The three visit rule

One of the many things our teacher in cultural sensitivity training tried to drill into our heads was that Singaporeans prefer indirect communication to direct communication. How does this look? Well, it's typical to have a very chatty and off-topic meeting with someone who you are trying to do business with. To us, it feels like they aren't taking our business seriously but really they are trying to see if we are serious enough to build a relationship with them.

After some frustrating experiences I figured out that there is a "three visits rule." If I chill out and just trust this process I can get things done and enjoy the indirect quirkiness of Singaporean business customs.

So this is my three visits rule which I have just applied to several things, including signing a lease, getting insurance, doing anything at the bank etc.