In Italian business, shared meals, coffee, gifts, holiday greetings, and personal visits are not extras — they are the essential infrastructure for building and maintaining commercial relationships. A business lunch is where trust is built and character is assessed. Regular informal contact between transactions keeps the relationship alive. Thoughtful gifts signal personal investment.
Holiday greetings demonstrate that you are paying attention to the relationship, not just the transactions. Visiting a supplier’s workshop or inviting a customer to your premises creates transparency and deepens personal understanding. A supplier or customer who only makes contact when there is business to discuss signals a transactional orientation that undermines the relational bond Italians expect. These rituals create the personal knowledge, warmth, and mutual commitment that Italian commercial relationships require.
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