With the advancement of technology and social media, networking has become easier with every passing year. This does not mean that you can insert the traditional Americans methods of networking and expect it to work flawlessly in the Latin American Market. Cultural interactions are a vital part of networking and knowing how to respond to each countries customs is vital when meeting people in person. Networking online is catching on fairly quickly and is becoming more popular amongst younger business owners, but the majority of networking is still done through face-to-face encounters and connections. Because of this, you need to know the rules of engagement in Latin American Business etiquette. Summarizing the customs for each unique country and region could fill an entire book, but I have attached a link describing the ins and outs of basic business etiquette down south.
Click to access COLLABORATIVE-Handout_1.pdf
In certain countries, timeliness is more of a relative construct than a law of the land and so do not be surprised if your contact tells you he/she will connect with you in the next week or so and never does so. The solution I have found from some personal experience is to dance the fine line of friendly reminders and checking in to see how things are going and harassment. Many Americans I have met voice their frustrations over timeliness in networking and contacting business associates. Since I never considered myself to be the most punctual individual I fit right in, but as Americans we are a deadline-driven society and Latin America does not necessarily follow this construct as religiously. The solution is to connect sooner rather than later with potential business partners or employer/ees and keep in contact as much as possible if you have a specific goal in mind you are working towards. NOTE: If you don’t have any stated reasons for contacting them, other than the fact that you networked, don’t do what I wrote above. This just comes off as weird.Use tech to your da
Use tech to your advantage in the workplace, but understand that Latin America’s transition to digital business is still developing in certain areas and face-to-face meetings are always better than a Twitter shoutout.
NY to Buenos Aires 