Running a business on the internet is not quite the same as opening a small retail shop at your local shopping mall. On the internet, your business is open to the world.
By the very nature of the internet, your customers are really only a mouse click away although you may physically be at opposite ends of the globe.
The internet’s this huge melting pot of people, ideas, cultures. You have lots to gain by understanding the cultural and business practices of your international customers, and what makes them buy. So do stick around.
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Recommended Reading
Reader’s Review: Fantastic book, I've been referring to this for nearly 10 years now since it first came out. Working as I do with many different cultures, and given the track record of my American Colleagues who don't know where Canada is (joke!) I've always found it ironic that it was an American team who wrote this book! Anyone who is ever sceptical about the value of its content, I show them the pages for their Country, and within minutes they're sold on its value, even if there's something minor in there they can quibble about. I especially rely on this book for the Business Practices (Appointments, Negotiating & Entertaining) and the Protocol (Greetings) sections. I've worked in over 30 Countries, and this book has never let me down. The only times I've needed a Country that wasn't in the book was for Austria & Croatia, but you can't have everything!
In a global economy, it is crucial for business people to be sensitive to cultural differences. And although the best reason for doing so may be ethical, it's great for business as well! This is an invaluable book for "doing well while doing good" in your intercultural relations, covering the protocols of appointments, business entertaining, greetings, forms of address, gestures, dress, and gifts in 60 of the nations you're most likely to be doing business.
Reader’s Review: This book is a fun and fascinating read. Craig Storti is truly in tune with the subtleties, pitfalls and opportunities of cross-cultural dialogue. The book does not have an academic or burdensome tone; rather, it is simple to read and understand. I found it quite enjoyable, attempting to figure out (like a riddle), from each small example of a cross-cultural interaction, WHAT the "snags" or miscommunications of each scenario were. I also liked that Mr. Storti divided the book into different settings: social, workplace and business. As a student of conflict analysis and resolution, I have found (and will continue to find) this book extremely useful in my present and future work and interactions; however, anyone, from any walk of life, study, or profession should really read this book, as it would be very useful in our increasingly multi-cultural society, and our world, which is getting smaller and smaller all the time.
