Business 257Business Style
People often describe the Egyptian business style as being
personal. This concept interweaves a level of formality
into personal relationships built on trust. Who you know
defi nitely carries more weight than what you know in terms
of facilitating business deals in Egypt. You can always pull in
the technical expertise you need, but without the personal
network to make things happen, you are most likely destined
to failure. This is why building personal relationships becomes
so critical to success. The hallmark of Egyptian business
revolves around formality and personal relationships.
Formality typically enters the picture through protocol (who
sits where, who is involved, etc.) and dress. However, personal
relationships built on trust mark the cornerstone of who
succeeds and who does not.
Do not be surprised when, upon introduction to an
important person, the conversation quickly turns to a ‘who
do you know’ kind of scenario. When a person introduces
himself at a meeting or someone is introducing you, you
will often get a long list of comments like, ‘I was with so-
and-so at such-and-such’ or ‘My cousin so-and-so has been
very instrumental in accomplishing this, that, or the other’.
Do not view this as bragging or name-dropping. That is
not the purpose. What the person is doing is letting you
know that he has the contacts necessary to fulfi l his end
of the bargain.