Entering the US market

Start with what the research says about US sellers—then reverse it

McKinley (2022) studied North American technology salespeople meeting foreign buyers. The tensions he documented are just as useful read the other way. If US sellers struggle with indirect communication, lower assertiveness, higher power distance, and particularism abroad, then foreign teams entering the United States should expect the mirror image: unusually direct speech, comfort with challenge, relatively accessible hierarchy, and a strong preference for rules that apply to everyone.

The rest of this page is that mirror, written for people who did not grow up inside US professional culture.

Get to the point—and put the value where they can measure it

US business culture is widely described, including in export-guidance notes from agencies such as Export Hub Wales and Canada’s EDC, as efficiency-oriented. “Time is money” is a cliché because it still organizes meetings. Emails are expected to be short. You do not need a long personal relationship before it is appropriate to discuss price, scope, or return on investment. In fact, waiting too long to show the business case is one of the most common reasons a foreign seller loses a US buyer’s attention.

Diagnose before you prescribe: ask what is broken, summarize it back, and only then attach your offer to that pain. Be ready with a number, a timeline, or a comparison. Americans often want to know how you are different from the next vendor, not only that you are pleasant to eat with.

This does not mean they are rude, and it does not mean relationships do not matter. It means the relationship is more likely to grow after competence is visible.

Hear the words as they were said

Directness cuts both ways. When an American says yes, it usually means yes. When they say no, it usually means no. “Maybe” is not a polite no; it is unresolved. Disagreement is often offered in a softened wrapper—“I see your point, but…”—and the important content is after the but. Waiting for a hidden message that never comes will make you late. Reading every frank comment as an insult will make you exhausted.

Turn-taking is tighter than in many Latin, Mediterranean, or Middle Eastern conversational styles. Talking over someone can be heard as not listening. Volume at work is usually lower than at an Argentine asado or a family table. Neutral facial expression is not the same thing as dislike; US professional culture is often more emotionally contained than visitors expect, even though Americans can be warm in the corridor.

Time, calendars, and the length of a meeting

Punctuality is a moral signal. Arriving a few minutes early to a business meeting is normal; arriving late without warning is read as disrespect. Meetings commonly run thirty to sixty minutes and end when the calendar says they end, even if the conversation is good. If you will be late, say so before the start time, with a real arrival estimate.

This sequential view of time showed up as a moderate source of friction in McKinley (2022). Foreign teams used to overlapping conversations, flexible start times, or dinners that are the negotiation should not interpret a hard stop as rejection. It is the local rhythm.

Hierarchy that looks flat—and isn’t

US offices often run on first names, open doors, and an invitation to speak in the meeting even if you are not the most senior person in the room. The Culture Factor’s updated comparison places US power distance at 40, lower than much of the world, and GLOBE’s practice score (4.88 on a 1–7 scale) is still higher than Americans say they wish it were (2.85). The practical reading: bosses are supposed to be reachable, and ideas are supposed to circulate, but decision rights and budgets still belong to someone. Find that someone. Do not assume the friendliest person in the room can sign.

In large US organizations, purchasing, finance, legal, security, and end users all weigh in. Multi-threaded relationships matter because people change jobs. A single champion is a fragile plan.

Paper, lawyers, and universalism

Expect written agreements, statements of work, and a lawyer who is not trying to insult you. US professional culture leans universalist: the rule should apply next time, not only to the people at this lunch. A handshake is a beginning, not a substitute. Changing scope verbally and assuming everyone will “figure it out” is how foreign vendors get into trouble.

That same instinct shows up in process. Following the posted procedure—the form, the portal, the RFP timeline—is usually wiser than looking for a cousin who can skip the line. Americans can network energetically and still expect you to go through procurement.

Small talk, names, and the social runway

There is small talk, and it is real, but it is often short: weather, travel, sports, a weekend plan. “How are you?” is typically a greeting; “Good, and you?” is a complete answer. Deep family history or a twenty-minute prologue before the agenda can make a US counterpart restless. Use first names once invited to, which is usually immediately. Titles matter more in medicine, the military, and some formal settings than in a standard software meeting.

Tipping, service, and the check

In US restaurants and many service settings, the listed price is not the whole price of the labor. Tipping remains a structural part of how servers, bartenders, hairdressers, and rideshare drivers are paid. Customs shift by city and by year, but leaving nothing after table service is still read as a serious slight, not a cultural misunderstanding you can smile through. When in doubt, ask a local colleague before the meal, not after the card has been run.

Regional United States

Do not sell to “America” as if it were one room. Coastal finance culture, Southern hospitality, Midwestern reserve, Texan scale, and West Coast informality are not decorations; they change pace, humor, politics you should not raise, and how close people stand. McKinley, who has compared Argentine provinces with US states in his public teaching, treats regional difference as part of the work. You should too.

When you want the fuller map of dimensions and sources, open the complete guide. When you want the work applied to your US entry, write through the consulting form.

Need this applied to your organization? Zachary advises international companies, sales teams, and trade groups entering the US market—and US companies expanding abroad—through sales-team training, US market-entry advisory, executive briefings, and workshops or speaking. Start the conversation