Creating great business relationships in Mexico

Working with individuals and ideas from cultures different from our own is complex, and filled with opportunities to misunderstand and offend everyone involved.  It requires time to develop trust and understanding for all the players involved.

Take the time to learn how and why business is done in the country.  Don’t judge the results or methods based upon your culture and your country’s standards.

There is nothing more damaging to an international relationship than criticism based upon a lack of understanding.

We must learn before we attempt to teach and implement new ideas, strategies and procedures.

When doing business in Mexico remember that no matter what you feel or believe about your company’s products or procedures, Mexicans know their market and people better than you do.  They understand the correct business etiquette and the “invisible” cultural nuances that are required in order to do business in Mexico.

If you enter into business in Mexico with the idea that you are going to “teach the Mexicans how business is really done” I am confident you will suffer some serious problems.

Pushing procedures and business strategies into Mexico will surely cause divisions, it can turn into an “us versus them” situation for employees and customers.

I recommend that your focus be on learning and understanding how business in currently done in Mexico, and why.

Once you have this knowledge, teach and explore your cultures and organizations solutions and strategies with your Mexican collaborators.   I’ll bet the ideas will get modified if necessary, implemented and embraced quickly.

The creation of hybrid strategies, using elements from both cultures, will guarantee unification and understanding for everyone involved.

Before you start a revolution it’s essential to fully understand the status quo.

What to dial to make a call to Mexico from the US

Here is a simple guide to dialing Mexico cellphones and landlines  from the USA.

Calling a Mexico cellphone from the US

  • Step 1 – Press or dial “011” (international access code) followed by the country code (Mexico’s country code is “52”
  • Step 2 – Press or dial “1”, this is the code required for 80% of the cell phones in Mexico
  • Step 3 – Press or dial the area code.   Mexico telephone numbers have a two digit or three digit area code followed by a seven digit number for most of the country.
  • Step 4 – Press or dial  the 7 or 8 digit Mexican telephone number

If unable to connect, dial the number as if it were a Mexico land line (below), eliminating the “1) from the process.   This applies to NEXTEL cellular numbers in Mexico.

Calling a Mexico land line from the US

  • Step 1 – Press or dial “011″ (international access code) followed by the country code (Mexico’s country code is “52″).
  • Step 2 – Press or dial the area code.   Mexico telephone numbers have a two digit or three digit area code followed by a seven digit number for most of the country.
  • Step 3 – Press or dial  the 7 or 8 digit Mexican telephone number

The exceptions to the rule (and this is Mexico, there are always exceptions to the rule) can be found in 3 cities; Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey. These cities have a two digit area code followed by an 8 digit number:

  • Mexico City “55″ + 8 digits, area code is (55)
  • Guadalajara “33″ + 8 digits, area code is (33)
  • Monterrey “81″ + 8 digits, area code is (81)
  • All other cities in Mexico “3 digits” + 7 digits, area code contains 3 digits

If you were to dial Mexico City: “011″ + “52″ + “55″ + telephone number (8 digits)

If you were to dial Acapulco: “011″ + “52″ + “744″ + telephone number (7 digits).

Selected area codes for some Mexican cities:

Acapulco “744″ + 7 digits
Aguascalientes “449″+ 7 digits
Apizaco “241″+ 7 digits
Cabo San Lucas “624″+ 7 digits
Cancun “998″+ 7 digits
Celaya “461″+ 7 digits
Chihuahua “614″+ 7 digits
Ciudad del Carmen “938″+ 7 digits
Ciudad Juarez “656″+ 7 digits
Cuernavaca “777″+ 7 digits
Culiacan “667″+ 7 digits
Durango “618″+ 7 digits
Ensenada “646″+ 7 digits
Guadalajara “33″ + 8 digits
Guanajuato “473″ + 7 digits
Irapuato “462″+ 7 digits
Ixtapa “755 “+ 7 digits
Jalapa “932″ + 7 digits
Juchita “971″ + 7 digits
Leon “477″ + 7 digits
Los Mochis “668″ + 7 digits
Matamoros “871″ + 7 digits
Mazatlan “869″ + 7 digits
Merida “999″ + 7 digits
Mexicali “686″ + 7 digits
Mexico City “55″ + 8 digits
Monterrey “81″ + 8 digit
Morelia “443″ + 7 digits
Nogales “631″ + 7 digits
Nuevo Laredo “867″ + 7 digits
Oaxaca de Juarez “951″ + 7 digits
Playa del Carmen “984″ + 7 digits
Progreso “861″ + 7 digits
Puebla “222″ + 7 digits
Puerto Vallarta “322″ + 7 digits
Reynosa “899″ + 7 digits
Saltillo “844″ + 7 digits
San Francisco del Rincon “476″ + 7 digits
San Miguel Allende “415″ + 7 digits
Silao “472″ + 7 digits
Tampico “833″ + 7 digits
Tijuana “664″ + 7 digits
Torreon “871″ + 7 digits
Veracruz “229″ + 7 digits
Villahermosa “993″ + 7 digits

For a complete list of area codes for all Mexican cities, check out the TELMEX area code search page  HERE