Custom Business Cards

Brazil has a lively and vibrant culture full of life and color. It is perhaps the most approachable of all the South American countries and a pleasure to do business with. The country that produced Pele and the best coffee in the world is slowly making its presence felt on the world stage. After fifty years of military rule the world’s ninth largest economy is slowly gaining momentum. This makes it an ideal place to do business.

Doing business to a Brazilian is like any other social interaction. This means they like doing business with people and not organizations. To get ahead in Brazil, personal relationships are the single most important factor. Face to face meetings are the preferred method of getting things done here. Email, phone calls and the like are all very well, but if things are to happen and meeting is required.

Although Brazilians are generally positive and easy going, there is a formality to their business dealings. They have an unofficial system of “face” just like the Japanese so it is important to bear this in mind when dealing with them. Never to anything to openly criticize or embarrass them because you will both lose face. They for being criticized and you for openly criticizing. This can cripple any burgeoning relationships you are trying to build.

As with a lot of Latin Americans, style is everything. Dress to impress but keep it conservative. Little things like custom business cards are used to convey style here to circumvent the formal way of doing business.

When meeting Brazilians you may find that they are a little casual with time. Punctuality isn’t their strong point, but it isn’t because of laziness. The traffic in many of the cities, plus the sometimes chaotic nature of their culture sometimes causes lateness. Brazilians are multi-taskers so may be dealing with many issues at once and allow time to slip by.

When greeting a Brazilian, men shake hands with friendly eye contact. Women generally kiss each other on each cheek., How a man greets a woman depends on the strength of the relationship. They will generally prefer a handshake until they know you better. Once a relationship has been established, don’t be surprised if hugging and backslapping become the normal greeting, from either sex.

Business cards are exchanged after formal introductions. As mentioned, custom business cards are a good option here as they can convey style without being too ostentatious. As business is done with people, it will take time to get down to the business at hand. Be patient as they only want to get to know who they are doing business with. Getting straight to the matter is regarded as rude and will get you nowhere. During meetings and negotiations, expect to be interrupted a lot. This isn’t bad manners, just a free flow of ideas and conversation that forms part of relationship building.

Doing business in Brazil can be rewarding both financially and otherwise. Knowing a few of the local idiosyncrasies can save most frustrations or mistake when dealing with the locals.