Guide to Business Etiquette in Mexico

Follow the news for a good sense of what matters

A big problem for most foreign visitors is simply appearing to react to old ideas about a new place. Get around this by reading Mexico news online.

I recommend: World News Network and Topix aggregate Mexican topical news in English from all over the U.S. press. Yahoo!, The Washington Post and The New York Times maintain Mexico news pages.

Be sensitive to perceptions

It can be a challenge if you come from a so-called "developed" country, in part because your clients and partners will make assumptions. One assumption they will get right is that you know little or nothing about their country while expecting them to know everything about yours.

I recommend: Beat back this weakness by boning up on history and geography. The CIA Factbook is a surprisingly evenhanded review of the basic economic, political and geographical facts. The History Channel has a concrete, short but complete mini-site on Mexican history, while the BBC and the Economist have updated profiles. For the more adventurous, consider The Oxford History of Mexico.

Corruption is a common aspect of life but not necessarily business

Mexico, like many developing countries, has a subculture of corruption that is the direct result of poverty. Cops are underpaid, so tickets get fixed. Bureaucrats, too, and so forth, what's often termed petty corruption. Do not, however, assume too much.

I recommend: Corporate Mexico, particularly Mexican multinationals, is as horrified by corruption as you are. They will be particularly sensitive to this discussion and likely react poorly if pandered to. For instance, the United States is not the highest-rated country in the Transparency International Bribe Payers' Index. (USA tied with Belgium at 9th and 10th place; Mexico is No. 17.)

Where yes means not really

It's easy to generalize, but it is true that Mexicans are far more polite than Americans. This leads to two misunderstandings. Americans seem cold and business-like for giving direct, frank answers and, in return, Mexicans can seem agreeable to nearly anything yet not serious about getting down to business.

I recommend: A common joke is that Mexicans always say "yes" but never specify "when." This is simply politeness, but for many foreigners it comes off as insincerity. Cyborlink offers a short yet well-written guide to behavior codes, as does Kwintessential.

Even rudimentary Spanish beats clueless Taco-Bell jokespeak

Your Mexican collegues will not understand why "gordita" is funny and will not have seen the commercials with the Chihuahua. Nor is saying "No way, José!" over and over going to get you very far.

I recommend: Consider taking a beginning Spanish class from Berlitz or ELT or through a local university, particularly if you will be traveling regularly to Mexico or talking on the phone with Mexican customers. Any effort is hugely impressive. Many Mexico business people are bilingual; do not, however, assume they speak your language naturally. Compliment their English in a low-key way. See more on foreign-language training at this guide on training employees.