All About Italy with Alessandra Binazzi

Alessandra Binazzi is the founder of Alessandra Binazzi Consulting. She is a multi-lingual professional with a surprisingly varied experience and one common thread: International markets and customers. Proficient in all major European languages, Alessandra has dedicated her professional life to marketing, selling, supporting, and educating customers on all continents. She was raised in Italy and university-educated in Boston, MA, she was exposed to global technology companies from the beginning of her career, with a particular focus on globalization and multilingual digital content. Alessandra Binazzi Consulting combines Alessandra's background in languages, technology, and business to develop globalization strategies tailored to the needs of organizations in a growth stage. Alessandra received a BS in International Business from the University of Massachusetts and an MBA from Northeastern University in Boston. She has lived and worked in 10 different countries. KEY TAKEAWAYS The Italian culture is a complex one. The country has many different regions with unique traditions - this means every business relationship should change according to the region for better or worse depending on where there are located geographically. The hierarchy should be considered, too. You should know who is at the higher level and act accordingly.  It can be said overall that Italy needs detailed research for every region and all businesses should look at their cultural and business etiquette. BEST MOMENTS “We know that networking and word of mouth is important everywhere, but I would say in Italy it's particularly important. So personal relationships, I would say are top of the list. So, you know, when you're doing business in Italy, you should expect to get a little deeper knowledge of the person you're doing business with” “The business culture in Italy actually in terms of working hours, I would say is much longer than like in the US or even the UK for example. So you do find people's workday extending to seven to 7.30 very often and you know the myth of the long lunch breaks doesn't really exist anymore.” “It's fairly hierarchical in Italy. So yeah, your level within your organization definitely matters. So you know, when addressing especially if it's your first encounter, you really should be addressing, you know, the higher levels first, and then you know, and then as you meet the broader team and understand maybe the stakeholder that you will be dealing with directly then you can start that direct relationship.” “We do use hand gestures a lot. In fact, you know, you can go online and look at tutorials for hand gestures. And I will tell you also the different regions have different gestures as well. So you may find different regions using different hand gestures to mean different things. So, you know, it's not only a national thing, you may even find regional variations.” “If you're foreign, if you're an exporter, or trying to do business in Italy, you know, you may find more affinity with the business culture in the North. The other thing about the north and this business culture is also that it's just, you know, in terms of business is more developed. So services may be easier to find and just work better.” ABOUT THE HOST Levent Yildizgoren, the author of 'Good Business in any Language', is an award-winning entrepreneur, localisation professional, and a PRINCE2 qualified project manager. CONTACT METHOD Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/leventyildizgoren/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/yildizgoren IG: https://www.instagram.com/levent.yildizgoren/ ABOUT THE GUEST Alessandra Binazzi is the founder of Alessandra Binazzi Consulting which combines Alessandra's background in languages, technology, and business to develop globalization strategies tailored to the needs of organizations in a growth stage. CONTACT METHOD https://www.linkedin.com/in/alessandrabinazzi/ VALUABLE RESOURCES Do you have any questions about translation, localization, or international growth? Visit TTC website: https://ttcwetranslate.com/ Take your business global with the 5-step LINGO modal! Purchase 'Good Business in any Language' on Amazon now: https://cutt.ly/2ORR

Om Podcasten

Thrive in Global Markets is a unique podcast for entrepreneurs, managing directors, and executives who are frustrated with their growth in their home market and want to expand internationally. The podcast is intended to share practical tips, delve deep into the personal experience of successful entrepreneurs, and discuss what makes international communications successful and impactful. Hear from the experts, ask questions, and brainstorm ideas to move your business forward into new markets by selling internationally. Innovative and energising, Thrive in Global Markets is your gateway to global business.