The Times, London and FedEx have produced a feature where a British firm talks about doing business with India. The article makes most Indian businesses appear to be simple minded dolts.

Here’s a particularly telling quote: “Maybe it is just a clash of cultures but the biggest problem is that some of our Indian suppliers often tell us what they think we want to hear rather than what is actually true”.

There’s a reason for this. Most people approach India with only one selection criterion – price. Now, if they sat back and thought about it, in their own countries, who quotes the lowest price? Usually the weakest, most desperate suppliers, who’ll happily say yes to anything just to get an order.

I imagine crooks and incompetents abound in all countries. Not surprising we have our share of those also.

Moral of the story: Don’t just evaluate suppliers on a lowest-quote basis. Take the time to find out a little about who they are and what they stand for, and you’ll get much better results.

Stumble it!