Transacting Anything in this Country

Recently, I read a book written by a Cultural Analyst specializing in Mexican culture. I was impressed when he made the point that though you might have the highest degree of spoken fluency in Spanish and have excellent cultural fluency, when "push comes to shove," maybe having a Mexican partner, mentor, or advisor to accompany you would be best. What I think he meant was when you want to transact anything under the sun in Mexico, having a Mexican at your side would get things done a lot faster, more smoothly, and as hitch-free as possible.

This makes perfect sense in light of the Mexican culture. We Americans are the "me" society. Our culture is geared toward the individual. Everything is based on procedures, methods, deadlines, and an anal-retentive regard for time. We want our meetings to go without a hitch. We want them fast. We want to get down to business immediately—no messing around!

Mexicans are the "us" society. Their culture is based on groups. They have a group orientation toward everything in life. Relationships within the groups (any sort of group) is how this society functions. The culture is, in that regard, very much like the Japanese and Oriental cultures.

Someone told me, "I've sent email after email to a Mexican real estate agency and have never gotten a response." A possibility, I told this person, is that business conducted by phone, fax, or email is not personal. You don't build relationships this way. Business here is conducted face to face. One is impersonal. The other is relational.

Let's face it: as Americans, we lack in the relationship-building department. This is something often commented on by Latinos. One put it: "Americans, while technologically advanced seemed not very socially evolved."

Mexicans, on the other hand, are experts at knowing how to build relationships so that a transaction of any kind can go down as hassle-free as possible.

They know how to complete a transaction based on a relationship and not a piece of paper (contract).