Question

In the following situation, what is one or more ways that cultural differences may be leading to miscommunication?

Alan is a U.S sales representative in Mexico. He makes appointments and is careful to be on time. But the person he is calling on is frequently late. To save time, Alan tries to get right to business. But his hosts want to talk about sightseeing and his family. Even worse, his appointment is constantly interrupted, not only by business phone calls but also by long conversations with other people and even the customer's children that come into the office. Alan's first progress report is very negative. He hasn't yet made a sale. Perhaps Mexico just isn't the right place to sell his company's products.