The Story
In Dubai, during a crowded conference week, an investor relations head had sent a dozen meeting requests with little response. At an evening reception, a longtime client, a respected figure in the market, crossed the room to greet him by name and asked after his parents. Several of the people he had been writing to were standing nearby. By the next afternoon, three had replied.

Cultural Principle
In the Gulf, a warm public greeting from someone of standing is a form of endorsement. It tells the room that you are known, and by whom.

Takeaway
Invest in the relationships that greet you in public. They make introductions for you without saying a single word about your work.

In good company,
Taqua