Case 6.1.b.
Waiting in Rome II
Case
Your new responsibility is to look after your company’s component purchases in southern Europe. You begin your tour of vendor facilities in Rome, where you are to meet your largest Italian supplier.
Dottore Paolo Verdi’s email said he would meet you in the hotel lobby at 19:30 for a drink before going out to dinner at his favorite trattoria. But it is actually 19:50 before he appears. Dott. Verdi offers you a brief apology and explanation for being late as he joins you at the hotel bar.
What is different about this situation, and why?
Case 6.1.b.
Waiting in Rome II
Solution and Discussion
An experienced salesperson anywhere in the world would know better than to comment on a customer’s lack of punctuality. Even a humorous remark – or obviously looking at one’s watch – may offend a buyer. All over the world business visitors are expected to be on time, especially when he or she is the seller.
In contrast, in polychronic cultures the host customer rarely feels an obligation need to be punctual.