Ramadan/Eid & business productivity in Saudi Arabia

I cannot speak for other professions but if your role is sales oriented then be prepared to have an extensive 5 week break over the Ramadan 4 week religious period and then the 1 week Eid break.

In years prior to 2010 you could also add nearly 4 weeks of summer vacation to this "break" from business.

This year, maybe because business is harder to come by for businesses as a result of the global crisis, less people are taking summer vacations and the ones that are taking them are taking shorter breaks. It could also be that the proximity of Ramadan to summer this year has people taking a break that straddles both events.

The point I am trying to make is that when doing extensive "sales" type business in Saudi plan for approximately 7-8 months of productive activity, 2 months of activity which may or may not be of any use to you, and 2 months  (2 weeks of summer, plus Ramadan and Eid) when little will be achieved.

Those of us living here have an advantage because we can pick and choose who we see and when we see them and we  can do so because as a "local" we have our feet on the ground and are better qualified through experience and contacts to read a sales situation. For example, a person we want to sell to may be more open to talking to us during the Ramadan break (usually after break of the day's fasting) when he has less on his plate and is more open to listening and talking and enjoying some company over a coffee or meal.

In summary then, if you are based outside, buy a year planner and mark off all the religious holidays as well as the summer break. Typically it is not worth while travelling here to do business.

For us locals, do the same but try to take advantage of any opportunity that arises to meet people in the evening over a meal when they may be open to talking.

Surviving summer and Ramadan

It has been a while since I last wrote. To be truthful the reason is that I went through one of my regular "I hate this place" phases. It can be a great place to work and live (sort of) but it can really really get to you. Whereas in most countries simple tasks like paying a bill or opening up a bank account are considered commonplace, here they are designed to test your patience and ability to stay sane.

If like me you are one of the unfortunate ones who is not leaving the Kingdom for Summer/Ramadan vacation then we have a major challenge on our hands.

The place is quiet for the 2-4 weeks leading up to Ramadan because people are either physically or mentally on vacation. During Ramadan they are simply too "out of it" to be effective during 50C summer hell.

So no-one wants to meet you, talk to you, respond to your emails, etc, etc.

The trick is to find things to do outside of work that will stimulate your mind and body.

You can go to a shopping mall. You can go out for a meal (that is if you can tolerate the traffic which is mind boggling given everyone comes out of their houses at night), you can go to the gym at the compound, or you have have a BBQ with friend (assuming you can tolerate the 45C evening temperatures).

So enjoy my friends. Let me know how you go.

ed