Mañana Is Real: Doing Business in Spain Without Losing Your Patience
Mañana Is Real: Doing Business in Spain Without Losing Your Patience
You send a business email.
You politely explain who you are, what you need and why you're getting in touch. You sign off, hit send and continue with your day.
In the Netherlands, you might check your inbox an hour later.
In Spain?
Making yourself a coffee is probably a better use of your time.
Maybe make another one.
Because if you're used to the Dutch way of doing business – quick decisions, clear agreements and an inbox treated almost like a conveyor belt – Spain can provide a small cultural surprise.
One email with no reply.
Another email with no reply.
A friendly reminder.
Silence.
Eventually you start wondering:
Did they even read it?
Welcome to one of the more interesting differences between the Netherlands and Spain: the way people communicate, build relationships and do business.
And yes, sometimes it looks suspiciously like that famous Spanish word:
mañana.
First things first: not every Spaniard is the same
Before we manage to annoy half of Spain: no, of course not every Dutch person replies within an hour and not every Spaniard leaves you waiting for three weeks.
There are incredibly efficient Spanish entrepreneurs and Dutch companies where you can send four reminders and still receive nothing but an automated response.
But cultural differences do exist.
The Netherlands is known for directness, planning, punctuality and efficiency. Business communication tends to be goal-oriented: what do you want, what does it cost and when can we start?
In Spain, personal relationships can play a bigger role.
Who knows whom?
Have we spoken before?
Is there trust?
Who introduced you?
That can mean a perfectly written business email from a complete stranger gets less attention than a short message from someone introduced through an existing contact.
And that's important to understand when you're trying to get something done in Spain.
The Netherlands: email sent, reply expected
The Dutch are rather spoiled when it comes to business response times.
We send an email at 9:12 a.m. and by 11:30 we're already thinking:
"That's strange. No reply yet."
After one working day, doubt sets in.
After two days, we send something along the lines of:
"Perhaps my email below escaped your attention."
A wonderfully polite Dutch way of actually saying:
Hello? I'm still waiting.
That speed has its advantages.
Dutch businesses are generally accustomed to calendars, deadlines, confirmations and digital communication.
A question becomes a task.
A task gets an answer.
An appointment goes into the calendar.
Done.
Business communication in Spain can feel rather different.
In Spain, no reply doesn't always mean no
This may be one of the most useful things to understand.
An unanswered email in Spain doesn't automatically mean:
Not interested.
It could also mean:
- not urgent;
- unknown sender;
- I'll look at it later;
- I'd rather speak personally;
- you've contacted the wrong person;
- it has been forwarded to somebody else;
- or it has simply disappeared among a hundred other things.
For someone from the Netherlands, this can be frustrating.
We want clarity.
Yes or no?
But not every business culture operates at the same speed or has the same need to provide immediate clarity.
And that's where the clash begins.
The Dutch person thinks:
"Why aren't they replying?"
The Spanish person may not be thinking about your email at all.
They're busy doing something else.
Mañana doesn't actually mean "maybe sometime"
The Spanish word mañana simply means tomorrow.
Outside Spain, however, it has almost become a cultural expression for:
"We'll deal with that later."
That stereotype is obviously exaggerated.
Spain is a modern economy full of professional businesses, international companies and entrepreneurs who work just as hard as their counterparts elsewhere.
Still, attitudes towards time can sometimes be different.
The Netherlands has a strong clock culture.
10:00 means 10:00.
A Tuesday deadline means Tuesday.
And if something isn't going to happen, we'd preferably like to know by Monday.
In Spain, there can be more flexibility in certain situations.
Not necessarily because people don't take their work seriously, but because personal circumstances, relationships and whatever has priority at that particular moment can sometimes carry more weight than the schedule created last week.
As a Dutch person, you can fight against it.
Or you can learn how to work with it.
The second option is usually better for your blood pressure.
The biggest mistake: treating Spain like the Netherlands with palm trees
It's easily done.
You buy a property in Spain, start a business, look for a lawyer, open a bank account or contact an estate agent.
Then you use exactly the same approach that works in the Netherlands.
Send an email.
Send a document.
Wait.
Send a reminder.
Send another reminder.
Get annoyed.
Send another email, this time with URGENT in the subject line.
That last one might feel satisfying.
Whether it actually helps is another question.
Spain has its own business culture, administrative processes and communication style.
Understanding that usually gets you much further.
And that brings us to something else:
knowing the right person.
In Spain, one good contact can be worth a hundred emails
This may be one of the most important lessons for anyone moving to Spain or buying property there.
You don't need to know everybody.
But it certainly helps to know someone who knows who you need.
A reliable local estate agent.
A good lawyer.
A gestor.
A financial specialist.
Someone at the local authority.
A mortgage adviser.
A contact who speaks the language and understands how things actually work locally.
Because there is an enormous difference between:
"I sent them an email last week."
and:
"I'll call María for you."
That second sentence can open a surprising number of doors.
Relationships often come before transactions
Dutch people can be remarkably efficient at introductions.
"Good afternoon. This is what I do, this is what I need, how much does it cost?"
Wonderful.
Within six minutes, everybody knows where they stand.
In Spain, a business relationship may develop more organically.
First, you meet.
You talk.
Coffee.
Where are you from?
How long have you been here?
Do you know so-and-so?
And eventually, the business topic finds its way onto the table.
For a Dutch person who simply wanted a price, this can feel unnecessarily complicated.
But the personal element has advantages too.
Once trust has been established, that relationship can become extremely valuable.
You're no longer just another name in an inbox.
You're Aldona who was introduced to María by Antonio.
And suddenly, somebody answers.
That isn't a guarantee or some secret Spanish system. It simply illustrates how valuable personal introductions can be in a more relationship-oriented business culture.
And then there is Spanish bureaucracy
We could probably write an entire guide about bureaucracy in Spain.
Or three.
If you buy a property or settle in Spain, you may have to deal with different authorities, documents, registrations, taxes, banks and local procedures.
Think about your NIE, banking arrangements, legal checks and the administrative steps involved in purchasing a property.
What can make things more complicated is that the practical process may differ depending on the region, municipality, bank or individual situation.
You can read online exactly which documents you need and then arrive at the counter only to discover that they want something else as well.
Welcome to Spain.
That doesn't mean the system is impossible.
Millions of people live, work and run businesses in Spain every day.
It simply means that good guidance can save an enormous amount of frustration.
"But I can arrange everything myself"
You can.
And for some people, that works perfectly well.
You speak Spanish, understand the system, have plenty of time and don't mind researching everything yourself.
Great.
But imagine you're buying a property worth several hundred thousand euros.
Do you really want to save money on the person checking whether everything is legally correct?
Do you want to discover for yourself which authority you need?
Do you want to chase documents when you're not even sure which questions you should be asking?
Or would you rather have someone beside you who says:
"This is what you need. We'll arrange this now. And for that part, you need this person."
That isn't necessarily a luxury.
Often, it's simply efficient.
The right person doesn't have to do everything
This is something we consider important at CasaOthers.
Nobody needs to be an expert in everything.
An estate agent doesn't need to be a tax adviser.
A mortgage specialist doesn't need to be a lawyer.
And the person helping you find a property doesn't need to personally handle every administrative procedure.
What matters much more is being connected with the right specialist for the right part of the process.
That's true everywhere.
But when you're dealing with a country whose language, customs and procedures you don't yet fully understand, that network suddenly becomes much more important.
That's why at CasaOthers we look beyond the front door of a beautiful villa.
Finding the property is one part.
After that, the real process begins.
How can you make doing business in Spain easier?
A few things can make an enormous difference.
1. Don't expect Dutch response times everywhere
Give people some space before concluding that they're not interested.
Sending a reminder is perfectly reasonable.
Sending three within 24 hours probably isn't.
2. Keep communication short and clear
A long email containing twelve questions doesn't always invite an immediate response.
Start with the most important question.
The rest can follow.
3. Use personal introductions whenever possible
"I received your details from..."
can be far more effective than the perfect cold email.
4. Learn enough Spanish to make contact
You don't need to become Cervantes.
A greeting, a friendly conversation and showing that you're making an effort can already make a difference.
5. Surround yourself with good people
Ultimately, this is the most important point.
Especially when dealing with property, financing, legal matters or taxes.
A wrong assumption can cost considerably more than professional guidance.
You can also explore our CasaOthers guides for practical information about buying and living in Spain.
The Dutch could learn something from Spain too
By now, it may sound as though the Dutch are wonderfully efficient while Spain is one enormous search for somebody willing to read their email.
Obviously, it isn't that simple.
The Dutch way has its downsides too.
Everything has to happen quickly.
Calendars are full.
Lunch happens behind a laptop.
A 30-minute meeting finishes after exactly 29 minutes because the next Teams call is already waiting.
Spain can remind us of something we sometimes forget:
business happens between people.
A good relationship can be worth more than three perfectly written follow-up emails.
Trust takes time.
And not everything has to be finished today simply because it happens to be on today's to-do list.
Maybe a little mañana isn't such a bad thing after all.
Emphasis on a little.
Buying a property in Spain? Build the right network first
If you're moving to Spain or buying property there, you don't have to completely adopt the Spanish mentality.
You don't suddenly need to spend three hours over lunch and throw away your calendar.
But understanding how people communicate and do business can make a huge difference.
Don't automatically apply Dutch expectations.
Be patient when patience is needed.
Be clear when clarity matters.
And above all:
make sure you have the right people around you.
Because ultimately, it isn't about how many phone numbers you have.
It's about being able to reach one person who knows:
"For this, you need to speak to her."
And before you send your next reminder to a Spanish inbox that's already getting rather crowded:
Maybe have a coffee first.
CasaOthers: more than browsing properties
At CasaOthers, we want to make searching for property in Spain easier to understand.
Not only by showing properties, but also by providing practical information about the process around them and, where possible, helping you find the right specialists.
From searching and financing to legal and administrative questions, different stages require different expertise.
Planning to buy a property in Spain?
View current properties on CasaOthers.nl
Or explore our guides about buying and living in Spain before you begin.
Because in Spain, most things eventually get done. The real art is knowing who to speak to – and when not to expect an answer within the hour.
