Welcoming, languages and hospitality
The ITA guide for India describes several forms of greeting, including handshakes and namaste, as well as the importance of relational exchanges. It also highlights the diversity of dietary preferences. These benchmarks invite you to ask rather than assume. India and its diaspora encompass a wide range of linguistic, professional and family contexts. English may be suitable for a business interaction, without automatically being the preferred language of every participant.
The method in practice
Open with a verbal greeting and match the desired level of formality. Do not turn a welcoming gesture into a theatrical imitation. For a day of viewings, ask all visitors about their meal constraints, accessibility needs, breaks and preferred timings. Do not infer a religion or dietary requirements based on a surname. Outline the itinerary, estimated travel times and meeting points. Public holidays and personal commitments vary: confirm availability against actual dates, rather than treating a national calendar as certainty. Set up a video conferencing solution if a participant is remote. The quality of reception is measured by the ability to follow the tour comfortably and understand the information, without requiring clients to explain their cultural identity.
Fictional example
In Marrakech, a family visiting from London requests a break and two dining options. The consultant confirms requirements individually and books a compatible slot, without attributing these requests to an assumed religion.
Offer options for reception, then follow the expressed preferences.
Understand the group dynamic without assigning authority
A purchase may involve a couple, multiple generations, partners or an external adviser. This is not specific to any single nationality. Do not automatically assume the eldest person or the man in the group is the decision-maker. Ask the same question for every file: who will live in the property, who is participating in the evaluation, who is financing it and who makes the final commitments? A relationship of trust is also built by giving proper consideration to everyone involved.
The method in practice
First, invite everyone to state a requirement without interruption. Then consolidate common criteria and state any differences neutrally. If an interlocutor acts as an adviser without purchasing, clarify their role and the information they are authorized to receive. Confirm with the client who should attend the next meeting. An absent party may receive the file if requested and authorized; they must not discover a decision already presented as collective. For a multilingual exchange, summarize after each topic and request corrections. The group's commercial agreement remains distinct from the legal signing powers, which are handled in the notary's file. This separation prevents the consultant from mistaking family influence for legal authority to bind others.
Fictional example
In Rabat, a buyer arrives with her father and a friend. She clarifies that she is purchasing alone and that her father is advising on renovation work. The consultant directs decisions to her and consults the father only within the agreed role.
Have roles clarified instead of designating an apparent decision-maker.
Negotiating scope and total cost
A discount request may relate to price, fittings, timelines or an uncertainty in the file. It does not demonstrate an "Indian style" of negotiation. Address objections using the same method as for any client: clarify the comparison, verify the scope, identify an authorized concession and secure an explicit trade-off. The overall budget includes items that require cost estimation, not just the asking price.
The method in practice
Build a line-by-line comparison per item: price, potential furniture, estimated works, known charges and fees to be confirmed by competent professionals. Indicate the date and author of the estimates. Ask "Which comparable offer are you referring to, and what does it include?". If the difference stems from included equipment, compare that equipment instead of immediately lowering the price. Avoid repeated concessions without new information: they can make your initial price seem uncredible. Present a clear conditional offer, within the limits authorised by the seller, then allow time for a decision. A deadline must correspond to a fact, not an invented sense of urgency. Conclude by distinguishing between itemised figures, assumptions, and validations still expected prior to commitment.
Fictional example
In Casablanca, a couple compares two flats, only one of which is furnished. The advisor isolates the furniture and the works, requests the missing quotes, and negotiates a precise scope, without explaining the request for a discount by the couple's origin.
Respond to a request for a discount with a comparison and a framed concession.
Your practical application work
An Indian buyer living in London visits Rabat with her father. She is funding the purchase alone, wants a home for her visits, and is comparing a furnished property to an unfurnished one.
- Draft the welcome and the organisation of the day.
- Outline in text the roles and criteria to be confirmed.
- Write a response to the request for a discount with three comparable items.
Sources and benchmarks
- International Trade Administration · IndiaProfessional practices in the named country; to be confirmed with each client in Morocco. Accessed 14 September 2026.
- UNESCO · Intercultural competenciesConceptual framework for intercultural dialogue. Scripts and real-estate cases are CBE educational creations.