In general, this article is a continuation of the first part , in which I talked a little about how it was in Finland.

Here I would like to share my personal impressions of the country, the Finns and how they work. Something will relate to the business, something not. As usual, if something is not fully revealed, you are welcome in the comments, I will try to answer as much as possible.


')

0. “This is Mika Hakkinen, the shame of the nation”

Realistically. They are slow.

No, you should not take their speed of life for lack of intelligence. Once again I say that the speed of reaction is not always connected with the mind. But they are slow.

Example. In Russia, in 1 day (by choosing a company) I can achieve a meeting with the management. It is easy and fast. And in Finland it will take 1 day to see the head and arrange a meeting with him in the near future, i.e. in about a few more days. See the difference.

1. Different mode of operation

So how does standard finn work? First, it has a separate work schedule from Monday to Thursday, it’s one thing. On Friday, he has a shorter day, definitely. Saturday and Sunday are holidays. Stable.

Setting up a business meeting before 12 o'clock in the afternoon is a bad form, nobody will agree to this. In some ways, this is convenient (you can get up in the morning and prepare well), but, on the other hand, when the meeting ends, it is almost impossible to catch another Finn after 3 o'clock in the afternoon.

2. Mobile phone is not always convenient means of communication.

I honestly believed that in the country of Nokia, the love of mobile phones would be all-consuming. I did not guess.

Finns have already outgrown the boom of mobile and now use e-mail more than mobile. And also, love Skype. To call, of course, can and should be, but they write a letter much faster.

They do not know how to write SMS. Rather, I will show by example.

You call the head of the company. Having found out what to call the time of the meeting right now he cannot, you ask him to drop SMS with the time and place of the meeting. A Russian will write “Tomorrow, at the office at 12 noon”. Finn will write “Welcome to our meeting at 12 noon on January 23 in the building №12 of the Innova office center. Meet me on the first floor near the reception. Sincerely yours, Namek.

That is, they write SMS in such a way that even if I suffer from severe amnesia, I can understand what it is about.

In addition, despite the 3G network, EDGE works far from everywhere and is constantly buggy (we are talking about the operator Sonera, Easy tariff line). That is, the settings in the form of SMS will be sent to you, but EDGE will practically not work.

Prices are as follows:

• local calls - 0.16 euro per minute
  SMS - 0.11 euro per piece (there are more characters in one message than in Russian)
  MMS - 0.39 Euro per piece
  GPRS (EDGE) - 5.99 euros for 1 MB (they are crazy!)
  
  Tariffs are for Sonera, Easy line.
  
  Therefore, I could not really work with a mobile phone with the mail. At the same time, I never tried to make video calls.
  
  Yes, by the way, the Push-To-Talk technology does not work at all. I thought that in 3G networks it is actively used, but no. The Finns themselves are actively perplexed, what for is it needed at all. After my explanation to one of the Finns, he thought and said in reply: “Isn't it easier to call?”. I did not know what to say :)
  
  

  3. Negotiation procedure

  
  I will tell you this in a simpler and more understandable example. Just imagine that you met a girl. Everything goes to bed. Russian in a certain form will make it clear about their intentions quickly and immediately. Finn will talk for a long time about sex in general, about its position in modern society, about the pros and cons of various options for modern contraception and so on. An example is clear?
  
  Therefore, if you plan to negotiate with the Finns, you need to immediately and clearly take everything into your own hands, gradually loading information into the interlocutor's head. Once downloaded enough to make a decision, go to the questions. If you can not answer now, answer later, at the next meeting. But be persistent.
  
  As tykuloff correctly noted in his commentary, tolerance and love for one’s neighbor will not always give the opportunity to say a specific “No”. They may try to play up and speak in common phrases, but believe me - the skill of asking direct questions will give you the opportunity to get an answer.
  
  It is perfectly normal if you do not immediately say anything at the first meeting. The low speed of the Finns affects. Assign one more, in a few days and beware of the answer.
  
  

  4. Attitude towards Russians

  
  Yes, Russia and the Russians are a mystery to the Finns. Therefore, a certain tension in relation to you will be at the very beginning. From you and your behavior will depend on how to remove it.
  
  I will say this, if you don’t put too much pressure on yourself, do not play up and do your best to show openness, clarity and simplicity of your position; Stay clear and be open to what you are offered.
  
  

  5. Prices, or how much

  
  In general, now Finland is no longer the most expensive country in Europe, it has given way to the championship of Norway. But, if you are going there at all, be prepared for high prices. I will try to reveal where the main ambushes are waiting;)
  
  

  Transport

  
  
  • The bus costs 2.80 euros, which in terms of rubles will be about 100 rubles. The ticket is valid for another hour after the issuance and gives the right to ride again on the return route.
    Taxi costs 5.50 euros for landing in the afternoon and 7 euros for landing after 21 hours. Approximately 30 seconds in a taxi cost 20 cents. To catch the car outside the taxi rank and not on call is unrealistic.
    Taxis as a class are missing. There is a certain similarity in the form of a bus, which a company of 5 or more people call, paying for it almost like a taxi. I did not try, so I can not say anything;)
    Commuter trains are very fast and very expensive. For a three-hour trip, I gave 46 euros. Think for yourself.
    Bicycles are a very important component of Finnish transport. Parking for them is everywhere and they are stolen very rarely.
    
    
    

    Alcohol

    
    In general, strong alcohol is sold only in one network: Alko. These are state liquor stores, so something burnt there is excluded. Normal vodka for 0.5 costs from 10 euros.
    Beer is sold almost everywhere and costs from about 2 euros to 0.5. A large assortment of cider, the Finns for some reason love it very much. I did not like at all. And one more ambush for those who like me like energy with alcohol, like Red Devil. They are not there at all! Horror.
    
    

    Accommodation

    
    Unfortunately, I can not say anything, because he lived in the studio. hostel with brother. The cost of a student dormitory is 190 euros per month and includes a very decent room, as well as 1 GB of Internet traffic per day :)
    
    Phew, I almost talked about everything.
    
    With love,
    maniaque