Business in Mexico – The Opportunities
Mexico is the only country in Latin America that shares its borders with the United States of America. Thanks to this strategic location, it has greatly benefited from this proximity and is home to a multitude of factories catering to the American market. In this article, you will learn more about this country and how you can start doing business.
General Information about Mexico
Mexico city is the capital with around 120 million people. Spanish is the primary language, but most of the business community will speak English.
Mexico’s main trading partners are the USA, Canada, Germany, China, Japan and South Korea. It most important industries are food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel, petroleum, mining, textiles, clothing, motor vehicles, consumer durables and tourism.
Mexico was the country in Latin America that was the hardest hit by the global financial crisis due to its strong dependence on the United States. Its negative -6.5 GDP in 2009 gave a big blow to its economy. Thankfully, they are steadily recovering and is predicted to show positive growth rates for 2010.
Despite the violence that has been increasing in certain regions, Mexico still remains a strong manufacturing country to the Americans thanks to lower taxes, favorable labor laws and overall cheaper overhead expenses.
To successfully trade with Mexico, you will need to integrate yourself into their local customs. The dress code is conservative for both women and men. The high tech industry is usually dressed in a more relaxed matter.
Always arrive on time for meetings as your Mexican counterpart will. Do not plan too many things in one day as meetings will last through lunch and longer.
Keep in mind that in order to do business in Mexico, you need to concentrate of building a relationship based on trust. Once this is achieved, try not to change your team as you might risk to start all over again. Business in this region takes longer to conclude a contract therefore be prepared to make several trips.
Your potential business partner will not expect a gift from you. You can give valuable gifts once the relationship becomes more serious.
Doing business in Mexico represents various opportunities for companies looking to increase their global sales by expanding to new markets.
David Bess specializes in assisting companies to successfully do business with Latin America. To access to his valuable resources, tips and links, click here importaciones