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When Chutzpah Meets Silence: Negotiating Abroad for Israeli CEOs · Match B2B Insights

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  Music.
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  Hey everyone, welcome back to Small Company Big Brand. I'm Brenda,
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  joined as always by Benny Fluman.
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  Last time, we showed how small Israeli companies can make a splash globally
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  without huge budgets or a marketing department.
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  But today, we're zooming in on something even more make or break for international success.
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  Negotiation. And why it's a whole new ballgame outside Israel.
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  Benny, you and I both know Israeli CEOs are pros at working deals.
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  But what happens when you try Tel Aviv-style negotiation in Tokyo or, say, Berlin?
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  Oh, Brenda, if only it were just about language, right?
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  The signals, the timing, even what's not being said. Everything has different rules out there.
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  I mean, PwC found a full quarter of international joint ventures just blow up
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  because of cultural mismatches.
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  And Harvard's research? Top 10 negotiation failures?
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  Nearly all culture-driven.
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  Let me tell you, once I treated a Japanese-style silence like an awkward pause,
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  tried to fill it, and it basically screamed disrespect.
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  Cost the company months. So let's give listeners a real cautionary tale.
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  What's the price if an Israeli CEO ignores all those signals and treats,
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  say, a Tokyo deal like a Thursday in Herzliya?
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  You can thank a multi-million dollar deal before you even finish your coffee.
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  I remember this one Israeli startup.
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  They came into a Japanese boardroom.
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  Started with high energy, quick jokes, rapid-fire slides.
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  The Japanese execs went quiet.
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  Total silence, I kid you not.
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  Our guys panicked. Filled every gap with more talking, interrupting each other.
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  After that, deal over. They thought the Japanese were saying yes with their silence. But no.
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  Silence meant, you lost us at hello.
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  That brings us right into the heart of the Israeli style.
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  Direct, improvisational, fast. Honestly, it's kind of legendary.
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  So, Benny, what's your take on why those traits help Israelis stand out but
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  also stir the pot? Okay, let's be real.
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  Israelis are famous for chutzpah. Speed, talking straight, cutting through the nonsense.
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  There's a reason Silicon Valley loves it. Remember the Ways deal?
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  They used pure data and logic, showed the full picture to Google.
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  $1.3 billion later, case closed.
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  But, ah, and here comes the problem. Countries like Germany,
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  they see our impatience as reckless.
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  I learned this the hard way in Munich. Made a joke about taking shortcuts to seal a deal.
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  Germans, they don't do shortcuts. My joke went over like, what do you call it?
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  Lead balloon. You know, it cuts both ways.
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  Israelis' honesty gets respect in the U.S. when it's about results, speed, contracts.
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  But then, take Strauss's hummus in America. Tried to turn a special occasion
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  food into an everyday staple overnight.
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  Didn't work because they didn't read the daily culture. So sometimes confidence
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  looks like, I'll say it, overconfidence or even arrogance outside Israel.
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  That's the paradox of Israeli style.
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  What's gold at home can feel like chaos abroad.
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  The best move? Learn when to dial it up, when to slow down, and just listen.
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  Sometimes, sending your best get-it-done guy to Tokyo is not the answer.
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  Trust me, I have the scars to prove it. Let's zoom way out for a minute.
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  How does culture actually make or break these deals?
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  We've got Japanese patience and silence, German process, the French loving their
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  long lunches, Americans all about return on investment, and then African markets
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  where community trust runs the show.
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  So different, right? the Japanese, they can go minutes with no talking.
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  It's part of the process.
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  Germans, super structured. Every meeting has an agenda, and God help you if you go off script.
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  France, they'll ignore the numbers until they like you personally.
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  America, you'd better have the ROI slide ready by the 10-minute mark or your toast.
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  Africa, they want to know you're invested in their community before any business
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  talk happens. And it's not just about being polite.
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  It's literally money on the line. There was an Israeli startup.
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  They lost a $20 million Japanese deal because they just wouldn't respect those pauses.
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  But then, another Israeli firm cracks it, takes a year building up trust.
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  Yes to the etiquette, yes to the hierarchy, and boom, the deal's done.
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  So Benny, for founders listening, what are those little warning signs you look
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  for that maybe you're about to cross an invisible cultural line?
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  If your counterpart starts going silent, asks to circle back again and again,
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  or doesn't invite you for a meal, you're probably in trouble.
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  Watch subtle stuff. Who speaks first? Who keeps their eyes down?
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  Little things you'd miss if you're blinded by your own intensity.
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  Don't assume yes looks or sounds like you're yet. Here's where models can help.
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  Benny, you know Hofstede's dimensions. Power distance, uncertainty avoidance,
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  individualism, and so on.
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  Why do you think these matter so much for Israeli companies?
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  Because they show why what works here, bombs over there.
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  Israelis have flat hierarchies. So we march right up to execs in Israel.
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  No problem. But in India or Japan, skip the seniority and you're done.
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  We'll take uncertainty avoidance.
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  Germans want backup for everything.
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  Agenda, backup slides, even a plan G and communication style.
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  Edward holds high and low context, right?
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  Israelis and Americans, we say what's on our minds.
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  Clarity over politeness. But in Japan or China, most of the conversation happens
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  between the lines, in the silence, or even after you leave the room.
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  So let's do a quick cheat sheet, Benny.
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  What's your go-to for Israeli founders heading into, say, France or India?
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  France? Talk logic. Be ready for some debate. But do not skip those long lunches.
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  India? Build a relationship with a big boss. But don't ignore the lieutenants. Lots of hierarchy.
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  Lots of emotions. And yes, almost always means maybe.
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  Let's see. Let's talk about the Harvard model, getting to yes.
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  Focusing on interests, not hard positions, is global, but it plays out differently everywhere.
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  In France, you get to interests over wine and cheese. In China,
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  it's long-term over many visits.
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  Exactly. Israelis like to get down to brass tacks. But some cultures only show
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  their hand when the rapport is airtight.
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  There's a classic French example. Israeli execs wanted to dazzle with numbers.
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  But after a three-hour lunch about nothing but families, the French partners
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  suddenly shared what they actually wanted.
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  Deal done. No slides required. And Brenda, what would you do if your counterpart
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  just kept nodding, saying nothing?
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  Is that a yes or a very polite no? Oh wow, in Japan or China,
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  I'd be sweating if someone just smiled and nodded but didn't ask questions.
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  It's almost never a yes. You have to listen for what they're not saying, not just the words.
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  Which is, honestly, so different from how Israelis operate at home.
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  Preparation is the unsung hero, right?
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  Israelis ace the technical stuff. KPIs, ROI models, contracts.
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  The problem is, cultural prep gets skipped. If you miss the unwritten rules,
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  you can lose before the first handshake.
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  Benny, you've got horror stories, I'm sure. Oh, plenty.
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  Miss one Agela detail at a German meeting? Forget it.
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  You might as well turn around and fly home. In Japan, if you can't handle dead
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  air, they'll think you're undisciplined.
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  I get it. We all want to save time.
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  But skipping cultural homework is like going to a wedding and forgetting the
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  gift. But for small companies, double prep sounds overwhelming.
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  Like, let's be serious, most founders don't have time, money, or a spare team.
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  What's the absolutely minimum you'd say every CEO has to do?
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  So, bare minimum, one, map out who the real decision makers are.
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  Two, learn three big no-nos in your target culture, like never pitch the junior
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  person in France or never rush the pleasantries in China.
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  And always, always have your follow-up plan in writing.
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  Case studies say it all. Let's pick apart a few. Japan.
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  One Israeli company was direct. Deal dead. The other respected the process.
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  Stayed patient, landed the contract. Same in France.
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  Numbers first flopped. Relationship first closed.
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  In the U.S., an Israeli fintech missed the ROI slide and lost millions.
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  Their competitor nailed it and raised $7 million.
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  Benny, what's the real lesson in these battles? Everyone likes to brag about
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  wins, Especially in Israel.
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  But honestly, the best lessons hide in prideful failures.
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  We're passionate, but sometimes deaf to what the other side really values.
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  I've banged the table thinking it showed strength, but it just freaked out the Germans.
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  The losses sting more, but they teach you way faster. Let's get really practical.
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  What are the common traps for Israelis working globally? What are the common
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  traps for Israelis working globally?
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  Over-directness can be read as arrogance, right? What else?
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  Absolutely. Pitching to the wrong person? Huge in France and China.
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  No written follow-up? Deals vanish.
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  Not reading hierarchy means, oops, you spent a year on the wrong champion.
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  McKinsey found that adapt-or-die approach means a 30% to 40% higher chance of success.
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  If you don't, it collapses.
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  Fast. So let's be brutal here. What are the taboos that kill Israeli deals abroad?
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  Taboo number one, acting like everyone is an Israeli.
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  Number two, thinking you can wing it with charm and drive.
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  Number three, undervaluing written contracts, especially in Germany or the US. The classic don't.
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  Don't skip the small talk in France. Don't touch the business card in Japan
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  until you've really looked at it. Don't run roughshod over hiring. hierarchy.
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  Anywhere. All right, CEOs tuning in, here's the playbook.
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  Set agendas, map decision makers, prep your BATNA, and engage local advisors every time.
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  Benny, you actually use a dashboard for deals, right?
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  Walk us through it. Yeah, and it's not fancy. I'm old school.
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  Five simple columns. Culture steps, what matters wherever I'm going Key players,
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  Interests, theirs and ours Risks and next steps Keeps your ego in check and
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  saves your skin when things get weird.
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  Plus, I carve out time for a written debrief after every deal.
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  Not just for me, but for the team.
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  That way, next time, we're sharpening the sword, not swinging it blind.
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  And don't forget, Harvard's Getting to Yes, Hofstede, Aaron Meyer,
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  these aren't just for workshops.
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  Use them every trip, every meeting.
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  Never be too small to act big with your toolkit.
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  So, to wrap up, Israeli agility and chutzpah are real weapons.
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  But the secret is mixing them with humility, trust, and respect.
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  Agility means you can outmaneuver big firms. But if you push too hard,
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  disrespect signals. You'll lose the edge.
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  Benny, what's your 60-second pitch to a founder who's scared of losing their
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  Israeli DNA if they adapt too much abroad?
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  You don't lose your edge by respecting others. You sharpen it.
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  True, you might slow down, bite your tongue, or learn a few rituals you think are silly.
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  But trust me, you'll win more, lose less, and keep what makes you, well, Israeli.
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  The point isn't to become American or Japanese or French.
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  It's to be the best Israeli version of yourself. With enough global savvy,
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  so they invite you back, again and again.
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  That's it for today's Deep Dive. If you're aiming to negotiate abroad,
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  prepare, adapt, listen, and most importantly, bring your why to every table
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  as we discussed last episode.
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  Thanks, Benny, as always, for your stories and practical tips.
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  We'll be back with more hands-on strategies for your global playbook.
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  Benny, great as always. See you soon. Thank you, Brenda.
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  Always a pleasure. And to everyone out there, go win those global deals,
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  but don't forget to enjoy the ride.
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  Bye, Brenda. Bye, Benny. Thanks, everyone, for tuning in. See you next time.
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  Music.