Let's do business! Business culture in Saudi Arabia.

 I have what you want, you have what I want, lets do business! 

During many encounters when doing business in Saudi Arabia, when you meet a customer to pitch your solution it is exactly what the customer wants. He may have the budget, yet the deal doesn’t come through, or even if it does it may take a long time to close. There are many factors which may influence how business is done in Saudi Arabia.

Saying No:

The culture in Saudi Arabia is to be exceptionally polite and gentle, particularly when they are hosting you in their office. Saudis are likely to choose their words carefully in order to avoid causing offense to the other party. This can cause misconceptions: it may seem that the person is impressed by your proposal and are ready to make the deal, whereas they may actually not be particularly interested, but will not express this openly. Therefore, make sure that you read between the lines of their reactions, and pay attention to their body language. 

Take Your Time:

Unlike much of the world, time is comparatively less important in Saudi. The unchanging, harsh environment contributes to this – travel for 200 miles or 15 hours in the desert, and you will see few changes either in the weather or the surroundings. This leads to the sense that decisions do not need to be hurried, and that everything happens in its due time. Nights in the desert link back to the still vivid tribal culture, where patience is highly valued.

This aspect combined with the cultural attitude of focusing on the outcome of the decision, where wise choices are more highly valued than swiftness, can lead to a lack of haste on the part of decision makers when dealing with your proposal. 

Wise Decision:

Even if you are dealing with the executive decision maker who will give the final approval to the deal, it can occur that they wish to consult with their counterparts and employees before taking action. I am referring here not to consulting with technical staff or end-users, but rather finding out from their peers if the decision is the best possible fit. 

Despite the rapid development and changes in the region, the above still holds in many institutions, particularly in the governmental sectors and when dealing with high-level strategic deals.