I’ve worked in three countries now: Sri Lanka, Australia and England. People sometimes ask which was hardest to sell in. The honest answer is whichever one I’d just arrived in.
These are my impressions, not a study. Every customer is a person before they’re a nationality. But some patterns stuck with me.
In Sri Lanka, relationships came first and moved at their own pace. A meeting might start with twenty minutes of anything but business, and that wasn’t wasted time. That was the meeting. A “yes” in the room didn’t always mean yes on paper.
In Australia, people got to the point fast and expected you to as well. Customers would tell you plainly if your price was wrong or your product didn’t fit. It was refreshing once I stopped taking it personally. A blunt “no” saved everyone weeks.
In England, I’m learning to listen to what isn’t said. “That’s interesting, we’ll have a think” can mean almost anything. “Not bad” can be high praise. The words are polite and the real feedback sits just underneath.
The idea that helped
Erin Meyer’s article in Harvard Business Review, Navigating the Cultural Minefield, and her book The Culture Map, gave me words for what I’d felt. Her point is that cultural differences trip up even very experienced managers, because the gaps are invisible until something goes wrong.
What I’ve taken from her, and from moving twice, is simple. Don’t assume your normal is normal. Ask more questions in your first month than feels necessary.
Why it matters with AI
AI tools write in one voice by default: polite, upbeat, a bit American, structured the same way every time. Send that to a customer in Colombo, Sydney and Manchester and it lands three different ways.
The more of our writing gets drafted by machines, the more a seller who can read the room is worth. Translation is easy now. Reading the room isn’t.
Learn the room before you pitch to it.
