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 ele
gance of dress and courtliness of manners; be
a linguist; a scholar; a diplomat; a philos
opher; 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 every
thing he should conform to the usages that cus
tom has established in this part of the world.
European merchants and their travellers,
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