With the world becoming seemingly smaller, it is not uncommon to find ourselves  in business with multiple partners from all around the world. Although we all strive to work according to established norms of conducting business, we need to be well aware of the language, culture and history of the people we do business with, in order to find real success. For example let’s say two individuals find themselves in a situation where one has a service the other requires. The service provider will provide the service and be paid for it accordingly. At this point the transaction is completed, and each one of them goes their separate ways, coming together only when the service is required again. A lot of business is done in this transactional fashion in the world we live in today.

In a situation where the service provider acquires a better understanding of the prospect’s culture and language, the possibilities of expanding the relationship moves from being a purely transactional one, to one with a much greater human element attached to it. One of the immediate examples that comes to mind concerning a business conducted on a massive scale, is McDonalds worldwide operation. Having visited many different countries I have seen how the company adapts itself to the local culture from it’s advertising strategies to it’s menu items. By localizing their offerings they appear less alien, less of an outsider, and assimilation into the culture takes place at a faster pace. Startups naturally do not have the resources to go into such deep level of customization of their offerings. However, what we do have is the ability to pinpoint where our products or services are in greater demand, and expand our understanding of those sectors, businesses and countries.

Even though our world is being heavily globalized, there are many key characteristics and traits that are ingrained into each and everyone of us. These stem from our value and belief systems, and upbringing. No matter how far we may appear to be removed from them, they are heavily ingrained into our thinking, and the way we process our decisions. In the end the business that wins is the one that understands it’s customers needs, wants and desires. This takes time, effort and resources, that are often skipped by many individuals and companies, with the excuse that the world is much too globalized. In the hyper competitive space we all operate in these days, it is taking advantage of these small edges that will provide us with the ability and  knowledge to keep our sale pipelines full, with much higher conversion rates.