Jordan: Let's Make a Deal! - Part 1

From ExecutivePlanet.com

What you should know before negotiating

Making a deal is what the Jordanians love most. It is a national sport. They thoroughly enjoy it. And you can have fun at it too.

The lists below are not intended to be a complete list of all that you need to do to negotiate deals successfully. However, these are points that you will need to consider.

Prepare Yourself

Bring a supply of standard size business cards, preferably in colour. Full colour images and background graphics are appreciated but not required.

Have your brochures done up in full colour on glossy paper; it is the expected standard. They can be in English only, but it is preferred to have them in Arabic alone or Arabic with your native language.

Review and perhaps be prepared to adjust your presentation in light of the age bracket of your potential business partners. As a general rule:

Age 25-35 motivated by a strong desire to appear western

Age 35-45 a mixture of western and Arab perspectives

Age 45+ motivated by traditional Arab values

Memorize this guide, 'Everything is always negotiable.'

Set Up Your Visit

All Jordanians are highly relational. And most business is best done along relational lines. So start with who you know and build your leads on information and introductions they can provide. If the only person you know is 'a friend of a friend of a friend' it is still a good place to start. Use phrases like 'I'm a friend of', 'I'm a relative of', 'I'm a partner of' often in introducing yourself.

If you are staying with a host, let that person know any special needs you have.

You may call ahead and arrange your appointments. Remember, however, that traditional Arabic culture is not time oriented so the appointments may not work out. Be prepared to improvise. If exact appointments are critical to you or your business, try to communicate that to the person you are arranging to meet. As a rule, the larger the organization, the more precise the appointment keeping will be.

Ideas

Jordanians are primarily oral and visual communicators. This is in contrast to Europeans who tend to be literature oriented. Pictures communicate much better than descriptive text. Most [other than engineers] cannot read a map or a technical drawing.

Jordanians tend to think proverbially. Anecdotal descriptions, proverbs, and significant remembered events provide the insight needed to make wise decisions.

Many Jordanians are proud of their ability to accept and incorporate new ideas. Many other Jordanians are proud of their traditional way of thinking. Many Jordanians believe that they can learn from outsiders and improve their way of life. Many other Jordanians believe that life would be much better if the foreign ideas were removed from life.

Here are some common unspoken business ideas that may influence the negotiations especially with more traditional thinkers:

I would rather lose money on the venture than allow my competitor to get the deal.

I need to do this business to show the importance/ status/ wealth of my family.

There must be a lot of money to be made in this because so many people are doing it, or there must not be much money in this since not many people are doing it.

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