The question is: what is the secret?
The answer is: TIME!
Business takes time in Saudi. Nothing happens quickly. Decisions take a long time to make.
Is there a shortcut? NO!
The biggest challenge for us Westerners is identifying the decision makers, even the influential recommenders. Often the people that matter are buried deep in the infrastructure and their titles give us no indication of the important role they may play in the business decisions that affect us. Their influence could be a simple word in the ear of a key person to either "go" or "no go" with our proposal. We may never be able to identify or be able to meet them.
Doing business in Saudi is complex and time consuming.
If there is a "trick", it is to talk to as many people in a company as possible regardless of their titles and whether or not you think they may or may not play any role in the particular business you are conducting with their company. The more people you interact with the more you learn about who is who in the company as well as how things work. You may still get it wrong but you certainly minimize you chances of failure by extending your network within the company as much as possible.
Finally, in general and for cultural reasons alien to Westerners, recommendations are not passed up but rather, decisions are passed down.
Be patient. Talk to everyone. Ask lots and lots of questions. Be patient. Regardless of whether you do everything right you may still fail. Be patient!!
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