within the country. Maintaining effective personal relationships and building trust over the long term are keys to success when doing business with Turkish counterparts. Meetings are best scheduled outside of June-August vacation season and Ramadan fasting month. Proper business etiquette includes a firm handshake upon introduction and using both hands when exchanging business cards.

1. Business Culture in Turkey

2. Population 77,804,122 (July 2010 est.) Population growth rate 1.272% (2010 est.) Ethnic groups Turkish 70-75% Kurdish 18% other minorities 7-12% Language Turkish (official) Kurdish, other minority languages

3. Brief History Capital city Ankara Government Parliamentary representative democracy The largest city İstanbul Economy World’s 15th largest GDP and 17th largest Nominal GDP also Member of G-20

4. Business Culture Current conditions zone by zone Regions Divided into seven census regions with 81 cities Differences There are visible differences between the 7 regions in business East side vs West side Differences in business culture Domestic vs Foreign Investments Drawbacks for the East Side

5. Meeting and Greeting Doing Business in Turkey Meeting Shake hands firmly Departing Practised occasionally Business contex Most women will shake hands Addressing Common method is to call a man by his first name Doğukan Yol Doğukan Bey Elwira Oury Elwira Hanım Professional Titles Doctor, Lawyer, Engineer Lawyer Avukat Engineer Mühendis

6. Initial Meetings Questions Football

7. Entertaining Turks enjoy food and the meal Hospitality Host always pays for the meal

8. Business Etiquette Dress, Patient, Eye contact Types of Dress Turkish dress is similar to the accepted mode of dress in Western Europe. For men - a suit, tie and white shirt. For women - a skirt of conservative length is recommended.

9. Business Etiquette Dress, Patient, Eye contact Eye Contact DO maintain eye contact with your Turkish counterpart whilst speaking, as Turks take this as a sign of sincerity .

10. Business Etiquette Dress, Patient, Eye contact Be Patient DON’T use deadlines or high pressure tactics during business negotiations with your Turkish colleagues as they will be counterproductive. Be patient during negotiations as decision making can be slow .

11. Business Etiquette Dress, Patient, Eye contact Gift DON’T offer gifs that are too lavish or personal and be sure to check that your Turkish counterparts drink before giving alcohol. The exchanging of gifts is not a predominant feature of Turkish business culture. However, if a gift is given it will be gratefully accepted.

12. Business Etiquette Dress, Patient, Eye contact Schedule of important days Do not schedule meetings during Ramazan (known in other Muslim countries at Ramadan). This is a month of fasting. Please do not schedule meetings from June-August. Many Turks are away on vacation during this time to spend more time with families.

13. Business Etiquette Dress, Patient, Eye contact Business Card Please use both hands when exchanging business cards. Print one side in Turkish and one in English. Please have all printed materials available in Turkish and English. Go that extra mile and impress your Turkish colleagues by getting a Turkish Translation of all pertinent documents.

14. Business Etiquette Dress, Patient, Eye contact Shaking Upon initial meeting, shake hands with everyone in the room. Please wait for a woman to offer her hand. Greet the most senior member of the company first.

16. Business Culture Negotiation Business in Turkey Trust Long term relationship Feel comfortable Oral and Visiual Communicators Statistics Projections Present Information as Vocal Maps, Graphs, Charts