Dear Ali: I'm a businessman from Asia. When I attend meetings here with potential Emirati partners, it's hard for me to understand whether our meeting was successful or not. Could you give me some tips on this, please? YW, South Korea
Dear YW: Seoul in South Korea is one of my favourite destinations in Asia.
I studied with Korean friends while I was doing my master’s degree in Canada and really enjoyed learning about their country and culture. After visiting many times I have a special place in my heart for Korea, the people and their rich culture.
Knowing that business etiquette in Korea reflects its cultural values, I appreciate your question, which could help many other people feel more comfortable when doing business in the Arab world.
Your tradition of respectfully bowing to each other gives an understanding of the success or failure at the end of any meeting. I could tell that just by noticing how my partners offer me a bow.
A short and quick bow would mean that the meeting was not that promising, but, in contrast, a low and deep bow definitely showed certain success.
Here in the UAE, we have different techniques, or as I call them, business and social codes.
The majority of people may notice that business dealings move slower here than in the West.
However, it’s not the same when we show our interest in business. That’s when you can feel the moment and understand that your meeting was prosperous.
We will even try to speed up the deal despite all your expectations and sign the contract as soon as possible. Arabs in general are emotional and visual, and it’s hard for them to not express their happiness.
But if you feel that a meeting goes without enthusiasm from the side of your Arab associates, there’s a chance that this deal is not going to have immediate success and you may need to impress them again with real facts and potential growth figures, showcasing the success in real models or via a presentation and so on. Inspire a bargain by bringing more encouraging details to the point.
Also, if your company is new in the region, your Arab partners would pay certain attention to the company’s reputation.
We like to give time to our potential partners and ourselves to see if our business relations can be long-lasting and trustful.
Sometimes it’s all about the timing – pitching an idea or sealing a deal comes down to the time you choose to discuss the subject with your Arab counterpart.
Ali Al Saloom is a cultural adviser and public speaker from the UAE. Follow @AskAli on Twitter, and visit www.ask-ali.com to ask him a question.
