A Dime a Dozen Blog

All my life, I’ve had this impression of America as a nation of competent, ‘can do’ super capitalists, a people relentless in the pursuit of profit. I guess you can say I’m an Americo-phile. Maybe the last one. But for the second time this year, I’m very disappointed by this country.

It’s because of this business trip. Here’s what’s wrong this time. First, just setting it up took months. A visiting C.O.O. met us in Vancouver and sold us on the idea of launching a partnership with them in NYC. He told us about a client base of 5,000 per month. Our business has huge margins, so 5,000 potential clients – even if it translates into only 50 or 100 actual clients – are worth close to a million dollars per year. That may not sound like much if you’re IBM, but to us, it’s good money.

So I contacted the C.O.O. to set up the appointment. No response. I tried again and again, and went through side channels and nothing. Barely a week before the original meeting was to occur, I’m sent to another person in their company, who agrees to finally meet me. So I get down there to Wall Street to find – well, nothing. Nothing done on their side. Long story, short, after changing locations twice I find out that the potential base isn’t 5,000 per month, but 300.

I’m furious at that. But not surprised – as I said above, this is the second time in six months that I’ve been completely screwed over in America.

My last trip here, I met another large company and we spent two hours working out a side deal, and after getting it all put down on paper – they haven’t delivered. They never return emails on time, don’t respond to urgent requests, and sit and do nothing while we send them business. I’ve re-explained the terms of our agreement to them at least 5 times, but they won’t let it sink into their thick heads.

What a bloody waste of time. Many of the people I’ve been dealing with in the US are lazy, they lie, and they are mortally disorganized. After doing business in Italy, Switzerland, France, Britain, Canada and the USA, I have to say that this country comes dead last for me. If I have money to spend or time to invest, I’ll be looking at Brazil or Germany before I look here.

And it’s not only me, it’s in the air right now. A lot of us pro-American right-wingers are getting sick of actually dealing with this country. Yes we admire it’s ideals, its beauty, its culture and its friendly people – but to be honest – when it comes time to deliver, American businessmen fail.

I recently came across a book called “The Rise of American Incompetence”. Slate discussed it, and the problem last week:

…thanks to widespread incompetence, American management is on its way to becoming an international laughingstock…Doubtful of the ability of provincial American executives, with their limited language skills, to negotiate today’s global business environment, the boards of massive U.S. firms like Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, Alcoa, and insurer AIG have hired foreign-born CEOs. Carl Icahn, the 1980s corporate raider, has reinvented himself as a borscht-belt comedian/activist investor, who delights conferences and reporters with jokes at CEOs’ expense. On a recent 60 Minutes, Icahn complained to Lesley Stahl about the incompetence of American management. “I see our country going off a cliff, and I feel bad about it.”

If you’re European or Canadian and you’ve come to New York lately, or you’ve waited on payment, or delivery of something from Americans, then I suspect you’ll agree with the title of that book and with Icahn – American business is really going off that cliff (likely in a Canadian-built car).

I don’t know what it is – maybe they’ve been on top so long that they’ve forgotten that they have to fight to stay there, maybe it’s their poor education system, maybe their protectionist politics, maybe all the great entrepreneurs have moved into the tech sector and left the rest of the economy with the dregs, but whatever the cause, this country’s businessmen are impossible to work with, and I am – nearly – done trying.