In Asia, it’s the group that is important. You think about the group before you think about yourself. Preservation of harmony within the group is paramount. In Asia, it’s not uncommon for people to refuse a promotion or plum assignment because they don’t want to upset the group.

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Nature of the business relationship: In Asia, the business relationship is as much or more about the person, the individual, as it is about the company. Important business decisions will not be made until people are comfortable with you as a person. Intention and goodwill are all-important.

Interestingly, in Asia people really do judge you, more than we’re typically aware of in the US, by your face, by your voice, by your body language. People will say: “I don’t like his face,” or “I don’t like her voice.” To us, it sounds precipitous and judgmental, but many times the people who say this turn out to be right.

I also hear: “My vendors don’t understand our market; they don’t understand what’s happening in the US.”

Oh yes, they do. Asian vendors today are quite sophisticated. Most of the children of factory owners have been educated in the US or Europe. Media communication is international; Chinese businesspeople, too, read The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine and The New York Times.

A tremendous amount of information passes through the manufacturing community, as well. If you have a problem with a factory, or it has a problem with you, you can be sure that people in that factory will talk to people in all other companies.

Also, be aware that before you even walk in the door of any factory, the management of the company has already researched you. Its management knows your volume of purchase, what your typical payment terms are and whether you pay on time. Factory owners are familiar with specific people in your organization, and how capable they are.

In short, you can assume, before any negotiations, that the