You’ve perfected the fine art of casual Fridays. You mix the perfect martini-shaken not stirred. And you can seal a deal in record time with a handshake as firm as oak. These standards may serve you well on American soil, but they could very well be the social blunders that sink a deal when you travel abroad for business.

Ten years ago, the term “global economy” was merely a buzzword. Today, progressive businesses from Fortune 500 companies to start-up ventures have found great success by expanding their visions beyond these United States. But navigating the waters has not come easily.

“Initially, a lot of companies got burned,” said Cynthia Lett, executive director of the International Society of Protocol and Etiquette Professionals.

As president of The Lett Group, an organization that “teaches professionals to outclass their competition,” Lett has led numerous seminars on the topic of international etiquette for Fortune 500 companies and other organizations, including at&t, Bank of America, Hilton Hotels, usa Today, nasa and the United Nations.

“In the beginning, it took some time before companies realized it wasn’t their business offers but a lack of cultural understanding that was holding them back,” said Lett.

Trial and error in international business dealings eventually led entrepreneurs and managers away from the financial bottom line. Instead, the focus shifted toward cultural sensitivity. It was a step worth taking, according to David A. Griffith, an assistant professor of marketing and supply chain management at Michigan State University. The move toward cultural sensitivity by American business men and women was critical because, internationally, the reputation of the American executive leaves a lot to be desired.

“We’re thought of as rude and pushy,” said Griffith. “But when we started showing sensitivity, we were seen as a people who are willing to make the effort and that moved our international business relationships forward.”

According to international business etiquette mavens, the move toward cultural sensitivity begins long before the American traveler sets foot on the tarmac. Studying up on the culture and history of a country before going there is the first step in the right direction. It’s a simple rule of thumb, but one that Lett can remember learning the hard way more than 20 years ago when she traveled to Ghana on business. Young and single, with swinging blond hair and blue eyes, Lett didn’t think twice about walking unescorted along Ghanaian streets from one business meeting to the next — until the unwanted comments started coming her way.

“Nobody told me that women who walked alone in Ghana sent out a message that they were intimately available,” Lett said. “Men were approaching me in an unfriendly way and it scared me.”

Luckily for Lett, a nearby American soldier assigned to the American Embassy noticed her predicament and quickly explained the cultural norm to her. Armed with the insiders’ point of view, Lett managed to salvage the remainder of her business ventures by arriving to meetings properly escorted.

“It’s those little things that mean a lot,” she said. “You have to know the culture.”

Different Strokes for Different Folks

Traveling executives should also be aware that cultural norms are not one-size-fits-all: They are often polar opposites. A woman traveling on business to Latin countries, for example, not only can walk the streets alone, she may have a better shot at landing the deal if she’s perfected the art of flirting.

“If it’s done well, it can be very powerful,” Lett said.

In Venezuelan business culture, it is considered important for a woman to project elegance. Makeup, jewelry and heels are the norm. Etiquette experts advise American women visiting Venezuela on business to bring high-quality, conservative, stylish clothes. And pack at least one cocktail dress. However, the red power suit, which so many American women have been advised to sport for high-powered meetings on American soil, is a big no-no in other countries.

“Stick to the navy blues, the gray and taupes,” Lett said. “If you want to add a splash of color, wear a scarf.”

American men may steer clear of gender-related comments out of fear of getting slapped with a sexual harassment suit, but in other parts of the world, businessmen tend to compliment a woman’s femininity and are free-flowing with the compliments.

“Sexual harassment just isn’t a concern in most other places in the world,” said Lett. “It’s not a bad thing.”

A woman traveling internationally on business, then, may do well by somewhat lowering her defenses. And it’s not only the men who are more demonstrative in Latin countries; Latin women tend to be more “touchy-feely” with each other than are American women.

“Two businesswomen may touch arms or finger the other’s lapel,” Lett said. “The gesture just shows they like you and consider you a friend.”

American women traveling abroad should not feel pressured to return such gestures, but it would be in poor taste to shun them. The majority of potential pitfalls that American businesspeople encounter overseas, however, cross over the gender lines.

“The thing you always want to do is de-bunk the myth of the aggressive American,” Griffith said.

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

Griffith, who has traveled internationally for business for a decade, said it is very common in Asian countries for a big business deal to start off painfully slow. The first meeting, often over dinner, will uncover nothing business-related. Griffith still recalls the cold stares he received some 10 years ago when he tried steering the conversation toward “the deal” during a dinner meeting with prospective clients in Japan. While his host offered conversation about his daughter’s progression with piano lessons and his favorite sports team, Griffith impatiently remained true to his no-nonsense American style of doing business.

“Americans always want to push, push, push,” Griffith said. “As I tried to do that, I quickly saw how inappropriate it was.”

More than your money, international business tycoons want your friendship. They are interested in becoming sure they can trust you. In Japan, especially, they are just as interested in becoming familiar with a prospective business partner’s karma as they are with their profit margin.

“The key to a good international business relationship is making the other person comfortable,” Lett said.

The Japanese have become known for administering certain “tests” that serve as windows into a person’s trustworthiness. The tests are simple. Does the prospective client return calls when he says he will? Does he send information the particular way he promised to send it? Pass the tests and the sky becomes the limit.

“Once you establish a relationship with the Japanese, and it’s a good one, you have it forever,” Lett said.

Timing Is Everything

In keeping with Hong Kong tradition, a visitor should be prompt for meetings: Punctuality is seen as a gesture of respect. Experts advise foreign travelers to set out well in advance of their meeting time because the city is heavily congested. Most likely, the Hong Kong team will be seated and awaiting your arrival. Your team should enter the room, and each person should sit opposite the Hong Kong representative whose position equals his.

In China, offices may close from noon to 2 p.m., and executives are notorious for taking longer lunches. Much of Hong Kong follows a six-day workweek, with an abbreviated schedule on Saturdays. Similarly, most businesses in the United Arab Emirates open at about 9 a.m., close for most of the afternoon and open again until mid-evening, according to Nicholas Fitzraymond Parker, also known as Ali Abd al-Malik, an Englishman who has resided in the Middle East for more than two decades.

Parker, who writes for an online business etiquette association called Executive Planet, said that much like the West, the workweek in the u.a.e. is five days, but it begins on Saturday instead of Monday. Observance of religious customs is also important for the international traveler. In the u.a.e., prayer times vary and are usually listed in the daily newspaper. Five daily prayers include: Fajr (between dawn and sunrise), Dhuhr (midday), Asr (midafternoon), Maghrib (sunset), and sha (evening).

According to Parker, respecting prayer time trumps punctuality for business executives in this part of the world. The Jewish holy day, the Sabbath, begins at sunset on Friday and ends at sunset on Saturday. In Israel, no business is conducted during this time. According to Jewish custom, most businesses operate 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Fridays.

Often Arab business is conducted publicly, and can include impromptu visits from the host’s friends and family. Traditionally, visitors show up on the off chance of a meeting, and American business men and women are encouraged to do the same. It’s why American business executives should be prepared to wait. A good rule of thumb is to bring along a letter to leave with a secretary in case you simply cannot wait any longer. Complete cold calls in Arab nations, however, are not advisable. There, more often than not, business partnerships get under way only after a personal introduction by a mutual friend.

“If you are introduced by someone whom the businessman respects and regards as a friend, then you cut the time in half that it will take to broker a deal,” Griffith said.

Chinese business meetings are often slow-moving too. Marie Sabbath, author of International Business Etiquette: Asia and the Pacific Rim, advises travelers to appoint a particular spokesperson for the group since the Chinese have a strict hierarchical system, which emphasizes rank. By and large, the key to success for the American executive doing business in this part of the world rests in successfully fighting the urge to demand quick action. No deal is ever signed at the first dinner.

“Tell them you need a decision today and you’ll get one all right,” Lett said. “But I guarantee it won’t be the one you want.”

The Art of Conversation

An international traveler who has done his homework before landing overseas can easily traverse these waters. Dinner conversation should be viewed as an opportunity to provide your host with some insight into who you are as a person.

“Executives in other countries want to feel confident about their American counterpart,” Lett said.

If your dinnertime conversation denotes that you love your family, treat your employees well and listen when others talk, then you cast yourself as a good person to do business with — a good first step. But, of course, mealtime chitchat is not always the rule.

In New Zealand, for example, talking is kept to a minimum while eating a meal. Instead, conversation occurs before or after dining. If you meet with a host for lunch, feel free to bring up business. If it’s a dinner meeting, it would be considered inappropriate to discuss business dealings.

In all lands, appropriate conversation topics almost always include sports and weather. American travelers should avoid asking personal questions such as their hosts’ ages or salaries. Make a point of remembering the names of the host’s spouse, children, favorite sports team or hobbies in order to personalize future conversations. Sex, politics and religion are nearly always taboo topics for dinner discussion.

In Singapore, businesspeople wait for the executive or eldest group member to begin eating before they do. Americans should follow suit. Also in Singapore, the practice is to keep your feet flat on the floor, rather than crossing your legs in front of executives or elders.

The levels of formality business executives engage in are different from one place to another. In Argentina, for example, Senor (for Mr.) and Senora (for Mrs.) is preferred over the use of a host’s first name. In Austria, first names are almost never used for business. Instead, Herr (for Mr.) and Frau (for Mrs.) is the established norm. Australians, however, prefer business transactions to occur on a first-name basis. In India, the salutations are Shri (for Mr.) and Shrimati (for Mrs.). In this country, the use of first names is reserved for family or close friends.

Dress for Success

When conducting business overseas, Americans are advised to put their best fashion foot forward. High-quality tailored suits should be the norm for men. Natives are likely to assess your professional achievement and social status based on your taste and quality of clothing. Dark suits with starched white shirts, conservative ties and highly polished shoes tend to be a standard for American men conducting business overseas.

Women traveling to Denmark should keep jewelry to a minimum and pack a few dress pants, the standard attire for businesswomen in Denmark. American men should consider packing a tuxedo for Denmark and women should bring along an evening gown as Danish executives are known for throwing first-rate black-tie parties. Casual Fridays may clear the way for Bermuda shorts, jeans and T-shirts in the United States, but across the globe, the term is smart casual and “smart” is the operative word. Casual business wear outside these shores is more likely to be a blouse and trousers for women and a sports jacket or blazer with a shirt and tie for men.

Follow the Leader

One of the first things most Americans are likely to ask before they take a trip overseas for business is ironically one of the simplest issues to tackle: greeting their hosts.

“In this day and age, everyone has learned to adopt the Western style of greeting, so shaking hands is largely ok,” said Lett.

Kissing and bowing are standard in European and Asian countries, respectively, but overall, the standard handshake has become proper protocol. It is best, Lett said, for Westerners to take their cues from their host.

“If they hold out their hand for a shake, don’t bow. Shake their hand instead,” she said.

Americans who try too hard to show that they have studied the country’s cultural norms and insist on employing them despite their hosts’ attempts to demonstrate their own sensitivity to Western culture, run the risk of appearing rude, Lett said. However, it’s ok to shake hands, if your host initiates it, and follow up with the greeting that is the culture’s norm.

“Keep the idea of balance in mind,” said Lett. “You respect their attempt and they will respect yours.”

Griffith always advises his students and clients who travel abroad to learn a few key phrases in the language that is native to the country.

“Know words like ‘please,’ ‘thank you’ and ‘hello,’” he said. “Again, it’s about doing homework first.”

Generally, American executives should be prepared to follow the lead of their hosts when traveling abroad — especially if the situation appears to be headed in an unexpected direction.

“Culture is much more complex than what you can read on a page,” said Griffith.