[originaltext] Major cultural differences in selling techniques include the

Major cultural differences in selling techniques include the relationship between the salesman and the customer. As an expert advises his colleagues, "In many foreign countries, personal relationships are more important than company regulations and products. Developing relationships takes time, but it is decisive to the selling process."
    International trade fairs have become extremely important places for conducting business, yet very few domestic sales organizations understand how to take advantage of the opportunities that these shows present. Unlike U.S. trade shows, at which there is an open display of one’s goods and services and a lot of looking but not buying, a European trade show is relatively closed and only open to those who are there to conduct business.
    In some societies, the first thing people care about is quality; in other societies, the first thing on a customer’s mind is the cost; and in other countries, the concern is style. The color, size, and quantity of items need to be considered in packaging any product. The color blue is for funerals in some countries, smaller items are preferred over large items, and the number of items in a package can be critical. For example, a golf ball company packaged their golf balls in groups of four and then sent 50,000 units to their Asian distributor who promptly sent them all back, advising the company to package the golf balls again in packages of three. In many of the countries where the golf balls were to be sent, the number four was considered as being equal to death whereas the number three is the symbol of long life.