Obviously, Mexicans speak spanish and Americans speak english. Fortunately, it is not difficult to find spanish speaking Americans, even of Mexican descent. The problem comes with the fact that business negotiations tend to use technical vocabulary that cause trouble for even the most adept spanish speakers. And more importantly, CULTURAL differences embedded into the language can and have caused major misunderstandings in business arrangements and negotiations. This can ultimately lead to distrust, anxiety, and loss of revenue. You need to have an advocate working on your behalf who understands BOTH the language and culture of Mexico.

Mexico is a gigantic country with variables as wide and broad as the United States. Think about the difference between labor costs in California compared to Utah, or the cultural differences between Chicago and Miami. Do you really have any idea where the best state or city in Mexico is for your particular product? Are you going to pay too much or offer too little? The amount of cultural ignorance regarding Mexico, even for fluent Spanish speakers causes a tremendous amount of uncertainty in the business process.

Just like every state in the United States offers unique opportunities, like technology in the Silicon Valley, agriculture in the Midwest, or tourism in Orlando, every state in Mexico (there are 31 states with Mexico City being a federal district like Washington D.C.), offers unique opportunities that are unknown to Americans. Your products and your business could easily miss out on incredible opportunities simply for a lack of information regarding Mexican culture, governmental programs, education, and various business opportunities.

While relations between American and Mexican governments are solid and the general attitude between Americans and Mexicans is strong and positive, it is still a reality that individual Mexican citizens, whether they be workers or owners, can harbor a measure of contempt for Americans. You can call it the “gringo treatment.” Generally speaking, Mexicans prefer to do business with other Mexicans and are much less likely to try to manipulate contracts or business understandings when they are conducting business directly with a fellow Mexican professional.

When will your products arrive? How will it be shipped? What happens when it crosses the border? Do you have to pay taxes? How does insurance work? What happens if a shipment is lost? What if I am not satisfied with the final product? What happens when this, that, or the other happens? Yes, there’s tons of questions and confusion. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a single point of contact that takes care of all of these issues for you?