Today I had a long talk with my Spanish professor about Latino Culture. She explained that to Latinos, people and their feelings are more important than business. She said that it is really impossible to do business in the Latino world without developing personal relationships.
I explained to her how people in my business can be so short to each other, that we don´t spend time with pleasantries, and we are told to get off the phone as quickly as possible. She said she found that revolting, and that speaking in such a way is a foreign concept to Ticos and most Latinos.
They see taking the time to greet each other, ask about your family and how you are doing as essential to any kind of business. To Latinos, building a personal relationship with people is always the first step in any kind of business, as you can´t do business with people you don´t trust.
I guess this is always one of the things that I have found attractive about this culture. People are put before business, and transactions are not always a cold impersonal call, but something worth spending time on.
Juanito
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