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Every culture and group of people have their own business etiquette and norms. It is important to keep these in mind when doing business with clients and associates from a foreign country. This article discusses such etiquette rules that you should be sensitive about when dealing with Germans or traveling to Germany for business proposals and meetings. Germans are known to be highly individualistic.
Germans tend to think everything through very thoroughly. Every aspect of every project is discussed and planned out in great detail. This process tends to be very insensitive to others’ time constraints, so please be patient. On the plus side, once this stage is over with, the project will likely move very fast and deadlines are adhered to strongly by Germans. They expect the same of their business partners. Germans hate changes and surprises. If you’re planning for a sudden change to a business decision to improve the results, it is still unlikely to be warmly welcomed by your German associates.
When in a business meeting, age takes priority over youth. The eldest individual enters before the rest when in a group meeting.When introduced to woman, wait and observe before making a move whether she offers her hand. In fact, people that may have been colleagues for years on end might still shake hands every morning like its their first ever meeting. Most German associates will not expect to be complimented and do not even want this. Germans consider everything to be acceptable, unless anyone states otherwise.
In Germany, punctuality is imperative. Make sure you arrive in a timely manner for every single appointment, be it a social gathering or business meeting. You’ll be surprised at the offense you can cause to a German executive by arriving few minutes late.
In Germany, business is considered a very serious matter. Therefore, do not try to engage German businessman in fun and humor while in a business environment. Respect their norms, and they will respect yours.
