Brasilien

In the following you find a short business etiquette manual for Brazil, comprising  some general tips and information about the business etiquette specifically

Personal contacts

Personal contacts are decisive for business in Brazil: Contracts are not completed on the telephone or by letter but always personally and never at the first meeting. An individual care of relations is therefore important. Also it is important that the contact person doesn’t permanently change and human relations can arise.

Many business relations actually fail before they even started due to different ideas and modes of operation. Reasons are often the impatience on one side or the need of the Brazilian partners for personal confidence requiring some time.

Lasting success requires in Brazil a lot of intercultural competence.

Clothes

Clothes also can influence your business success in positive or negative way. Due to the climate actually light bright clothes are recommended in daily life, preferably made of linen and cotton. For business purposes dark suits, conservative ties and neat shoes are recommended for men however. Women wear elegant suits and establish make-up. It is necessary to pay attention to neat clothes also in the leisure time. Short trousers and beach shirts carry Brazilians only at home and on the beach. The clothes are changed during the day repeatedly and you take a shower as well more often.

Welcoming

For the welcoming under business partners one shakes hands in Brazil and sees in the eyes. Good friends hug themselves. Men knock themselves on the shoulders and women often welcome themselves with cheek kisses.

Presents

Small presents and favors under business partners are usual. At the business initiation the presents shouldn’t be too expensive. Small presents, such as pens, pocket calculators etc., are usual. If you are invited to your business partners home, you should bring some flowers and chocolate candies for the lady and liquors for the head of the household. For children T-shirts are always a good idea. Too personal presents like ties, perfume, jewelry or sunglasses aren’t a good choice. Greeting cards are sent at the turn of the year in Brazil, less at Christmas and Easter .

Negotiations and completions of a contract

Brazilian partners frequently active internationally on business usually speak English, they are however the exception. It isn’t usual to conduct contract negotiations and important agreements in English either. If you shouldn’t speak any Portuguese, you should prefer to engage an interpreter. All leaflets and presentation materials also should be in Portuguese.
Negotiations in Brazil require patience. One should simply invest time. You will be asked about your family but it isn’t a good idea to discuss private topics. With personal engagement and intercultural understanding, you achieve more in negotiations than with numbers, facts and overviews.
One shouldn’t underestimate Brazilians. They usually have current, thoroughly sound knowledge in their technology branch. A professional graphic design as well as content of your presentations is therefore expected. However, the taste varies culturally conditionally. You could gain acknowledement with knowledge to the current situation in Brazil and natural with conversations about soccer.
The Brazilian economy is characterized by strong hierarchies. Only the rank highest partner will take the decision at the end. Contracts usually aren’t signed immediately if you have come to an agreement. As a rule, the word and a handshake are regarded as definite and sufficient. Written agreements aren’t understood therefore as definite either, they still can be changed from Brazilian sight. Flexibility is over-essential for Brazilians.
Always helpful therefore can be a Brazilian intermediary during negotiations with Brazilians.

Business lunch

Business lunches take place either at noon or in the evening. Breakfast is usually small. Dinners usually take place from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. parties start much later and can extend up to the early morning hours. These hardly ever take place at home. Invitations into the private house are rare. If you yourself invite to a meal, you make sure that it is a first-class restaurant. Ask the porter of your hotel or the secretary of your business partner.
The Brazilian host sits at the head of the table, you get the place beside him. If you yourself are the host you put the rank highest business partner to the table end. Never eat with the fingers, eben no fruit or sandwiches.
During the meal small talc is operated. Business is talked about only afterwards over the coffee. Good topics for table talks are your journey, the meal, Brazilian dance and music, the positive aspects of the Brazilian industry and naturally soccer. Conversations should be avoided about economic problems, politics, racism, Argentina and to personal questions.

Authorities

Brazil is notorious for extraordinary bureaucracy, circumstantial regulations, logistics problems and extensive state regimentations. The corruption at a state level was recognized within the last few years as a problem but furthermore at the award of great infrastructure projects personal relations are special decisively.