简而言之，有时业务关系好坏会与这些细微、琐碎的小事有很大关系。有多少次遇到您的新的业务伙伴时才发现名片发完了？或者让您的业务伙伴在酒店房间内空等？在这种情况下，您是否及时道歉？在这个国家，这类道歉是例行公事的，并很容易被接受。道歉后，一般就没有问题了。
　　In short, the fate of a business relationship can hinge on such seemingly minor details. How often, at the close of a convention, have you apologized to a new acquaintance that you've run short of business cards? Or that you've left them in your hotel room? In this country, such apologies are routinely and quickly accepted, no questions asked, right?

　　并不是整个环太平洋区国家都是这样。一个亚洲人可以没有驾驶证，可以把信用卡忘在梳妆台上，但是，他绝不会把名片忘在家里。“名片就意味着身份，”格瑞解释说，“在任何时间里，您口袋里都的有一张名片。”
　　Not in the Pacific Rim. An Asian may not have a driver's license; he may leave his American Express card on his dresser. But he never leaves home without his business cards. "The business card is your identity," Greg explains. "You must have one at all times."

　　拥有名片是必要的，但还不够。你的名片放在什么地方也非常重要。要把名片放在靠近心脏的口袋内，绝不要放在钱包里或裤后袋里。格瑞提醒说，这些解剖学方面的细节并非不重要的小事。“它告诉你的客户你是多么的重视他。”
　　Possession is half the battle, but not all. Where you carry your cards is also critical. Keep them in the side pocket of your suit jacket next to your heart, but never in your wallet if you carry the latter in your rear pants pocket. This attention to anatomical detail is no small matter, cautions Greg. "It tells a customer what you think of him."

　　• 注意职务的重要性：不仅名片上有关你的专业身份是重要的，而且名片上的职务也是很重要的。在有些环太平洋地区的国家，生意额的大小往往与洽谈生意的人的职务大小有关，有时甚至是绝对相关。例如，一个总经理可能会坚持只和对方的总经理洽谈，而不会与出口部经理或“仅仅是”销售代表洽谈。这样的事却是发生在美国好施集团的国外销售代表身上，他当时正希望与一位有前景的客户的总经理洽谈。为了解决这样的问题，“我们最好还是把他‘提升为’总经理，”丹尼说。
　　• Beware of the importance of job titles: If business cards are critical as a statement of your professional identity, so therefore are the job titles listed on them. In some Pacific Rim nations, dealing with business equals - as determined by title - is an absolute must. A general manager may insist upon dealing solely with another general manager, for example, and not an export manager or a "mere" sales representative. That's exactly what happened to a Hirsch overseas sales rep when he tried to gain access to the general manager of a particular prospect. To resolve the issue and conclude the sale, "We had to 'promote' him to general manager as well," says Dan.

　　根据丹尼的说法，如果你手中的名片并不能显示恰当的职务，就可能会失去业务，“或许你的洽谈会被终止，或许你无法见到能做出决定的人。”
　　If your business card does not show the right title for the situation at hand, you could lose a sale, according to Dan, "either because you end up talking to the wrong people or can't see the right ones."

　　• 控制运费成本：正如前面所述，出口市场的竞争程度丝毫并不亚于美国国内。这就要求必须非常重视成本控制，特别是运费成本控制。“坦率的说，一个人飞跃太平洋的机票费比一个浴缸得空运费要便宜的多，”丹尼说。
　　• Control your freight costs: As already noted, export markets can be every bit as competitive as their American counterparts. That puts a premium on cost control, especially shipping expenses. "Frankly, a person can fly across the Pacific almost as cheaply as a bathtub can," says Dan.

　　丹尼解释道，表面看来，货物空运费只有飞机票的20%，但是货物的运输有时需要三个星期才会到达目的地，而乘客只要几个小时就会到达，价格的差异可能造成额外的时间浪费。这种差异促使像美国好施集团这样的出口公司经常提醒他们的国外客户，最好预测需求以便避免昂贵的紧急订单。
　　Surface freight rates are about 20% of air rates, according to Mariscal. While this means an order will take nearly three weeks to arrive, as opposed to a few hours, the price differential may make the extra wait worthwhile. This differential also spurs an exporter like Hirsch to teach its overseas customers to better anticipate needs and avoid expensive emergency orders.

　　但是紧急订单还是不断出现。又一次，美国好施集团接到一个紧急订单，空运出口浴缸到国外的客户那里。“空运费相当于浴缸价格的四倍，”丹尼说。幸运的是，这位客户愿意承担如此昂贵的空运费。但是，如果是美国好施集团出的差错，造成需要紧急空运，美国好施集团就只好承担那么这样高昂的运费了。
　　But emergencies do occur. On one occasion, Hirsch air-freighted a tub to an export customer with an immediate need. "That easily quadrupled the price of the fixture," says Dan. Fortunately, the customer was willing to absorb the extra expense in this instance. But when the error is Hirsch's fault, the company has no choice but to pay the freight.

　　• 注意你的货款：有时从隔壁城镇甚至街对面的客户那里讨回货款都是一件在艰难不过的事情，你又怎么能够确定从太平洋对岸的客户那里要到货款？
　　• Control your credit: It's tough enough sometimes collecting your money from the customer across town or even across the street. How do you make sure you get your money from someone across the ocean?

　　为了安全收回货款，美国好施集团采用多种方法，并且注意有关公司的信誉账号纪录。“每一项业务都必须个案处理，”格瑞说，“幸运的时，我们在此所遇到的问题还不是很严重。”
　　Hirsch uses various approaches to credit, depending on the account and its track record with the firm. "It's a case-by-case situation." says Greg. "Fortunately, the problems we've had have not been major."

　　对于新客户，美国好施集团通常要求某种形式的100%的预付保证金。这种保守的付款方式听起来很谨慎，但是经常是的美国好施集团处于一种比较不利的竞争地位。“我们所面对的是国际市场，”格瑞强调道，“我们不仅要与其它美国公司竞争，还要与其它国家的公司竞争。例如，欧洲通常可以接受120天远期信用证，有时客户要求就是这么长的远期信用证。”格瑞还提到，欧洲公司对于未知的或具有很大危险的信用证仍然敢于接受延长信用证的付款期，因为欧洲公司的收入能够得到政府的保障。
　　With the first-time customer, Hirsch will ask for some type of deposit - up to 100% - in advance of shipment. This conservative stance sounds prudent, but it often puts the seller at a distinct competitive disadvantage. "It's a global market," Greg remarks. "We're not competing just with other Americans. For example, the European standard is 120-day terms, and customers will ask for that." He also notes that European companies may feel more comfortable extending credit to an unknown or poor credit risk because of government programs that guarantee their receivables.

　　由于缺乏安全保障，美国好施集团仅仅对具有良好信誉、历史纪录也非常良好的公司提供托收付款，对于大额订单或工程项目，美国好施集团通常会要求客户开立信用证以保证货款安全。
　　Lacking that security, Hirsch puts only well-established accounts with good credit histories on open order. However, for larger orders or projects, Hirsch may still ask such a customer for a letter of credit to guarantee the payment.

　　为什么不对所有订单都采用信用证？第一，信用证的费用太高昂，会极大降低出口商的利润额。各种银行费用可能高达订单额的2%。此外，“信用证与购买方的信誉额和订单额由一定的关系，”格瑞说道，“因此，对于小额订单，信用证没有任何意义。”
　　Why not use letters of credit all the time? For one, they are not without a cost to the seller and thus cut into his profit margin. Various banking fees may run as high as 2% of the transaction. In addition, "LCs also tie up the buyer's line of credit by the amount of the order," Greg comments. "Thus, for smaller orders, LCs are a nuisance."

　　尽管这样，马利父子仍然经常使用信用证，主要是由于他们的订单越来越大。“如果我们对我们的客户有足够的信任，我们很乐意采用托收付款的方式发送大宗货物，”格瑞说，“但是，你必须对客户有足够的了解，毕竟我们是在充满危险的地区做生意。”
　　Still, the Mariscals are using them more often these days, thanks to the happy fact that their orders are getting bigger and bigger." "I don't feel comfortable shipping large orders on open account unless I have complete trust in my customer," says Greg. "You've got to know your customers very well, because you are treading dangerous waters."