Conducting meetings in the MENA region competently
"How are you?" is the key to everything: Politeness in the Arab world includes, above all, taking an interest in others. It is best to open a conversation by asking how someone is doing. Someone who gets "straight to business" has missed the point.
Taboo subjects should be avoided: Family, religion, and politics have a high status in the MENA region and should not be criticized. Small talk about the weather, sports or hobbies are safe topics of conversation.
The role of women in business: In business meetings, men wait to be first greeted by women. If they are not, they merely greet with a nod.
Using the right hand: It is a serious faux pas to receive items such as business cards or documents with your left hand, as it is considered unclean. Likewise, it is considered impolite to cross your legs while sitting or to show the sole of your shoe to the other person.
Face-to-face meetings are crucial for building trust and successful business strategies.
Being online is not a substitute for face-to-face contact: Introductions via e-mail or online conferences are suboptimal for initiating business relationships in MENA countries. Personal networking and real encounters are crucial. The grapevine is an important way of acquiring new customers in the MENA region.
Offline and online media complement each other: When you take part in groups, network meetings, conferences, keep English business cards at hand. All of this is ideally supplemented with an Arabic website, plus flyers and brochures in Arabic.
Keep contacts alive: Personal relationships should be pursued, including activities that go beyond business matters, for example, sporting and cultural events are ideal.
Networks are the basis for success: Build up local networks. This gives you access to valuable information and opens up access to decision-makers.
Negotiations in the MENA region follow their own rules.
Don't get to the point right away: The typical way of German straightforward negotiating is not conducive to negotiations in MENA countries. Be prepared for extensive discussions and even for minor issues to be discussed in detail. Technological and qualitative issues alone will hardly be an advantage at the negotiating table; you must never forget the all-important human component.
A "maybe" can also mean a "no": In the Arab world, it is considered impolite to refuse a guest's request. In sales talks therefore, there will rarely be a clear "no". Rather, an Arab business partner will apparently comply with a request, but restricts this with an "Inshallah" - "God willing". So don't rely too much on this and get confirmation of the agreement a few days later so that you have certainty.
Dealing with time: "You have the clock, we have the time" is an Arabic proverb. "Having time" and patience are important investments in your business success. It pays off to be able to plan your time on short notice and with flexibility. The statement "I don't have time" is considered extremely impolite in the Arab world. Always give Arab business partners the feeling that you have time for them. By the way, in an emergency, family obligations are accepted as an "excuse" and are not considered politically incorrect.
Flexibility pays off: After lengthy negotiations and waiting, Arab business partners often can't move fast enough once they have received a contract confirmation. In some cases, immediate action is expected, sometimes with unrealistic deadlines. You should be flexible and prepared.
Negotiating in the local language is an advantage: Many business people in the MENA region speak English. However, with a professional interpreter at your side, you assess a situation completely differently when negotiations take place in Arabic, for example.
MENA offers excellent business opportunities for D-A-CH.
The MENA region comprises a target market of over 1.5 billion people in the countries of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen and Iran.
These countries have ambitious plans to make their industries sustainable and, most importantly, to provide jobs and better living conditions for their growing population. They are increasingly opening up their markets and investing in the expansion of future technologies.
Almost everything that people in the MENA region need has to be imported: food, medicine, labor, engineering, technology and raw materials.
The demands of many customers are very high, a large proportion can afford premium quality products, have high brand awareness, and love the prestige of "Made in Germany" or "Swiss Made".
Professionalism is the key
Companies that want to participate in bidding for government contracts should not overlook any details, despite the usually short deadline for submitting bidding documents. The official language for bidding and correspondence with ministries is usually a local language such as Arabic, Kurdish or Persian, and all documents are expected in this language. It is therefore advisable to work with a translation agency that is experienced in the bidding process and will provide you with the professional translations of all bidding documents.
If necessary, AUTHENTIC TRANSLATION will work closely with your project team to shorten decision-making processes. You can reach us on weekends and public holidays.
For on-site meetings and negotiations, our specialist interpreters will support you with specialist knowledge as well as language and intercultural skills.
