Home Middle East Overview Services Additional Services Project Experience Rules of Engagement Why Us Partners Contact Us
 
   
 
Middle East Overview

Telecommunications is a rapidly growing industry in the Middle East and Africa - consumers have developed sophisticated tastes and are hungry for the latest and the best products, the highest standards of service and the most forward thinking technology. The MEA region is no longer "Third World" in terms of telecom systems: we have some of the most advanced systems in the world, and Operators and consumers alike are always interested in more, bigger and better.

It isn't just culture, habits, religion and miles that separate the Middle East from the rest of the world - even body language, gestures and the way you dress may have an impact on business decisions. Understanding how to do business here cannot be learnt in a day - the pace and the lifestyle are different, and a much more personal approach is taken to business; it is not uncommon for a lifelong friendship to develop between people from working on a single project.

Having said this, it doesn't mean that to be successful in the Middle East you need to depend on Wasta but rather to follow a professional sales approach at various levels within the customer organization. As importantly, you do need to be perceived as a person who enjoys the uniqueness of the region and has a sense of "belonging" here, rather than an outsider, or a person making a flying visit to make as much money as possible before hopping on a plane back home. The only way to operate successfully in the region is to have respect and understanding of local sensitivities and traditions; you need patience and resilience, you need to gain access to the decision makers, and you need the ability to close the deal on your terms, whilst keeping the customer happy.

Businessmen from the Middle East are generally well travelled and have a far greater understanding of and exposure to western ways and norms than westerners have of Arab life and business. And to complicate things further, each country in the MEA region is as different as each country within Europe is. What works in Iraq may be considered bad practice in Sudan, a sales pitch that was warmly received in the United Arab Emirates may cause offence in Morocco: and it takes years of experience and working knowledge to learn all these nuances, years that as a company you don't have.

At Connecting Worlds we know the local and regional cultures, we have experience and understanding of the people and of their traditions, and we have proven our knowledge and ability time and again. Through our years of successfully conducting business in the MEA region, we have carved out a niche for ourselves and we have everything it takes to work with you to secure business.

Connecting Worlds is based in cosmopolitan Dubai, which is rapidly gaining a reputation as one of the world's best hubs for business. The Emirate is westernised, prestigious, wealthy, business-savvy and forward thinking. Crucially for Connecting Worlds and its clients, Dubai is centrally located within MEA and is home to one of the world's largest airports and airlines, making travel to any region convenient, quick and easy.