10 March, 2017

On Friday 10th of March Brian Kelly of Schivo gave a very educational seminar speaking about 'International sales with focus on Intercultural Differences' to the 4th year Marketing students and International Business Masters. Brian Kelly has worked with over 80 companies around the world and has witnessed first hand the importance of being culturally aware when dealing with International sales.

He informed the room that international selling was all about culture. Brian also stated that 'trust in relationships is vital' when it comes down to making a business deal. This depends on where the room the business deal is being made is situated in, due to culture. Brian Kelly informed the students that there are 4 dimensions to culture, and they are the following:

• Deal focused VS Relationship focused
• Informal VS Formal
• Rigid time (Monochronic) VS Fluid time (Polychronic)
• Expressive VS Reserved

Different countries fall under different dimensions. The biggest question of the day was whether corporate culture can overcome the culture of the country.

It was an illuminating morning for the students in attendance that not all countries have similar behaviours when it comes to making a business deal. It is very important that they are aware of these differences for their future careers.