Doing Business in Germany

Even the smallest of US businesses competes in a shrinking global village, where understanding subtle cultural contexts can make or break sales and marketing efforts. This excerpt from the book Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: How to Do Business in Sixty Countries, offers insight into doing business in Germany.

Language

• German is the official language. While ninety-nine percent of the population speaks German, there are several dialects.

Appointments

• Nowhere in the world is punctuality more important than in Germany. Be on time for every appointment. Arriving just two or three minutes late can be insulting to a German executive.
• Do not schedule appointments on Friday afternoons; some offices close by 2 or 3 p.m. on Fridays. Many people take long vacations during July, August, and December, so check first to see if your counterpart will be available.

Negotiating

• The pace of German corporate decision making is much slower than in the United States. And German punctuality does not extend to delivery dates. Products may be delivered late without either explanation or apology.
• Business is serious; Germans do not appreciate humor in a business context. Privacy is very important to Germans. Doors are kept closed, both at work and at home. Always knock on a closed door and wait to be admitted. Germans tend to stand farther apart than North Americans when talking. The positioning of furniture reflects this; it is highly insulting to rearrange a German's office furniture.

Business Entertaining

• Breakfast meetings are unheard of in Germany. At a more common business luncheon, be aware that business may be discussed before and (sometimes) after a meal, but never during the meal itself.

Protocol

• Always shake hands, firmly but briefly, when introduced to a German businessman. When introduced to a woman, wait to see if she extends her hand before offering to shake. In most regions of Germany, men stand when women enter a room. Women need not rise.

Gestures

• The avoidance of public spectacle is reflected in the way Germans will get quite close to each other before offering a greeting. Only the young and the impolite wave or shout at each other from a distance.

Gifts

• German businessmen do not give or expect to receive expensive gifts. When invited to dinner at a German home, always bring a bouquet of unwrapped flowers for your hostess. The bouquet should not be ostentatiously large and should have an uneven number of flowers (but not thirteen). Red roses are reserved for courting, and calla lilies are for funerals. Avoid heather in Northern Germany because it is often planted on graves, and deemed bad luck to bring into a house.

Dress

• Business dress in Germany is very conservative. Virtually all businessmen wear dark suits, sedate ties, and white shirts. Khaki or seersucker suits are not acceptable. Women dress equally conservatively, in dark suits and white blouses.