Posterous theme by Cory Watilo

Filed under: guidewire

"Meishi" - Japanese visiting card

I am currently reading "Bargaining for advantage" which has a mention of meishi (ie Japanese visitng card). It brought back memories of my exposure to the Japanese culture at Guidewire

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Japan, is the largest insurance market in the world just after USA. So its no surprise that it is strategically important to Guidewire. At Guidewire, I interacted with a number of Japanese and one of the first things you need to know about conducting business in Japan is the ceremonial exchange of meishi. 

The exchange of business cards in Japan is very formal. There is a proper etiquette to exchange and hold business cards. The presenter of 

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the card should hold the visiting card in the top corner, such that the company name and title do not get hidden from the receiver. It is considered extremely rude to sweep the visiting card in your back pocket. One needs to spend time reading the company, the designation and name of the card presenter. The Japanese often carry the meishi in a leather case, to protect it from creasing and fluctuating temperature. According to the book, the Japanese send their young executives out for days to collect as many meishis. The idea being once you have a meishi, you are then connected to a person and either side can call the other without any hesitation for future business.

If you'd like to see the exchange of meishi in action, see this fun video.