Philippines

When going to the Philippines to do a business negotiation you will have to make several trips over a period of months to accomplish the deal. When you are getting ready to meet the key decision-makers it is a good idea to have someone as an intermediary because they can help establish a better relationship with them than what you can. You should always be the one first to offer a business card. There is …

…drench passerbies. When having a conversation with a Filipino remember small talk is an important part of establishing a relationship. If a Filipino ask how much you paid for something its usually out of concern to see if you got ripped off. Good topics to talk about are Filipino customs and culture, fiesta, family, and sports (especially basketball). Topics that really should be avoided are politics, foreign aid, corruption, religion, and never criticize a Filipino.