Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands, Sales and Marketing: The Essential Cultural Guide—From Presentations and Promotions to Communicating and Closing

WOW FACTOR!

While initial meetings are generally formal, after hours Russians’ sense of humor is legendary. Do not be surprised if they joke with you. In January 2011, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin told a (typically long) joke on television. RIA Novosti has the clip. The joke went something like this:

An American spy comes to Lubyanka. He is asked, “Who do you spy for?” He says, “I am an American spy and want to turn myself in.” “Go to room five,” he is told. He goes. “Do you have a gun?” the US spy is asked. “Yes, I do,” he answers. “Then you have to go to room seven,” a Russian official tells him. He goes to room seven and says, “I am an American spy, and I have a gun.” He is told to go to room ten. There he is asked, “Are you carrying ...