Meeting German business partners for the first time

When meeting with business partners for the first time in person, make sure you are on time, dressed appropriately and armed with ample business cards. Your business partner will probably introduce him or herself as Mr. or Ms. XYZ (Herr or Frau XYZ), which implies that you should wait to address him or her on a first name basis until invited to do so. In general, the corporate dress code is formal. Casual wear is acceptable on some occasions and in some industries (creative/media). Be sure to use a firm grip while shaking hands and maintain appropriate eye contact with the other parties when they are speaking to you. Be aware that it is impolite to put your hands in your pockets while someone is conversing with you. Please note that Germans will both greet and say goodbye to their business partners and friends with a handshake each time.

Many Germans strictly divide their work and private lives. For example, some people may hesitate to speak about their marital status, political and religious opinions, their personal income or other matters they consider to be private at work. You may, however, be able to get a conversation going by appealing to your business partners' loyalty to his/her home region and its foods/beverages or sports teams. On the whole, however, Germans tend to be more interested in business-related issues, tasks and problems than getting to know customers, colleagues and vendors - it may thus take time for German business partners to get to know each other on a personal level. On the other hand, as Germans tend to be rather reliable, a well-established business relationship cannot be disrupted too easily. Business partners usually reward another year of good business relations with a Christmas or New Year's card or a small token of appreciation (a local wine, beer, sausage, or baked goods, for example).

Business Negotiations

Germans are proud of ''made in Germany'' as a synonym for quality and reliability. In business meetings, Germans are rather formal, detail-oriented and direct. They tend to say exactly what they want and mean. They are decision making and problem solving oriented, although these processes can take quite some time to complete, especially considering the generally very highly hierarchical structures in some German companies. Be aware that the negotiation process can sometimes be very lengthy, since Germans prefer to discuss many details in advance in order to prevent future misunderstandings. It is generally seen as very impolite to make or accept telephone calls during a business meeting, conference or on any occasion where the call would serve as a distraction or imply disinterest to your business partners.

As Germans prefer to act on the basis of clearly communicated guidelines and fair rules, your German business partners will most likely view signed contracts as the non-negotiable end result of such discussions. Therefore, they will be quite disappointed if you surprise them with changes to business agreements after contracts have been signed. To sum it up, German business people value high quality, yet affordable, goods and services, which are provided (as agreed) on time and are accompanied by timely and transparent correspondence.

For more details about conducting business meetings in German please get in touch to book a German course.

So you have been taking private German lessons for a while? Or even an intensive German course? And now you would like to go a little further and experience German outside your lessons? Because sometimes it is not just all about grammar or vocabulary, sometimes it just helps to get a taste of Germany to achieve fluency and proficiency in the German language…or….well… any excuse is good to try out one of the most clichéd, yet most authentic German experiences: a sausage feast. And you don’t have to go all the way to Frankfurt for it.

1.)    Kurz und Lang. Small deli-like sausage shop in Farringdon. Serves all sorts of varieties of German sausage, starting with the classic Bratwurst (grilled pork sausage), but also serving regional specialities such as the Berliner Currywurst (pork sausage with ketch-up and curry powder – looks odd but tastes yummy) but also selling Frankfurter and Krakauer (more spicy). Plus a selection of beers from various regions in Germany (Kölisch, Paulaner, Tannenzäpfle, Becks).

2.)    Herman ze German. Ironic name for unironically tasty German grub. A small deli just off the Strand serving sausages of all kinds such as the previously mentioned Bratwurst, Currywurst and Frankfurter plus also home baked bread and Bretzel variations. Eat in or take away.

3.)    Kipferl. Technically speaking not a German but an Austrian deli, with already 3 branches in Angel, Coram’s Field and Gordon Square. The mouth-watering menu offers besides such precious rarities like Käsekrainer (a cheese filled sausage), also the classic Wiener and of course Sauerkraut. Kipferl also caters for the sweet tooth and offers an authentic coffee and cake experience with various home baked Austrian delicacies. The Linzer Torte is a must!

German is widely spoken in Europe: Count the 80 Million inhabitants of Germany, add Austria, the German speaking part of Switzerland plus Luxemburg, and German speaking minorities in Northern Italy, Southern Denmark and the Alsace in France and you get the picture. Of course, there is more than just the holiday aspect, since Germany is not exactly renowned for its glorious holiday resorts by the sea. It is more the practical aspect of course: think of all the business opportunities. You needn't be fluent but a few basics could open doors and make business in Germany a little easier.

Thinking of studying in Germany? This may sound like a distant dream to any UK student but there are still universities in Germany that charge no or very low tuition fees (Berlin is only one of them). Typically the cost of living is comparatively low in Germany, unless you live in Munich, Hamburg or Baden Baden. Therefore you may find yourself NOT being burdened with huge debts to pay off after graduation.

German and English go back to the same West Germanic dialect. Can you believe that at some point in history a person from let’s say Hamburg probably would have had only minor trouble understanding a person from let’s say Winchester? “Funny accent”, they would have thought about each other…Unfortunately this is a very long time ago and not the case anymore. But a few centuries, a great vowel shift plus a few French and Scandinavian invaders later we can still find prove in the vocabulary: House – Haus, beer – Bier, wine – Wein being the most obvious ones. The list could be extended with verbs like make – machen, say – sagen or adjectives like small – schmal, round – rund.

Does learning German sound like a good idea? Check out our services for private German lessons and courses in London.

Is our list missing a reason? We look forward to hearing your comments!