Salvadoran businesses could make a lot more revenue if they invested more in customer service and relationships. I don’t mean that people are rude or unkind. It’s more that many businesses seem unaware of the potential upside, because business development as a discipline is still relatively new here. Innovation isn’t necessarily the first thing that crosses your mind when you’ve spent years focused on surviving and barely making it to the end of the month. So when dealing with a vendor in El Salvador, I’ve learned that you need to be very specific about what you want, how you want it, and when you need it delivered. If you approach them proactively and respectfully, they’ll often follow your lead. And what could initially be perceived as bossy or arrogant starts to disappear once your intention to work together toward a common goal becomes clear. You make them feel part of the mission, like you’re both working on the same team, and communication becomes much easier. I’ve done this several times, and it has worked extremely well. People appreciate when you genuinely take an interest in their work and try to be helpful. At the end of the day, better execution means more business for them, more money earned, and food on the table. When that relationship is built properly, a lot of the complaints you hear about “gringo pricing” or getting scammed can also become less relevant. You start speaking a common language with local vendors. You understand each other better, build trust, and become someone they actually enjoy working with. You obviously can’t control how they’ll provide their service to everyone else in the future. But you can leave an imprint. They’ll remember you, understand your expectations, and usually be happy to work with you again. These lessons come from my own experience, but also from conversations with several members of the @BuildInES community who run businesses in construction, farming, logistics, and other hands-on industries. This is only one of many areas where there’s room for improvement in El Salvador, but I think it can be a segue toward creating goodwill and stronger relationships between locals and foreigners who genuinely want to contribute to the country and build their lives here. If you don’t have the energy, patience, or time to navigate these differences, El Salvador might not be for you. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s simply something worth realizing before you lose your mind over situations you never wanted to deal with in the first place. At Build In El Salvador, we have a community of entrepreneurs, creators, and builders who have decided to be here for the long term They share these kinds of insights with each other to better navigate the realities of building in a developing country.