Italians like to deal with people they know and trust. They also tend to believe that work should not be a burden or taken too seriously. Relationships must be profitable and mutually beneficial to gain total cooperation. Pragmatism and talent for improvisation are considered keys to success. Protocol, rules and organization are often ignored.
Negotiations usually take time and patience.
Don t rush them. Italians may misinterpret this as a weakness. Italian companies are fast to identify and exploit a niche without doing an in-depth study. Strategic plans are rarely written and are never long term. Meeting style is unstructured and informal.