Menu
Menu
Our local consultant can advise you on the best way to identify and approach potential clients with a customized proposal. He can act as your local respresentative.
Saudi Arabia, the largest country in the Middle East, has a population of about 35 million as of 2023. It is the world’s largest oil exporter, deeply influencing its culture, economy, and politics.
With a high GDP per capita of approximately $23,000 USD in 2023, Saudi Arabia’s economy is heavily dependent on oil, which accounts for most of its export earnings and government revenues. The country is diversifying its economy, with significant investments in sectors like tourism, entertainment, and technology.
Saudi Arabian businessmen are hospitable. They spend time and effort over making outsiders feel comfortable in their country. They may appear lavish and showy but that’s their way. Saudis are gentle people who avoid conflict. In case any disagreements in business arise, these are resolved by intermediaries or middlemen. They are knowledgeable, especially about their country and their particular line of business. It’s usually a profession that’s passed down through the generations, one that they are proud of.
The principal language of Saudi Arabia is Arabic but most of its business people are well versed with English. Here, the working week takes a break on Thursday and Friday with Friday being a holy day.
A local sponsor or wakeel will be required to arrange your appointments and acquaint you. Build a level of trust before you engage in business talk with your Saudi counterparts. Make general small talk about the country, family etc, but refrain from enquiring about a Saudi’s wife! Dress well and present yourself in an impressive manner to the Saudi Arabians as they will judge you on appearances. Also, women are usually not included in any negotiation processes.
With the tooling of our partner Instantly.ai you can define your target group, whether it’s 50 or 50.000 people. Send them a sequence of emails, directly in their inbox, for typically under 10 dollarcents per persoon.
Even if your business is really international, it may be wise to set up local website translations and check whether your text aligns with the culture.
With regards to content, my personal experience is that if you have a successful blog topic in one language, it is likely to do well also in other languages. Don’t reinvent the wheel, just make a proper translation.
WPML is a Wordpress plugin that helps you set up different translations of your web pages. This can be with automated translations, but you can also choose to have manual or adjusted translations or even specific content on the language pages.
First of all you may have to pay import duties or settle VAT. This can be complex if you don’t have your own legal entity in the country.
There may also be non-financial bariers, like certifications or approvals to be obtained. Especially for food, cosmetics or medicine this may be the case. Check this in advance, even before you invest in your marketing.
Getting your products imported and delivered in a specific country can be a challenge. I have good experience with Tecex, who can act as your importer of record and even physical distributor. If you leave your details, they will contact you.
First determine who can be the end-users for your product or service. From who do they purchase now? Interview a number of key players in the value chain how they perceive your offering and ask them who is your competition. Only then you can position your product or service and effectively approach potential buyers.
Yes, we can certainly do that, because we have experienced business developers in the country. Of course it is important that your product is good, well documented and you have discovered the best sales processes already in your home country.
