I have had my own business for a number of years. Mostly, because I am really awful at working for other people. Just ask my Dad. But that's another post. We'll just call the business decision a choice of necessity. And you know what? I have gotten pretty good at this independent business woman thing.
I started out pretty hungry and hustling pretty hard for work. I would take on any web design account. No project too stupid and no client too obnoxious, which is kind of ironic, because stupid projects and obnoxious bosses are the reasons I am phenomenally bad at working for other people. But hey, I really needed to pad my portfolio.
By the time we left Texas, I had client fishing nailed, and more and more often shifted to a catch-and-release program as I got to choose which projects I wanted to do. I would get an inquiry from a prospective client, and right away, bam, I would email them sites to review, background info, and rate information. Because, you know, we're both busy, and we might as well find out if we're on the same page before we waste a bunch of time with meetings.
I was stellar in face-to-face meetings. I have mastered the ability to casually throw around technical jargon just complicated enough to slightly confuse a client enough to convince them that I am an expert with real skills that they desperately need, without scaring the bejeezus out of them, and making them think that the services I offer are more advanced than they need. It's an art.
Before I met a client, I had a pretty good idea what their needs were. I'd already done research, looked at their existing site, checked their search engine rankings, all the stuff I would need to be able to call up during the meeting. We would talk about what they needed and how exactly I could provide that for them. We'd shake hands, and I was outta there.
Once back at home, I would take a few hours and write up the official business proposal. It's a document I have honed to perfection over the years. On the surface, the proposal outlines specifically what the client needs, what I will provide, and how much it will cost. But really it is a sales document just chocked full of information on why I am the only possible person who do their project properly. I am telling you, its business poetry on a page. It works really well too. I have never delivered a proposal on a project that I was not awarded. And now it's totally useless.
Doing business in Mexico is like, well, a whole other country. Seriously.
Some things are the same here. You need contacts. You need contacts who have contacts. You need people who like you enough and are sufficiently impressed with your skills that they will actually talk about you in conversation with their contacts. Word of mouth is my bread and butter.
Having talent and expertise is not the primary thing here. I fact, skillz won't even get me in the door. When I get a meeting with a Mexican business person, it's because someone they respect has told them they should meet with me, and they are showing their respect by actually meeting with me. It's complicated, I know.
So when I have a first meeting with a prospective client, is any business going to be done? Will it even be brought up? Nope. The whole first meeting, which can last hours, is about getting them to like me. I learn all about them and their family. I tell them about my family. We see if we have anything in common. I will jump at the tiniest thing. "What a coincidence, I just looove vanilla ice cream too! We must have been separated at birth."
The first time I had a meeting here, it was like being smacked between the eyes with a sledgehammer, and I really screwed it up. I have grown very accustomed to minimal small talk, so when the small talk kept going on and on and on, I got impatient. I kept thinking come on, when are we going to get down to it? I know it showed, and rather than being likable, I was really irritating.
The other thing that has taken some getting used to is the number of business meetings here that involve beer. Even at 10:00 in the morning. Don't get me wrong. I adore a cold Pacifico, but usually after about 4:00. At 10, all I want is a yogurt.
I am getting better, but I still don't grasp even half of the complex Mexican social customs. I can make it through that first business meeting (which I still can't help but thinking as a waste of time. I'm working on an attitude adjustment) without impatiently squirming in my chair like I have a raging yeast infection, but I feel underwater all the time. There are so many nuances that pass right over my dense head. But I have figured out that at the end of the first meeting, it's perfectly appropriate to leave behind some written documents that cover all the stuff I would have said in a NOB meeting.
The only thing saving me right now is the very thing that makes it so difficult for me: my American-ness. Everyone is pretty aware that as an American, I don't have the same elastic relationship with time that most of the locals do. I am acutely aware of deadlines and schedules and actually get stuff done. If that's what I have going for me, hey, I'll take it.
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