Saudi Business Culture - Global Sales Mentor | Zach Selch

25 Apr 2020 · 3 min

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2:49

In this presentation Zach Selch outlines the commonalities across Arabic‑speaking business cultures—namely a high‑context communication style and a long‑term, relationship‑focused approach that is not tied to specific tasks. He then highlights two traits that set Saudi business culture apart: an unusually high level of individualism (the highest among Arab societies, even surpassing Lebanon) and a strongly masculine orientation that places great importance on status symbols such as expensive watches, luxury cars, and personal career achievements. Selch notes that, despite these cultural nuances, most day‑to‑day business dealings in Saudi Arabia are actually conducted with expatriate professionals from Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Egypt, etc., meaning direct interaction with Saudi nationals is relatively rare. He concludes with a brief invitation for viewers to contact his firm for assistance in growing international sales.

Chapters

There are 2 things— There are 2 things that really differentiate between Saudi business culture and the business culture in other parts of the Gulf. And you have to keep in mind that there are about 30 different cultures that are Arabic-speaking and could be said to be Arabs. And the Saudis are just one of those many cultures, and there are differences. So what's similar in all Arabic-speaking cultures? A very high-context language. People expect to not say that much in clear language and to be understood in terms of the context. And that's going to be similar in all Arab cultures. Another thing that's similar in all Arab cultures is the value of relationships that are developed over for a long period of time and are not related to a task. And that again is something that you're going to see in all Arab cultures. Now what differentiates Saudis from other Arab cultures? 2 things: a very high level of individualism, which is rare among other Arabic-speaking cultures, okay? And with Saudis, it's just about the highest there is. Lebanese are actually a little higher, but that's pretty, pretty high compared other people. And then the other thing that differentiates is it's a very masculine culture from the perspective of how sociologists and anthropologists explain culture, which basically means there's a big dependence on status symbols. And you can see this— people are buying very expensive, very fancy watches, very fancy cars. They take their careers very seriously and their personal personal achievements very seriously. So these are the things you're going to see that differentiate between Saudi business culture and other Arabic business cultures. Now that said, the chances of you actually doing business with a Saudi are pretty slim because virtually all the people you're going to do business with in Saudi Arabia are going to be foreigners. They're going to be Lebanese or Jordanians or Palestinians or Egyptians, etc. But when you do encounter Saudis, these are the things to remember that differentiate between Saudi business culture and other business cultures. Remember, when you're ready to grow your international sales, reach out to us. We can help.