Indonesia is a relationship driven market. Companies may not respond very quickly to your emails especially if you are not well known to them. Patience is a key element in doing business successfully in Indonesia.
It can sometimes be more effective to provide incentives or gifts rather than discounts, eg. free trips overseas for good sales rather than products sold at cheaper prices to them.
In general, Indonesians appreciate token gifts.
Get general advice on working relationships in the Export guide.
Be polite and humble and appreciate things. Try not to hurry or hurry others and don't issue ultimatums.
Do not cause loss of face or criticise someone publicly. The tone of language too can make or break a relationship.
When giving presentations, assess your audience in advance and use jargon-free English. Keep words to a minimum and visual displays to a maximum.
Get general advice on cultural factors when negotiating in the Export guide.
Accept that appointments may be hard to get and your hosts’ schedules can change at short notice, especially those of government officials.
Establish your bona fides early in the conversation by explaining who you are or represent, and how you have come to be visiting them. For instance, if the appointment was given as a result of personal relationships do talk a little about that relationship.
Jakarta is well known for traffic jams. Usually, depending on location, you can only go to three to four appointments a day. Try not to be late even though traffic can be very bad, especially during rainfall.
Short visual presentations are more effective than handouts. DVDs/Power point presentations are more effective when they are not long, use fewer sentences and more pictures.
Wait for your host to invite you to drink or eat. Do not offer food or drink during Ramadhan (fasting month).
But also take heart; educated Indonesians will forgive most breaches of etiquette.
Get general advice on how to behave at the first meeting in the Export guide.
