Brazilian Business Tips

Tip 1
Brazil offers a wealth of opportunities to prospective investors but is also a country beset with bureaucratic and cultural difficulties – it is imperative to do your homework in advance.

Tip 2
Due to the various cultural and administrative complexities of the country, local advice and expertise is imperative in the early stages of business development.

Tip 3
Companies tend to be organised along strictly hierarchical lines (although this may vary if dealing with the subsidiary of a multi-national).

Tip 4
If possible, make sure you are dealing with the decision-maker rather than an influencer of the decision-maker.

Tip 5
Managers are expected to manage – dont be afraid to give clear, precise instructions.

Tip 6
Organisational hierarchy can be complicated by an intricate web of political alliances and relationships. Who is the real decision maker?

Tip 7
Relationships come first, second and third in Brazil. Time spent working on the development of long-term friendly relations is never a waste of resource.

Tip 8
It is always a good idea to stress long-term commitment to Brazil and your Brazilian contacts. Try to keep in touch between contracts or projects. Your relationship with your Brazilian counterparts is not purely transactional. It is personal as well.

Tip 9
Although first meetings can be more formal. They are generally quite informal and relaxed.

Tip 10
Punctuality is a variable commodity in Brazil. Meetings often start and finish late. It can be difficult to schedule more than one or two meetings per day.

Tip 11
Meetings usually start and finish with quite a lot of small talk – this is an important section of the meeting and should not be rushed.

Tip 12
Agendas are not always used and if present may be ignored by everybody except you.

Tip 13
Effort needs to be put into the process of melding a team together. Provide time space and opportunity for the all-important relationship-building process.

Tip 14
Although many Brazilians speak very good English, it is not universally spoken. When dealing with people outside the major cities, you may need to check if translation to Brazilian Portuguese is necessary.

Tip 15
Great emphasis is placed on the value of verbal communication. The things that people say are often given greater weight than anything in a written format.

Tip 16
Don’t simply rely on emails to give information. Follow things up with a phone call or a meeting to discuss the matter.

Tip 17
The use of emotion in communication should be seen as a sign of enthusiasm and emphasis rather than as anger or loss of control.

Tip 18
Brazilians use a great deal of body language, stand at relatively close proximity and have strong levels of eye contact. Try to become comfortable with these – dont act in a reserved fashion.

Tip 19
Although it is important to give the impression of being an easy-going lover of life, humour is best avoided in serious situations.

Tip 20
Appearance is very important for both men and women. Your appearance should reflect your level of importance.

Author

This country-specific business culture profile was written by Keith Warburton who is the founder of the cultural awareness training consultancy Global Business Culture.  Global Business culture is a leading training provider in the fields of cross-cultural communication and global virtual team working.  We provide training to global corporations in live classroom-based formats, through webinars and also through our cultural awareness digital learning hub, Global Business Compass.

This World Business Culture profile is designed as an introduction to business culture in Australia only and a more detailed understanding needs a more in-depth exploration which we can provide through our training and consultancy services.

Author

This country-specific business culture profile was written by Keith Warburton who is the founder of the cultural awareness training consultancy Global Business Culture. 

Global Business culture is a leading training provider in the fields of cross-cultural communication and global virtual team working.  We provide training to global corporations in live classroom-based formats, through webinars and also through our cultural awareness digital learning hub, Global Business Compass.

This World Business Culture profile is designed as an introduction to business culture in Brazil only and a more detailed understanding needs a more in-depth exploration which we can provide through our training and consultancy services.