XXII

THE  SALESMAN  AND  THE  CUSTOMER
The  success  or  failure  of  a  business  venture
in  Latin  America  depends  materially  on  the
character  of  the  representative  sent  to  these
marts  of  trade.  Never  having  seen  or  heard
of  you  or  your  goods,  it  is  most  natural  for  the
foreign  merchant  to  make  his  deductions  from
your  emissary.
The  typical  ambassador  of  commerce  for
South  American  fields  should  combine  elegance ­
  of  dress  and  courtliness  of  manners;  be
a  linguist;  a  scholar;  a  diplomat;  a  philosopher; ­
  always  a  student  and  a  business  man  as
well.  He  should  continually  bear  in  mind
that  his  visit  is  unsolicited—that  in  a  sense  he
is  an  aggressor,  an  intruder,  and  above  everything ­
  he  should  conform  to  the  usages  that  custom ­
  has  established  in  this  part  of  the  world.
European  merchants  and  their  travellers,
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