Doing Business in Mexico Business people in Mexico will tell you, as most business people will, that business meals are important rituals considered well-spent perks, since often business people work long hours and are away from their families much too often. “It’s the least I should get when I travel,” one of those well-suited managers […]
Continue ReadingDoing Business in Mexico It has been said by many non-Mexicans such as Americans, Germans, French, among many others, that Mexicans are much too touchy: They don’t seem to handle criticism very well, and are too easily hurt. Stated bluntly, too touchy. It is interesting to note that within many cultures, people often say the […]
Continue ReadingDoing Business in Mexico In Mexico, when you go to a traditional marketplace, or a store around the corner, it is not unusual that a number of things will be packaged in small plastic bags with a close-knit knot, and not a shoe-like knot that is easy to untie. This may include a sandwich to […]
Continue ReadingDoing Business in Mexico Cultural specialists, such as myself, often will tell you that Mexicans (and Latinos in general) do not respond well to impersonal technologically-oriented means of communication or of selling. Latinos prefer to speak to a human being. It is a culture that is defined by almost everyone as strongly interpersonally oriented. Thus […]
Continue ReadingDoing Business in Mexico I always tell my students and seminar participants that Mexico is a complex culture. In some ways is much like the rest of Latin America. Yet in other ways it is more similar to South and East Asian cultures, such as Japan. Various authors have pointed out that in countries such […]
Continue ReadingDoing Business in Mexico One thing that often puzzles observers from the U.S. about Mexico is the apparent dichotomy between how Mexicans behave at the personal level, and how they manifest themselves in anonymity. Thus, your Mexican friend is willing to do anything for you in times of need, but that same person – when […]
Continue ReadingDoing Business in Mexico Although denied officially and, personally by many Mexicans, racism in Mexico is so evident that most foreigners notice it right away. All you have to do is look at Mexican-produced television programs, especially the internationally-known genre of Mexican telenovelas (soap operas). There you will see many Caucasians playing leading roles, while the darker-complected […]
Continue ReadingDoing Business in Mexico In July, I wrote about racism and how this affects business in Mexico. The article provoked a huge reaction. I got love mail and hate mail. This month I’ll share some of the most thoughtful responses with you. One writer wrote to say: Who spoon-fed you this garbage? Some of the most successful […]
Continue ReadingDoing Business in Mexico I get many inquiries from non-Mexicans interested in investing in or starting a new business in Mexico. The inquiries usually ask the normal “administrative” curiosities: What are the numbers for the industry? (Sales, outlets, what have you). How competitive is the market; how easy/difficult it is to get the legal permits, […]
Continue ReadingDoing Business in Mexico A common saying among professionals in the United States goes something like, “I’ve got to take care of number one, you know,” usually when discussing a situation in which the speaker had clearly behaved thinking of what was best for her or him. If you are more trendy and now consider […]
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