Make A Successful Business In Philippines: Do It By Knowing More The Filipinos

When you are planning to have a business in Philippines, you are advised to study first the nature of Filipinos when it comes to trade including some of their practices. If you truly want to ensure success, you vitally need to know how they communicate, the meaning of their simple gestures, and what turns them on and off.

Dealing with the Filipinos is not really tough at all since they are naturally hospitable people. However, you need to know how to relate with them rightly to help you win their full support. This way, you business in Philippines can surely run smoothly and successfully. So, whether you are planning to make a small or big business, Philippines will certainly be a winning location for your trade once you learned the nature of the people here including their customs.

The Filipinos

Generally, Filipinos are hospitable, casual, sensitive, and fun loving. They greatly value personal and family honor as well as pride and dignity. Education here is highly valued so many individuals in this country are well educated. Shame is infused to Filipinos at an early age so to be ashamed is viewed as the greatest form disgrace to Filipinos.

Filipino Greeting When Meeting

Men and women alike shake hands with every person present at a business meeting or even social occasion. Same gesture is showed when saying “good-bye”. Just always remember that when you do your handshakes, it should be friendly and casual, but limp. It is also more proper for men to wait for women to extend their hand.

Filipinos Corporate Culture

The following lists some corporate cultures of Filipinos to help you adjust yourself when facing them during business meetings:

• Filipinos are most often relaxed about time. So meetings and gatherings tend to start late as well. But then, foreigners are expected to be on time.
• A personal introduction by a business associate or mutual friend makes business appointments a lot smoother.
• Establishing a persona relationship is very vital to ensure the success of a business relationship. Loyalty and trust are also very essential to develop relationships. Filipinos are sensitive to insincerity and this can greatly damage the relationship.
• Most often, Filipinos display a “take it or leave it” attitude particularly when it comes to selling prices. They may place less emphasis on the absolute selling price but they can place more of it on unit cost, rounded figures, or percentages.
• Casual conversations may come first before business discussions during meetings.
• Communication is normally indirect, manner is gentle, truth is tactfully presented, and the view of the recipient is constantly being considered. All communication should be maintained courteous despite of its content.
• Most Filipinos find it hard to say “no.” reject, or disagree, especially when someone who is superior is involved. You can know that they disagree when they provide an indirect or ambiguous answer. The purpose of this is not to deceive though; instead, they do it to avoid confrontation.
• Personal meetings are preferred. Written communications might not be immediately answered.
• There are some instances wherein small bribes are used to cut through official procedures. Of course, this is illegal so when this situation arises the decision to participate is yours.

As you will see, it is not really difficult to negotiate with Filipinos. Just be careful to observe their nature and customs and your plan to have a business in Philippines can really run smoothly.

I was in Philippines last December 2006. During my 4 weeks vacation, I decided to join Fitness First Philippines Inc.

I did explain to the person who sign me in that I am just using their facility for a month. He gave me the papers with very fine prints or they called it a “contract” to sign.

Before leaving coming back here (USA), I did told them that my stay in the Philippines is over and will not be using their facility anymore. They told me to put my account on hold with minimal monthly charges. But as the time goes, they resume to debit the full amount to my credit card.

When I am already here, they start getting money to my credit card in a monthly basis. They told me that I am on contract for One year and need to pay the whole year contract. You can see here how this Fitness First Philippines Inc.- operates.

Before hand, I already informed the person who opened my account to them that I will be there for couple of weeks. He knew that I will be using their facility for a month but here now- they want to collect a year of payment to my credit card.

People, please be careful of this company. They are very tricky. They even wrote me:

 Dear Richard, Re: Overdue amount 4,380.00 pesos. Our record shows that the above amount remains unpaid. Based on the membership Agreement you signed with us, you are well within the minimum commitment period and you remain under legal obligation to pay your monthly dues. We therefore ask you again to please settle the above amount in full on or before 17th August 2007.

You are welcome to make payment and discuss your membership concern at any Fitness First Club nearest you. Our front office team will be glad to receive your payment and assist you anytime during club operating hours. In the event that you are unable to settle on the said date, we will endorse your account to a collection agent and a credit rating agency for blacklisting by 22nd of August, 2007. we wish to inform you that the blacklisting would only be lifted by the credit rating agency once you have fully settled your account with us. we also reserve the right to take legal actions against you to enforce collection.

Regretfully, in the event of a legal suit, we will have to charge you attorney’s fee and cost of suit. It is therefore in your best interest to pay the overdue amount without further delay and to formally discuss your membership concerns with our Front House Team. Please disregard this reminder and accept our appreciation if you have already settled the outstanding amount. Thank you very much.

Faithfully Yours,

Fitness First Phillipines Inc.

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This is only a small amount of money but the whole point here is not about the money. It is how tricky, deceitful they operate their business.

They even have the guts to mention about legal matters here.

They were able to let me sign up with deceiving and misleading information. First and foremost they knew that I will be there for only a month but they still let me sign a paper contrary to what my intention.

To all Filipinos, I am not the only one victimized by this Fitness First Philippines Inc. but lot more others especially Filipinos who were on vacation only.

I will continue to write pertinent government agencies that need to look on this kind of deceitful business practices.

They mislead me to sign their contract. Nobody told me about their one year contract policy. Why do I need to pay for the months that I didn’t used in their facility?