Business as usual? Not on the Russian speaking market! Comparing West to East, there are a lot of things the Russians can learn from us. In this article I want to lay out, what you can teach the Russian speaking market.

As some of you know, I just came back from a long business trip to Ukraine. Ok, Ukraine is not Russia, but since it’s been part of the former Sowjet Union, there are a lot of cultural things that stayed the same. It was quite hard to understand their approaches in doing business, even though I was born in Ukraine.

Many of them talk twice as much as they do. Doing business locally, isn’t the same as it is in Germany or the USA. They simply see some things different than we do. Is steeling a business opportunity?! Faking the facts, corruption, etc. isn’t one either!

You can’t change their mentality, but you can teach them a couple of things:

Status symbols

Russia is always up for showing what they have to demonstrate how successful one is. Big and fast cars from abroad, golden accessory, … are normal. If you don’t have that, you’re not part of the “club”. Showcasing the income to demonstrate ones ability to run a successful business is normal, too. The fear of not been taken serious if you can’t demonstrate how much you earn, is a big hurdle to go for ones dreams.

What you can do for them:

• show them that they don’t need to have the biggest something to be successful: Even with a small number of subscribers you can run a successful online business…
• money doesn’t equal authority  : Teach them how they can become an authority without having a million at the bank.
• etc.

Networking

This topic is not only a country specific problem. But I’ve noticed that networking is done differently over there. Friends have friends who have friends. Those friends’ friends know ones friends who’s friends… But this is not networking. They call when they need something and that’s it.

What you can teach them:

• Initiating direct personal contacts
• Marketing others more than themselves
• Benefits of feeding the contacts: not only call when help is needed
• Investing in opportunities: give before receive
• etc.

Niche Business

Big is great. Big makes you more money. This is something I heard often. Many of them don’t understand that you don’t need to do, know or have everything. Many of them don’t understand the benefits of specializing.

What you can help them with:

• Specializing on niches
• Benefits of niche marketing
• Benefits of not being an all-rounder
• etc.

Research and Service

Why do the Chinese business offer their employees housing next to their working places? Why are they offering them nannies for their kids? Right, to have them near the working place so they don’t spend so much time to get there. This saved time can be invested in more working time. More working time means, that more can get done. The more is getting done, the more money the company makes. You get the point. But this doesn’t apply to the Russian speaking market. Most don’t see the point in investing in things like that. Many don’t think about how such investments may benefit them in the future.

What you can teach them:

• Not only concentrate on yourself: know what your readers want
• Benefits of catering to those you want to benefit from
• etc.

Other things you can teach them

• Hustle
  • Know what you want and go for it
  • Concentrate and focus on the goal
  • etc.
• Structuring and Planning
  • Benefits of planning the effort: laying out the things that need to be done to achieve the desired goal
  • etc.

Doesn’t that look like an opportunity? Think about what you have to offer to help them. Tell me in the comments below what you think about catering to the Russian speaking market. Have any question? Use the comment section below…