Anyone working in international trade will know about the importance of details and subtleties when doing business overseas. Understanding not just the statistics about a market, but how real people think, feel and act, is critical to the success in B2C, but also important when building relationships in B2B.
Inspired by Argentine cinema, let’s look today at just five examples about family life here in Latin America to illustrate how understanding small differences can lead to spotting opportunities and addressing customers and partners more effectively.
1- Families are big families.
Latin America has a strong Spanish legacy, and Italian to some extent. “La familia” is incredibly important. Decisions, from real estate through to holidays, are often made by a whole family.
And families don’t just include mum, dad and the kids. Families include grandparents, brothers and sisters (hence aunts and uncles, and cousins), and sometimes even godparents/children, and so on.
Son of the Bride. An amazing film about family.
2- Friends are family
Watching TV programmes like “Friends” I always wondered why hardly ever the six main characters interacted with each other’s families, at least with the parents.
That’s ever so different in Latin America. Friends, of any age, are part of the family, even to an old age. Neighbours can become friends over time, too. And always remember that many people from low middle classes up will have a maid/nanny (for upper classes, she can actually live at home), who often becomes part of the family, too.
3- Family events are massive
A “small family gathering with some friends” at home tends to involve no fewer than 20 people. Weddings often involve 150 to 350 people without being regarded as shockingly big.
It’s not all fun and games. Some families are famous for the worst reasons.
4- Any excuse to see each other
We’re social creatures in Latin America and we find just about any excuse to get together. From a football match on TV to a Christening, from a 47th (why not?) birthday party to a “welcome back after 15 days on holiday” reception, from a graduation BBQ to a notoriously pompous 15th birthday party. We find any excuse to get together.
One thing that always surprises me, compared to the UK, is how much fuss people (and companies) make of adults’ birthdays, including colleagues’ and clients’.
Therefore, offering solutions for regular, informal and large gatherings is key. From chairs you can fold and store away for when the familia arrives, through to 3 ltr soft drink bottles, from large serving trays to larger crockery sets (I have a friend who never ever buys the one set of crockery, she buys two, because “who needs just 6 plates? we often struggle with 12!”).
Friendship and family, a thin line, even in cartoons.
5- Let it flow
I admit it, I can get frustrated by how laid back people here in Latin America can be about business – but in social events, we excel. This more relaxed attitude means we focus on what matters: being together, and we can let the rest just happen.
If that’s the case for weddings, the pinnacle of events anywhere in the world, you can imagine that we’re pretty laid back about every other social event. Got friends coming over? Buy some meat, salads, drinks and bread and light the BBQ. Relatives or friends turning up tonight with 3-hour notice? Oh, let’s order some pizza, they’ll bring the beer. Girls coming for lunch? Make a quick quiche (or get the maid to do it…), sort out some salads and make some lemonade. What’s the stress?
The Latin American family is changing. More women are working now, people get married and have children later, there are more single households, there are more divorces, and the pace of living is just faster. But some things remain untouched. Our family values and our family life, I hope, will always be two of those precious things to treasure.
