A VISIT to your nearest oriental plaza might be in order if you intend to do business with Libya.
Haggling - that's a skill you must develop in an Arabic community which takes a conscious delight in bargaining, according to Roger Ballard-Tremeer, director for North Africa at the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Doing business with Libya is a pain and a suffering, he told FTW.
One needs to take plenty of patience into Libyan business transactions, and be prepared for lengthy haggling.
Not that a significant drop in price is necessary - the fun for the Libyans is in the taking part.
This haggling, Ballard-Tremeer defined it, is done more to gain the adrenalin rush they get from it, rather than looking for lower prices.
But, he added: This is not too familiar to SA businessmen.
A cultural difference, therefore, that must be taken into account - and a skill which can soon prove its worth.
There is a haggling market at any exhibition in Libya, said Ballard-Tremeer. If you are a winner, you will know right away.
Bribery and corruption also appear to be rife in Libyan business, according to sources.
You need an agent on the ground, said Ballard-Tremeer.
One other tip is to carry your foreign exchange calculator into any proposed deals with Libya.
One thing they don't seem to have
got right, said Ballard-Tremeer, is our rand now being so low against the US dollar.
Many of them are still quoting in US dollars, but are basing their rand values on exchange figures which were worked out about two years ago.
A lesson from all this? When in Libya, do as the Libyans do.
