Indians, I found, are much like Chinese. They respect relationships, and when they do business, they roll out the red carpet. However, in China, I didn’t feel the red carpet under my feet as much as I did in India. Nokia took us to the fanciest hotel in Delhi, complete with bathrooms with 20 foot high ceilings, hors de’vours, and grand entrance. They treat the bosses, literally, like kings, short of calling the CEO, “your majesty”. The presentation was very professional, and it was evident that their day is typically very busy. As soon as the meeting was done, they rushed out. Their time is very valuable. This also happened to us with Genpact.

Nokia talked to us about how to “win” in India. I suppose that there are many ways of losing. Our speaker stated that India is widely varied. India has many languages and cultures. It is widely rural, with few skilled workers as of yet. The ones who do have education are highly valued. India is also a consumption based economy, just like the US. And India is also more market driven than in China, where the market is controlled by the state government. Although India is low income, there are great opportunities for development. Just like Kaiser Kuo has told us, the truly creative people can see opportunities in chaos.