- What is
the "Arabian Business & Cultural Guide"?
A book about
the Arab countries culture, business, and business culture. The book
guides you how to successfully obtain market data, get connected, and trade
with the Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates,
Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Yemen, and other Arab countries. Through it you will have a comprehensive understanding
of the Arab market and culture.
- I don't
need to understand the culture of the end users/customers of my products because
my overseas agents will be dealing with them.
Yes, but
how about your overseas agents? They belong to that foreign culture and
to you they are your end users/customers. Do you know their culture? Do
you know how to gain their trust and loyalty? Do you know how they prefer
to do business? Do you know what is insulting to them (the do's and don'ts)?
Even the smallest simplest thing (but non the less crucial) like correspondence,
is done differently. Do you know what words you should use and what to avoid?
You need to know about the culture of your agents in order to succeed in
doing business with them.
- Why business
and cultural information are mixed together?
Because one
without the other will only yield very narrow and limited knowledge. Understanding
the business and the culture in which the business exists, guarantees maximum
success for your goals and ventures. Most books written as guides to doing
business with an overseas market concentrate on the business side and you
end-up learning about the foreign culture through the mistakes you make
along the way, which will prove to be costly and time consuming. Do you
want to learn about the ins and outs, the do's and don'ts of your targeted
market through your mistakes or do you prefer to know about them earlier
and save yourself and your business money, time, effort and possibly your
reputation. "The Arabian Business and Cultural Guide" saves you time, money,
effort and guides you to a successful business venture that is based on
a comprehensive understanding of the Arab market and culture.
- On the business
side, what do I learn?
The guide provides
you with information on the complete export cycle. You will know:
- How to
get connected to the Arab market (locating agents and distributors).
- If you
are or want to be an exporter, you will know how to locate USA and foreign
manufacturers.
- How to
get market data (includes sources of free market information and advice)
- How to
advertise your business and services (includes pointers to sources of free
international advertising)
- How to
make your literature (advertisements, catalogs, etc.) more effective and
more suitable for the targeted market.
- What type
of agents/distributors you should choose, how to select them, and how
to successfully communicate with them.
- What are
the weaknesses of the Arab companies and how to transfer these weaknesses
into profit.
- If you
are meeting/visiting with your Arab clients, things you need to know/do
before the meeting, during the meeting, and after the meeting.
- How to
set your prices and how to negotiate.
- How to
detect and handle rejections.
- How to
win their trust, business, and loyalty.
- The business
circumstances that surround your Arab agents and distributors.
- How to
choose your international staff.
- How to
handle letters of credit.
- Best time
to do business.
- and much
more.
- On the cultural
side, what do I learn?
You will learn
- Verbal
communication etiquette
- Written
communication etiquette
- Non-verbal
communication etiquette
- What is
considered insulting.
- What subjects
to avoid.
- What cultural
values they believe in.
- Cultural
do's and don'ts.
- What are
their customs.
- When is
it appropriate to start business discussions.
- How to
handle invitations and what to do when you invite them.
- Cultural
customs that you might misinterpret and how to best handle these situations.
- Body positions
you should avoid.
- Social
structure, responsibilities and priorities.
- Dress code
for men and women.
- Eating
and drinking habits and customs.
- Common
sayings and their English translation and pronunciation.
- Conflict
resolution.
- and More
- How is the
"Arabian Business and Cultural Guide" different from other trade/culture books?
The guide is
different because
- It was
written by an Arab (Mohammad Al-Sabt) who
was born and raised in the Arab region. He is able to provide an accurate
look inside his culture.
- Mohammad
Al-Sabt has studied, lived and worked (in international trade) in the
US for the past 8 years. He is able to look at and experience both business
cultures (Arab and American). He has presented his valuable experience
and knowledge to others through this guide.
- The guide
was written in a direct, easy to understand business language.
- The guide
delivers entertaining education by employing real stories and interviews.
- The guide
provides the reader with specific resources and how to benefit from these
resources.
- The guide
brings you the valuable input you need from inside the Arab market.
To obtain this information on your own, you need to travel to the Arab
countries and do business with them for a number of years. This guide
delivers crucial insiders knowledge to you now.
- How many
pages is it?
Over 200
pages (Eight Chapters and extensive appendixes).
- Can I view
some parts from the book?
Yes. We have
provided some sample parts/excerpts from the book. Check "Excerpts from the book" index at top left corner of this page.
- Are the
sample excerpts you provided on this website the only cultural information you have in the "Arabian
Business and Cultural Guide"?
No. This
is just a small part. Business and cultural information are presented throughout
the guide. The sample excerpts we are providing here are actually what can
be considered common cultural situations. The guide provides you with the
interactive version of the culture-business relationship (i.e. how to act
and react depending on the situation, the goals, and the timing).