german business culture and customs
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German Business Culture and Customs. Deutsche Geschäfts-Kultur und Gewohnheiten. Lazarus (Michael Aubee). A Brief Introduction. Germany is one of the business centers of the world The world is shrinking! - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Lazarus(Michael Aubee)
Germany is one of the business centers of the world
The world is shrinking!
It is reasonable to assume that many of us will have to do business on a world-wide scale
German citizens have their own ways of doing business
Today we are going to explore these differences
Don’t be late - Germans are a timely bunchIf for some reason it is unavoidable CALL AHEAD
Be ready with an apology and a reasonable explanation about why you will be late
Being late is considered an insult to the host
Don’t be a clown – Business is serious stuff to GermansBeing the group joker is considered
unprofessionalThis can make people doubt the validity of your
informationJokes are considered childish and inappropriate
Personal Space – Give a fellow some elbow roomGermans have a solid sense of personal space, if
this space is violated they will move to regain itDo not lean over or into your German partners, they
will be offended and will resist being near you
Physical contact – Don’t do itThe only reasonable physical contact German
Professionals prefer is a good, firm handshakeDo not clap them on the shoulder or grab their hand
in both of yoursMore on this later
Contact by phone – MannersTitles are important, using them shows respect
You do not want to talk to Doctor Carl, you want to talk to Herr Doktor Gregory Haus, full name and both titles
Be formal and polite, avoid small talk, stick to business
Contact by email or letterTitles are still the rule of the day
In the states we address a letter or an email to Doctor and Mrs. Haus, but in Germany it is Herr Doktor Gregory Haus and Frau Lisa Haus
Use good common sense when composing your letter or email, include facts and go into detail in any descriptions you give
Scheduling an appointmentWhen scheduling your appointment you should
plan aheadAvoid scheduling meetings for early morning, this is
a busy times for Germans as they are organizing tasks for the day and planning out priorities
Avoid scheduling an appointment for Friday afternoon, this makes your meeting one of the last things they must deal with in the week, and if there is anything that must be dealt with immediately they will not have sufficient time
Schedule your meeting two to three weeks in advance, German business professionals are advance planners who like time to prepare
First and foremost, don’t be late!This is the quickest way to insult your hostEven being a couple of minutes late is inexcusable
Meetings always start and end with handshakesThe senior person in your group should extend
their hand as they approach the senior person in the receiving group while introducing themselves
If you do not know who is the senior person in the receiving group, approach the oldest person, this is perceived as respectful
Meetings always start and end with handshakes (Continued)
Your handshake should be a firm handshake of reasonable duration
You should shake hands with everyone present, even children (only if they are willing)
You should only shake hands with women if they extend their hand to do so, if so, remember to give them the same firm handshake you gave their male counterparts
Gestures that occasionally accompany a handshake in the US such as clapping someone on the shoulder should be avoided
Seating for the meetingWait for the senior person present to invite you
to be seatedSeat yourself where directed, just as here in
the US, there is usually a “pecking order” determining who sits where
Seat yourself just after or as the senior person present sits
When a woman walks into the room it is considered polite to stand, however, always follow the lead of the senior person present
Meetings are serious and to the pointDo not expect “small talk” beyond the initial
greetingsMake certain you know the material you are
presentingGerman business professionals are extremely
detail oriented, if you cannot answer their questions on details about your material you will be viewed as unprofessional and unprepared for the meeting
Humor in the meetingThroughout this presentation a tone has been
set that suggests that humor is always inappropriate, this is not always true
If a bit of humor is tasteful and in context, feel free to put the joke in
If the joke is present “just to be funny”, or because “everyone likes a good joke” avoid it, you will be seen as unprofessional and your material will be considered suspect
Plan your presentation timeIf you are given 15 minutes to speak, that is
what you have , not 14, not 16, 15 minutesGermans respect concrete facts, not how
charismatic you are, expect to give detailsMeetings are slow and methodical, do not
expect a quick meetingOnce a decision has been reached, it has
been reached, it is unlikely that there will be any changes made later
Germans do not like surprises, even surprise changes with positive results are not liked, they are considered to show a failure plan properly
The positive side of the German business meeting is that when the plan is put into motion, there are seldom problems, as these have been worked out in advance
Remember to again shake hands with everyone at the end of the meeting, to not do so shows a lack of respect
Expect follow-up calls and emails concerning details about the project and requesting progress updates
Be on top of the situation, German business professionals do not like surprises, by constantly checking in with you, they hope to catch any problems while they are still small and manageable.
If at all possible when there is a problem be proactive, if you can report a problem as being solved, or as having a plan in place to deal with the problem when you are contacted, you are viewed as being that much more professional
Business is serious to your German colleagues Irrelevant jokes, gaffs, and other humor are not
appreciatedPhone calls and emails or letters should be
formal“Small talk” is discouraged in meetings beyond
simple greetingsBe aware of physical space and always shake
handsMeetings are methodical and planning is slow
and deliberate
The purpose of this presentation has been to
provide those making use of it some insight into German business culture. It is important to note that the statements made herein are blanket statements that may or may not apply in a given specific situation. These statements are intended to guide in general encounters when dealing with German business professionals at large.