Business Customs in Turkey The modern business world relies on effective communication between people from many different countries and cultures, meaning that successful businesspeople must be able to communicate with other people whose cultures and business customs may be different than their own. Turkey is a nation that has very different business customs when compared to the United States, although they do have some similarities that indicate they come from the same type of Western business tradition. Many of the customs in Turkey are derived from the type of business culture that the country has, which have differences from the United States in terms of hierarchy and individualism. General customs such as communication styles and conveying respect have a large impact on business. Specific business customs can also be important to know, such as knowing the etiquette for giving gifts, and making appointments. By keeping all of these business customs in mind, businesspeople can ensure that their interactions with Turkish individuals and organizations are mutually beneficial. Some of the reasons that business customs in Turkey differ from those in the United States pertain to the larger cultural differences that American and Western societies have compared to Turkish society. Therefore, it is necessary for the Western businessperson to be aware of these larger differences and the influence that they have on specific business oriented behaviors and customs (Hill, 2013). Turkish culture contains Western influences, due to interactions with European and American cultures, but many aspects of these Turkish culture are influenced by Middle Eastern and Islamic cultural elements as well. This combination of influences has implications for business customs. Some of the major cultural differences that a person from a Western nation might notice when doing business in Turkey are related to hierarchies and individualism. Turkey has a high level of power distance in its society, meaning that its society's hierarchies are somewhat more influential than they would be in the West. These hierarchies affect businesses because managers and owners are much less likely to share power in Turkey than they might be in the United States, nor would employees be consulted for their opinions in decision-making (The Hofstede Center, 2014). A businessperson in the United States would therefore need to make sure that they have a means of contacting at least a low to mid-level manager in a Turkish company before beginning any type of negotiations, because the indirect communication systems and inaccessibility of managers in relation to employees in Turkey would prevent important decisions from resulting from discussions with lower-level staff (The Hofstede Center, 2014). While most business decisions would actually wait until one is able to meet with higher-level managers, which could take multiple additional meetings with various staff members, the initial meetings with lower-level managers are used to gauge the person's intent and trustworthiness (Drake, 2014). The other major cultural issue is that individualism is important in the United States, but Turkey is a much more communal society. Employees avoid open conflict and strive for group harmony, and cultivating personal relationships based on trust is more important for business purposes than it is in the United States (The Hofstede Center, 2014). Contacting a Turkish executive that one does not know personally to set up a business meeting would not be an effective way of creating a business relationship. Instead, a mutually trusted third party, such as a bank or member of the government, would need to arrange initial contact, and an American might need to meet with Turkish executives several times before a close enough relationship is forged to even bring up matters of business, especially if one's company is attempting to sell something or partner with the Turkish business, as opposed to buying from the business (Business culture in Turkey, 2014). General communications have many important influences on one's ability to do business in Turkey. Communication should only be initiated after the individual has a tangible product or developed service to present, as undertaking negotiations before this would appear preemptive or even rude (Alanyah & Alanyah, 1999). The communication style of people in Turkey is highly visual, as well, which is partially the reason for having some product to present. Having charts, graphs, or maps are usually welcome for formal presentations, but also to present information vocally and with gestures (Drake, 2014). That said, certain nonverbal gestures are not the same in Turkey as they would be in America and Europe. In particular, nodding is often used in Turkey to convey “yes” and “no,” but the difference is that a single nod, indicating “no,” will be accompanied by the person raising their eyebrows and even hissing through their teeth” (Drake, 2014). Following rules of communication etiquette is also important for doing business in Turkey. Often, initial meetings will involve conversations about a person's role in their business and the company's functions, without discussing actual business deals, and discussions about a person's family and the nation of Turkey itself are usually welcome, although bringing up sensitive issues and opinions where many Turks may differ, such as political history and religion, should usually be avoided (Drake, 2014). Initial introductions usually begin by seniority of age and business status, unless a younger Turkish individual is actually introduced first, which can indicate a higher business position (Drake, 2014). When meeting Turkish people, professional titles are used prior to the first name, and these titles do not only include “Professor” or “Doctor” like they would in English-speaking nations, but also most senior staff and executives in a company, who will be addressed as “Mudan” or “manager,” engineers, addressed as “Muhendis,” and lawyers, addressed as “Avukat” (Drake, 2014). Otherwise, addressing a person in a cordial business relationship will usually involve their first name, followed by the respectful titles, “Bey” for males, or “Hanim” for females, which roughly equate to “Mr.” and “Ms.” in English (Drake, 2014). Women are starting to occupy more prominent positions in Turkish business, and Western women are generally welcomed as equals in business. Women, and men, should dress conservatively, in professional suits, during meetings, but the only place in Turkey that a Western woman would be expected to cover her hair would be in a mosque, although non-Muslims are not normally invited to mosques during times of prayer (Drake, 2014; Cavusgil, Civi, Tutek, & Dalgic, 2003). Business customs related to specific situations are also necessary to know. Making appointments in advance by telephone and either regular mail or e-mail is always important, and ensuring that appointments are still in effect a few days before by telephone is a good idea. Usually, business meetings are avoided June through August due to people taking vacations during this time, during national and Islamic holidays, as well as during prayer session times, especially on Fridays, and all day on Sunday (Cavusgil et al., 2003). While physical gifts are not often given in Turkey, they are usually welcomed, especially craft or food items from one's own homeland, although alcohol as a gift should be avoided unless one knows that the recipient drinks alcohol (Drake, 2014). Sightseeing and eating out are more commonly used to build relationships instead of gifts, with the exception of if one is attending dinner at a person's house, in which case a gift for the home, and for the person's children, is appropriate (Cavusgil et al., 2003). While these customary and cultural differences from American culture can be quite large at times, following them is not often very difficult, and can help to build lifelong business relationships in Turkey.
References
Alanyah, M., & Alanyah, M. (1999). Business Culture, Custom and Practice: FOREIGNERS IN THE TURKISH MARKETPLACE. In , Doing Business with Turkey (pp. 141-142). Blue Ibex Ltd.
Business culture in Turkey. (2014). Retrieved from http://businessculture.com/turkey.html
Cavusgil, S., Civi, E., Tutek, H., & Dalgic, T. (2003). Doing business in… Turkey. Thunderbird International Business Review, 45(4), 467-479. doi:10.1002/tie.10080

Drake, N. (2014). Business in Turkey. Retrieved from http:///www.executiveplanet.com/
Hill, C. (2013). Global Business Today. Desoto, TX: McGraw Hill.
The Hofstede Center. (2014). Retrieved from http://geert-hofstede.com/