Business Dress in India?

[StockwellDay]

To make a long story short, I work in NYC and wear a suit - tie everyday (save for biz caz Fridays). Obviously the weather in India is very different than NYC right now. Is there anything I should know about business dress in India before I go. FWIW, I'll be in Mumbai.

Should I dress the same as if I were headed to work in Midtown (adjusted for temperature of course)? Is a tan suit acceptable to wear during the day? Brown shoes with navy/grey suit? Will most business men be wearing suits? Any other general rules/things I should know. I'll be meeting with people working within Real Estate PE.

Thanks!

 

[globetrotter]

Originally Posted by StockwellDay

To make a long story short, I work in NYC and wear a suit - tie everyday (save for biz caz Fridays). Obviously the weather in India is very different than NYC right now. Is there anything I should know about business dress in India before I go. FWIW, I'll be in Mumbai.

Should I dress the same as if I were headed to work in Midtown (adjusted for temperature of course)? Is a tan suit acceptable to wear during the day? Brown shoes with navy/grey suit? Will most business men be wearing suits? Any other general rules/things I should know. I'll be meeting with people working within Real Estate PE.

Thanks!


sorry - but have to start with some questions

how old are you?

what is your ethnicity?

what is your position (rank) ?

who are the people you will be meeting with in india (large companies, government)?

where will you be staying?



there are 3 basic answers - but I can give you a lot more info, if you answer the above.

most indians wear a light colored shirt, no tie, dark pants, black shoes. more or less. maybe sandals.

most foreigners wear business casual.

most successful foreigners wear power suits.


oh, and it will be hot.

 

[StockwellDay]

1. mid-20's

2. white

3. VP

4. Senior real estate professionals - within large Indian companies (ex. ICICI, Tata), as well as multinational companies with a real estate focus (ex. DTZ, AIG), various private equity shops.

5. Oberoi

 

[globetrotter]

great.

you need to wear a dark suit, shirt can be white, but blue works too. black shoes. tie. people will tell you not to, I would suggest not listening to them.

you will notice that you may very well be thw youngest person in the room, most of the time. indians are extremly class consience. extremly. they will be watching you carefully, and you need to make it clear that you are of VP status. so, you may very well be in a room of 10 men in shirtsleeves, you need to be the one in the suit.

don't expect people to be too casual, or friendly with you, and don't act too casual with them. offer a great deal fo respect, but also make it clear that you are a person of status yourself.

indians are the toughest negotiators you will ever meet. they do not believe in win/win. somebody is going to loose, and as far as they are concerned, it should be the white guy. never tell an indian about your travel arangments (somebody you are doing business with) - if you tell them when you are flying out, they will try to dry you until just before you have to leave. never look impatient, things take time, and you need to show them that you have time to wait, that you are not under pressure.

get a driver from your hotel. keep him with you at all times. when you meet sombody, don't to in their car, go in yours, even if that means going in two cars. don't walk anywhere - not because of the danger, it is a very safe city, but because you don't want to sweat. you go from AC hotel to AC car to AC office, and then back.


the owners of Tata are zoroasters, RIL are very observant hindus. if you can get a few books and read up on their religions, it will impress them (not that you will be meeting the owners of either, most probrably, but their ethics and religions sort of float over to how they do business).


the italian place at the oberoi has what is probrably the best pizza in mumbai, if not in india. I would also suggest at least one meal at Kybber, which is the power meal place of mumbai, and the golden dragon at the Taj, which is a fantastic example of indian chinese food. the Creamery Center has great northern Vegitarian food, and it is 5 minutes from the Oberoi. the khulfi center is just down the street from the creamery center, and has some of the best indian ice cream that you will find.


in the oberoi shopping center, attached to the hotel, you will find a lot of great shopping. one store, whose name escapes me, but is a few shops down from the hidedesign store, will make custom leather coats in 48 hours. I have 2 that I bought 5 years ago, and they are still in great shape.

pm me if you have any specific questions

 

[rssmsvc]

Wear a light weight suit and dress nicely but not over the top for business meetings and I personally would go with khaki's and a half shirt if you are planning on walking around so you won't get pestered. Pay for a driver for the day if you plan on going out.

When checking in at the hotel a sportcoat and tie will do amazing things for getting you extra items. It may be in my mind but out of 9 visits the 4 in which I was dressed nicely I got ammenitities galore.

Most of the successful people you will meet will have great educations at English inspired institutions and admire a well dressed person as opposed to being threatened by it. The only time I have observed people actually changing into a Tux or Dinner suit to eat has been in India. The only time I have actually seen morning suits and the like being used on a constant basis too.

Also, one suggestion , most of the 5 star hotels have "club" or business level. Pay for the extra service as you will be able to check in on a higher floor and they usually provide free 2 way transport with someone meeting you at the airport and sometimes even off the plane plus better food in the lounge usually cleaned in a private kitchen.

I don't think there is an Oberoi in delhi so I am guessing you are going to Mumbai or Calcutta ?

 

[StockwellDay]

Such great advice, thanks so much gentlemen. I can't believe I was debating whether to post this question or not.

Rssmsvc - Yes, it is the hotel in Mumbai.

Globe - Per our previous PM, I plan on going to maharaja in the Taj Mahal hotel. How far is that from the Oberoi in terms of travel time?

I've been told there is a great nightclub in the Oberoi for Saturday night, what should i expect for dress there?

 

[globetrotter]

Originally Posted by StockwellDay

Such great advice, thanks so much gentlemen. I can't believe I was debating whether to post this question or not.

Rssmsvc - Yes, it is the hotel in Mumbai.

Globe - Per our previous PM, I plan on going to maharaja in the Taj Mahal hotel. How far is that from the Oberoi in terms of travel time?

I've been told there is a great nightclub in the Oberoi for Saturday night, what should i expect for dress there?


5 minutes without traffic - you can walk it in 20. could be 30 in bad traffic.

sorry, I didn't get into much clubbing. I am guessing what you would find in an upscale club in the US or UK, but no personal knoweldge.

 

[lefty]

Of all the places I've lived, India is the one I go back to in a heartbeat. It's the only place that I've loved and hated at the same time.

If this is your first trip, be prepared for some serious culture shock. The noise alone takes some getting used to. A sense of humour helps. Embrace the culture, otherwise it may kill you. Try not to be a stereotypical US traveler and ***** about that things that are different than they are at home.

Globe is right about Indians being tough negotiators. Maybe as tough as the Chinese. Show respect, be polite, but don't let them wear you down.

As far as dress, decently put together clothes will get you into places that they never would in the US. Use it to your advantage.

Fall in love. Good place for that.

You'll return with great stories.

Enjoy.

lefty

 

[Holdfast]

As someone with some Indian blood flowing in my veins, one word of warning re: negotiation. A classic tactic is to exhaust you, completely and utterly, with hospitality. Cups of tea, some seemingly random conversation (they will remember and use everything you say, so be careful), a few little things to nibble on, more conversation, more tea, more conversation, a little business, more food, and so on ad infinitum. Eventually you forget to argue any longer.

Keep your original position fresh in your mind!

 

[AlanC]

Originally Posted by lefty

The noise alone takes some getting used to.

And smell!

From the good news department there is now a Subway (the fastfood sandwich Subway) in the waiting area of the Mumbai international airport.

 

[globetrotter]

Originally Posted by Holdfast

negotiation. A classic tactic is to exhaust you, completely and utterly, with hospitality. Cups of tea, some seemingly random conversation (they will remember and use everything you say, so be careful), a few little things to nibble on, more conversation, more tea, more .....
Keep your original position fresh in your mind!

at one point I thought about writting a book about indian negotiating tactics, I don't think that anyone is prepared for them the first time.

one company that we sold to had all their meeting rooms bugged, and they had a team of people whose job was to index and file every bit of information that they got from my team over a 2 year period. on top of that, they had all sorts of policies in place so that it was extremly difficult to understand the position of diffent people in the organization - they didn't have tittles on their business cards, and visitors weren't allowed in the main office building - just in a large building full of conference rooms. so you would meet 25 people in a meeting, all basically dressed alike, none of which had tittles.

 

[lefty]

Originally Posted by AlanC

And smell!

But the women ... sweet Jesus, the women. That is, if you can get close to them. Obviously things have changed, but when I was in Bangalore about 10 years ago the pubs had a men's section and a women's/couples' section. A single woman could go into the men's section but not the other way around. Intimate contact was reserved for private house parties.

Along those lines, you have to get used to male contact in a social setting. It is not unusual to meet a fellow in a pub and find him resting his hand on your leg. Or holding your hand. Don't sweat it. It's non-sexual.

For the most part.

lefty

 

[globetrotter]

mumbai has really cleaned up, though. I was there a few months ago, after not being there for 4 years, and I saw hardly anyone sleeping on the street. and most of the open sewers in the norht part of town were closed over, that I saw anyway.

 

[lefty]

Originally Posted by globetrotter

mumbai has really cleaned up, though. I was there a few months ago, after not being there for 4 years, and I saw hardly anyone sleeping on the street. and most of the open sewers in the norht part of town were closed over, that I saw anyway.
I'm sure it has. It's been ten years since I've lived there (Bangalore) and even then you saw the signs of the emerging middle class. Though I'm sure there's still a lion's share of poverty and despair. I found it fascinating to see some of the wealthiest people in the world living smack dab up against the poorest -- as if the Upper East Side was shuffled in with Irvington, NJ. And poor in India brings a whole new meaning to word. But it gets under your skin like no other place in the world. Did I mention the women? lefty

 

[rssmsvc]

Originally Posted by globetrotter

at one point I thought about writting a book about indian negotiating tactics, I don't think that anyone is prepared for them the first time.

one company that we sold to had all their meeting rooms bugged, and they had a team of people whose job was to index and file every bit of information that they got from my team over a 2 year period. on top of that, they had all sorts of policies in place so that it was extremly difficult to understand the position of diffent people in the organization - they didn't have tittles on their business cards, and visitors weren't allowed in the main office building - just in a large building full of conference rooms. so you would meet 25 people in a meeting, all basically dressed alike, none of which had tittles.

Seriously ? I have never heard of anything like that before.

I don't know about your point about the Win-Lose thing or that the "White" guy should lose , but that may be the specific people you met with and maybe the location. I know in our conservative family , that business is rarely done that way because it is a waste of time. It is better to get the repeat customer than a one time kill and I know that is not how we do things. I do know people like you have described but I don't know anyone who does business with those people and that way and I think for many "old-school" families they wouldn't let their kids study or go near Mumbai, and I think I see why.