Spanish for Travelers, Spring 2012, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Are you traveling to a Spanish speaking country? Are you doing business in Mexico? Or would you like to brush up on your Spanish? If so, this is the class for you. Spanish for Travelers is a beginners class and students will learn through a variety of conversational exercises. Join us and experience how learning Spanish will change your travel experience.
Lessons are for beginners and will be taught through speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Text: “Easy Spanish Step-by-Step” by Barbara Bregstein.
Dates: Thursdays, starting April 12, 2012 to May 24, 2012 (7 sessions)
Time: 6:00 PM -7:30 PM
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20 Good Reasons to Learn Spanish
Here are our all-time favorite reasons why learning Spanish is so important…
1. The USA has the 5th largest Spanish-speaking population in the world. There are over 35 million Spanish speakers in the United States.
2. The average age of an Hispanic in the United States is 24.8 years old. The average age of a Caucasian in the United States is 38.6 years old. A younger populace has more children.
3. Presently, over 40% of the population growth in the United States is among the Hispanic people!
4. More than 1000 Hispanics enter the United States each day.
5. To be able to communicate effectively with your Spanish-speaking co-workers.
6. To be able to communicate with your employees.
7. President George W. Bush, Ex-Vice President Al Gore, and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich all speak Spanish. In fact, Speaker Gingrich takes Spanish with Bilingual America.
8. To be able to say, “Yo quiero Taco Bell” better than the average dog.
9. To be able to communicate with your Spanish speaking significant other or to find a significant other.
10. To be able to communicate with your significant other’s family and friends.
11. To avoid memory related illnesses. Studies show that bilingual people have better memory motor skills as they age and are less prone to diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
12. To reconnect with your Hispanic roots. It is many times difficult for those who look Hispanic and have a Latino last name to feel comfortable around other Latinos.
13. To be able to sell your product or service to one or more of the more than 35 million Spanish speakers in the United States.
14. To be able to sell your product or service to one or more of the more than 200 million Spanish speakers in this world.
15. To prepare yourself to communicate on your next trip to Latin America, South America, Spain, Miami, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Denver or virtually anywhere else you go in the Western Hemisphere. (If you’re going to Canada to live maybe French might be worth learning!)
16. To get a better and higher paying job.
17. To be able to help Spanish speakers in your area socially or religiously.
18. To improve communications in your work environment. Most Spanish-speaking employees do not really want to be your translator.
19. To be able to teach your employees better safety, success and job skills.
20. To be able to enjoy the warmest and richest culture on earth; the Latino culture.
Learning Spanish will stretch your mind and change your life forever. We have never had someone tell us that they regret having learned to communicate well in Spanish. We invite you to expand your world of opportunities.
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spanish language center in metro Detroit
Dear Spanish language enthusiasts,
The purpose of this post is to present a new business to educators, students and investors. First, let me tell you a little about my background. A native of Madrid, Spain, I completed my MBA at Case Western University in Cleveland, Ohio and shortly after relocated to Detroit. While working for corporate America, I saw a great opportunity for Spanish language education, which led to the founding of Spanish International, LLC. For nearly six years now, I have taught Spanish for corporations, community groups, and individuals. Additionally, I am on faculty at the University of Detroit Mercy.
As my client base and interest in the Spanish language has continued to grow, in spite the challenging economic climate, I have decided to open Spanish International – Spanish Language Training Center. This will be metro-Detroit’s first and only location devoted solely to the highest quality instruction of the Spanish language. My goal is to create a contemporary center that offers intensive and rigorous training in an upbeat and friendly setting…. a place where people look forward to coming not only for the language skills they develop, but for the social enjoyment as well. The initial target market will be adults, however, tutoring and special programs will also target school age students.
The second stage objective is to develop Spanish International into a franchise system to meet the growing need for high quality Spanish language training throughout the country. If you are interested in being part of this exciting venture from the ground level and are either as an educator, student or investor, please contact me and I would love to meet to discuss this opportunity.
Saludos,
Joaquin Frias
Founder/Director
Spanish International
248 703 9434
jfrias@spanishinternational.com
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making it in mexico- business customs and practices
What U.S. firm hasn’t given Mexico some thought? A surge of businesses have considered the possibilities, and many have actually entered the pool. Some start gingerly with small transactions and pilot projects, while others aggressively plunge in with hefty investments right from the start.
Still, Mexico is not the ideal market for every product-let alone for every company with exporting objectives. To succeed, you need to appreciate that Mexico is a culturally unique market. To master this market requires patience, research and lots of understanding.
Becoming sensitive to Mexican social customs and business etiquette is a small but vital aspect of cross-border deal-making. We offer some tips.
Open for Business
In Mexico City, business hours are generally 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., with time out for a lengthy lunch between 2:30 and 5:00 p.m. In the north, particularly in Monterrey, work hours conform more to U.S. practice. Factories also tend to get started earlier. 
Breakfast, usually beginning at 8:00 or 8:30 a.m., has become a popular meal for business meetings and lasts no more than one hour.
When inviting Mexican contacts for a meal, keep in mind that a breakfast is a setting for getting down to business, whereas a lunch is more of a social event. Because lunch is the main meal of the day, it tends to be much longer, social in nature and quite filling. At times, an important business lunch can last into the early evening.
Dinner is generally a lighter meal eaten after 9:00 p.m. and is not considered an appropriate time for business.
What’s in a Name? Plenty!
Mexicans usually have three names. On a business card, these are presented in the following order: first name, paternal family name and maternal family name. In addressing someone, you should use the paternal family name. For instance, Sr. Pablo Gomez Ortega would be addressed as Sr. Gomez. Increasingly, Mexicans are abbreviating their maternal family name. In such cases, the name would appear as Sr. Pablo Gomez O. In other cases, the maternal name is dropped altogether.
Take the lead from your Mexican contacts before switching to a first-name basis.
Mind Your Meeting Manners
Rule No. 1: Slow down. Most first-time visitors to Mexico try to crowd in too many appointments per day. As a rule of thumb, make no more than four appointments a day.
Rule No. 2: Don’t get down to business immediately. “Small talk” is important. It shows that you’re not in a hurry and that you are interested in your Mexican host. It can also lead to a long friendship and business relationship.
Mexican companies, many of which are family run, are extremely hierarchical. Decision-making is not usually delegated. Make sure that you get to know the real decision-maker in a company.
Do Business in Spanish
English is not widely spoken in Mexico; those who live in the northern states are more likely to be bilingual.
Mexicans prefer to conduct business in Spanish. If you do not speak Spanish proficiently, travel with an interpreter. Here are some suggestions on how to work with an interpreter:
* Meet with your interpreter before your first business occasion. Review technical phrases you are likely to use.
* When speaking, face the person you are addressing, not the interpreter.
* Use short sentences; give the interpreter time to translate.
* Abbreviate your presentation; meetings take considerably longer when they must be translated.
Your Contact in Mexico
Selling directly to the Mexican market requires a great deal of effort and works best for companies that have a limited number of potential customers. Only a small, but growing, volume of U.S. exports move this way as most Mexican retailers and food service companies are not set up to import directly.
Using a broker may be the easiest sales method – the U.S. supplier won’t have to worry about logistics and red tape and payment is ordinarily handled like any other domestic transaction with the customary legal protection.
However, in most cases this method offers the least rewards. Furthermore, the U.S. company has no control over where the product ends up or its arrival condition. It’s also difficult to build brand identity this way.
An alternative is to employ a Mexican distributor-either a distribution company or a Mexican food processor. The trade-off is more direct access to the market at the expense of time spent supervising distribution and the greater degree of payment risk. Be advised that good distributors are in short supply, so do plenty of advance research.
How much support will you need to provide a distributor? That depends on the contractual terms you work out. For instance, you may agree to provide funding for advertising and promotional work or you may consider extending payment terms to match the terms the distributor must provide its Mexican customers.
Another option is to sell through a Mexican-based agent. The investment in time and effort is great but the rewards are larger. This route makes sense if you have a significant export volume or an extensive product range.
It is probably wiser to contract with a company than to hire an individual to represent your firm. Mexican labor laws make it difficult and expensive to dismiss an individual.
Finding the distributor for your products in is not likely to be easy, and Mexico’s vastness implies that you may need several to cover all of the major markets.
The U.S. Agricultural Trade Office can usually provide a list of distributors. Also, compare experiences with other U.S. companies already distributing products in Mexico.
You cannot check credit ratings in Mexico the way you can in the United States, so make it a point to:
* Inspect warehouse facilities and delivery capabilities to be sure that they are able to meet any special requirements for bringing your products to market.
* Check references with companies that the distributor already represents.
* Ask retailers or food service outlets that are serviced by distributors to evaluate service in terms of reliability as well as timeliness.
Although most distributors will ask you for an exclusive to represent your products for all of Mexico, few can deliver on this. To cover the whole country, most need to subcontract, resulting in added markups that are passed on to consumers. Though cumbersome, it is best to have distributors for each of the key regions of Mexico.
Getting Paid
U.S. companies should sell only on the basis of cash or an irrevocable letter of credit when doing business in Mexico for the first time. As you develop rapport with your customers and they build a good payment track record, you may decide to move to a less rigid form of payment.
Due to high commercial interest rates, maintaining inventories can be costly. Therefore, payment terms can significantly affect company profits and also dictate the schedule by which your distributor will want to pay you. For instance, terms are a minimum 45-60 days for the major supermarket chains.
Promoting Your Product
Mexican consumers are greatly influenced by promotion and advertising, but personal contact is also important. While billboards, radio and television are very popular, in-store promotions, handouts, recipe cards and other forms of direct merchandising are important promotional tools, especially for new-to-market products.
U.S. Department of Agriculture
AgExporter. 11.2 (Feb 1999)
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basic but key mexico
The following classic and timeless article provides basic but key insights when doing business with our neighbors south of the border. Making it in Mexico – business customs and practices
Becoming sensitive to Mexican social customs and business etiquette is a small but vital aspect of cross-border deal-making. We offer some tips.
Open for Business 
In Mexico City, business hours are generally 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., with time out for a lengthy lunch between 2:30 and 5:00 p.m. In the north, particularly in Monterrey, work hours conform more to U.S. practice. Factories also tend to get started earlier.
Breakfast, usually beginning at 8:00 or 8:30 a.m., has become a popular meal for business meetings and lasts no more than one hour.
When inviting Mexican contacts for a meal, keep in mind that a breakfast is a setting for getting down to business, whereas a lunch is more of a social event. Because lunch is the main meal of the day, it tends to be much longer, social in nature and quite filling. At times, an important business lunch can last into the early evening.
Dinner is generally a lighter meal eaten after 9:00 p.m. and is not considered an appropriate time for business.
What’s in a Name? Plenty!
Mexicans usually have three names. On a business card, these are presented in the following order: first name, paternal family name and maternal family name. In addressing someone, you should use the paternal family name. For instance, Sr. Pablo Gomez Ortega would be addressed as Sr. Gomez. Increasingly, Mexicans are abbreviating their maternal family name. In such cases, the name would appear as Sr. Pablo Gomez O. In other cases, the maternal name is dropped altogether.
Take the lead from your Mexican contacts before switching to a first-name basis.
Mind Your Meeting Manners
Rule No. 1: Slow down. Most first-time visitors to Mexico try to crowd in too many appointments per day. As a rule of thumb, make no more than four appointments a day.
Rule No. 2: Don’t get down to business immediately. “Small talk” is important. It shows that you’re not in a hurry and that you are interested in your Mexican host. It can also lead to a long friendship and business relationship.
Mexican companies, many of which are family run, are extremely hierarchical. Decision-making is not usually delegated. Make sure that you get to know the real decision-maker in a company.
Do Business in Spanish
English is not widely spoken in Mexico; those who live in the northern states are more likely to be bilingual.
Mexicans prefer to conduct business in Spanish. If you do not speak Spanish proficiently, travel with an interpreter. Here are some suggestions on how to work with an interpreter:
* Meet with your interpreter before your first business occasion. Review technical phrases you are likely to use.
* When speaking, face the person you are addressing, not the interpreter.
* Use short sentences; give the interpreter time to translate.
* Abbreviate your presentation; meetings take considerably longer when they must be translated.
Your Contact in Mexico
Selling directly to the Mexican market requires a great deal of effort and works best for companies that have a limited number of potential customers. Only a small, but growing, volume of U.S. exports move this way as most Mexican retailers and food service companies are not set up to import directly.
Using a broker may be the easiest sales method – the U.S. supplier won’t have to worry about logistics and red tape and payment is ordinarily handled like any other domestic transaction with the customary legal protection.
However, in most cases this method offers the least rewards. Furthermore, the U.S. company has no control over where the product ends up or its arrival condition. It’s also difficult to build brand identity this way.
An alternative is to employ a Mexican distributor-either a distribution company or a Mexican food processor. The trade-off is more direct access to the market at the expense of time spent supervising distribution and the greater degree of payment risk. Be advised that good distributors are in short supply, so do plenty of advance research.
How much support will you need to provide a distributor? That depends on the contractual terms you work out. For instance, you may agree to provide funding for advertising and promotional work or you may consider extending payment terms to match the terms the distributor must provide its Mexican customers.
Another option is to sell through a Mexican-based agent. The investment in time and effort is great but the rewards are larger. This route makes sense if you have a significant export volume or an extensive product range.
It is probably wiser to contract with a company than to hire an individual to represent your firm. Mexican labor laws make it difficult and expensive to dismiss an individual.
Finding the distributor for your products in is not likely to be easy, and Mexico’s vastness implies that you may need several to cover all of the major markets.
The U.S. Agricultural Trade Office can usually provide a list of distributors. Also, compare experiences with other U.S. companies already distributing products in Mexico.
You cannot check credit ratings in Mexico the way you can in the United States, so make it a point to:
* Inspect warehouse facilities and delivery capabilities to be sure that they are able to meet any special requirements for bringing your products to market.
* Check references with companies that the distributor already represents.
* Ask retailers or food service outlets that are serviced by distributors to evaluate service in terms of reliability as well as timeliness.
Although most distributors will ask you for an exclusive to represent your products for all of Mexico, few can deliver on this. To cover the whole country, most need to subcontract, resulting in added markups that are passed on to consumers. Though cumbersome, it is best to have distributors for each of the key regions of Mexico.
Getting Paid
U.S. companies should sell only on the basis of cash or an irrevocable letter of credit when doing business in Mexico for the first time. As you develop rapport with your customers and they build a good payment track record, you may decide to move to a less rigid form of payment.
Due to high commercial interest rates, maintaining inventories can be costly. Therefore, payment terms can significantly affect company profits and also dictate the schedule by which your distributor will want to pay you. For instance, terms are a minimum 45-60 days for the major supermarket chains.
Promoting Your Product
Mexican consumers are greatly influenced by promotion and advertising, but personal contact is also important. While billboards, radio and television are very popular, in-store promotions, handouts, recipe cards and other forms of direct merchandising are important promotional tools, especially for new-to-market products.
COPYRIGHT 1999 U.S. Department of Agriculture
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group
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cross-cultural mexico
As a reply to our corporate clients doing business with Mexico, we are starting a series of posts to become acquainted with business practices and protocol. American companies able to adapt to the business styles acceptable in Spanish-speaking countries, based on their knowledge and awareness of key cultural differences, increase their chances of success. These differences, if not acknowledged and addressed, can interfere with communication and adversely affect the success of any business attempting to do business with these hispanic communites. The differences in business culture are sorted in the following main areas:
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The American style of business is not universally accepted. Understanding the language is the first step, but effective communication requires understanding and accepting the behaviors, customs and attitudes of the other culture.
It is our hope that these posts will help discover the nuances of doing business with the Spanish-speaking cultures.
Gracias,
Joaquin Frias
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