In Mexico, business is done on the basis of relationships. New Zealand exporters will need to travel to Mexico frequently to develop and strengthen relationships to do business successfully.

Benjamin Smaill, Business and Operations Development Manager for Criterion furniture says: “A committed local presence is also paramount, as the culture must be understood and addressed. The relationship must also be fostered to overcome the miscommunication that so often occurs across borders. Be patient, and know the risks.”

When meeting for the first time, the best icebreaker is to ask about the family. Mexico is a family-oriented society. From birthdays and weddings to Mother’s Day, Mexicans put family ahead of everything else in their lives.

When speaking on the phone to a Mexican friend or business associate, the safest opening topic of conversation is always family.

General advice on working relationships.

Israel Garcia, Business Development Manager, Mexico and Central America for Tait Radio Communications says: “There must be cultural understanding. Mexicans like casual talk, but will eventually arrive at the crucial point. Success in the Mexican market is based on building solid relationships, not obligations.”

General advice on cultural factors when negotiating.

You must tailor your approach depending on the size of the company you are dealing with and a person’s position or seniority. Larger companies and more senior staff tend to be more formal and to have shorter meetings. Some of these people will pre-judge based on your personal appearance.

In general, people will appreciate if you know some basic words or phrases in Spanish. This will help build a closer relationship.

It is good to start the meeting with casual talk, but only briefly, or they will see you as being informal.

It is also very important to find out beforehand who are the decision makers and how best to get to them, for example through their personal assistant, advisors or directly. Hierarchies are important and sometimes it is very hard to reach the higher levels of staff within larger organisations.

General advice on how to behave at the first meeting.

Government and authorities pay even more attention to personal relationships than business people. Decision making might also be based on whether they like you or not. So it’s best to be charismatic.

Government and authorities also have a much more bureaucratic processes. It is advisable to understand the structure of the entity you are dealing with beforehand and know who the decision makers are and how to best approach them. New Zealand Trade and Enterprise can be critical for this as we have access to these contacts. NZTE often works together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on these fronts.