Business Or Company Transfers To Mexico
Is your company or business is sending you to Mexico? Relax! Disfrute! (Enjoy).
If you are being transferred to Mexico to do business by your company, they will do most of the work for you. Their services often include finding you an apartment (albeit a very expensive one) and shipping your stuff. The Mexican branch of your corporation will obtain an FM3 visa for you, enabling you to work for that specific company.
You will find learning some Spanish will pave the way for an easier transition. I recommend the Spanish course here. Leaning social customs will be just as important as learning Spanish, perhaps more so. Your colleagues will speak English. Their customs for doing business and for social events will still be Mexican. Below are a few tips from Live Better South of the Border. Your company should buy a copy for everyone they transfer to Mexico.
Social Customs for Doing Business
One of the most aggravating things gringos do that offends Mexican businessmen is to jump right in and discuss business. Take your time. Make small talk. Ask about the family, but be sincere. Any insincerity will be detected in a heartbeat. Let him take the lead about when to begin discussion of the topic at hand. Another mistake is to insist that contracts be signed and deals made on the first meeting. There are exceptions, of course, especially when you’ve flown in for a single meeting, but that in itself doesn’t give you the right to dictate terms. Without sounding like an ignorant gringo myself, this has nothing to do with a mañana attitude. Mexican businessmen are quite possibly the smartest on the planet. They have to deal with high interest rates on borrowing money, corruption, complicated labor laws, strong unions, and a host of nuances that we gringos will never completely understand.
Mexicans believe that anything important should be approached slowly and deliberately. They often have to consult with people you know nothing about. They have to take in the cultural ramifications of any decision.
And perhaps there is just a bit of xenophobia involved. The United States has taken advantage of Mexico for centuries. If you look at the recent past, however, you will find that Mexican businessmen usually outsmart their American counterparts, probably due in part to this xenophobic predisposition.
Psychological Bias
A word to the wise: Even Mexican businessmen who have dealt with Americans for years have a little psychological bias. (Since my last three books were psychologically oriented, and lots of my friends are shrinks, I have a tendency to analyze things, but also to ask for expert opinions to validate my own.) Mexicans (in general) often believe that Americans (in general) have more money than they do. This attitude doesn’t seem to carry over to Canadians as much, so you have an advantage over your American counterparts.
Canadians are viewed differently from Americans. Everybody likes Canadians. You aren't considered to be as arrogant as those of us from the USA.
There is also a deeply hidden feeling of not quite inferiority, but perhaps a somewhat “less than” attitude. Very often there’s a feeling of “us versus them.” While they’re looking out for ways that the gringo will take advantage of them, they’re also looking for ways to outsmart the gringo, thus proving that the Mexican is superior. The interesting thing is that they are. Eight times out of ten, the Mexican businessman does find an advantage that slips right by the gringo.
Layers of Documentation
One other reason it takes time to get deals done in Mexico is that most Americans don’t understand how Mexican businessmen want proposals done. If you want your idea to be seriously considered by your Mexican partners, be ready to do a lot of paperwork. In Mexico, it is customary for proposals to be lengthier than they are here. Everything must be documented, complete with footnotes. Include lots of graphs, spreadsheets, and charts. The best investment you can make is in an assistant who is good at Excel and Power Point presentations.