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The label in business is a very important factor that can influence, in a remarkable
way, the success or failure of a business relationship, a negotiation or any other
type of agreement.
When setting up a meeting with your German counterparts, there are a number of
matters to consider in order to ensure the most advantageous outcome from your
negotiations:
Try to avoid business meetings in the months of July and August or around the
times of national holidays
Rank is very important in German business. Never set up a meeting for a lower
ranked company employee to meet with a higher ranked person.
Meetings are generally formal and initial meetings are used for the parties to get
to know each other.
Negotiation process
When setting up a meeting with your German counterparts, there are a number of
matters to consider in order to ensure the most advantageous outcome from your
negotiations:
Rank is very important in German business. Never set up a meeting for a lower
ranked company employee to meet with a higher ranked person.
When entering into business negotiations with German business people, there are
a number of important points that you should be aware of in order to ensure a
positive outcome from negotiations.
You must be patient and not appear ruffled or irritated by the strict adherence
to protocol. Germans are detail- oriented and want to understand every innuendo
before coming to an agreement.
Final decisions are translated into rigorous, comprehensive action steps that you
can expect will be carried out to the letter.
Once a decision is made, it will not be changed.
Meeting protocol
Germans are still quite formal and like their hierarchies. Therefore, titles and last
names are commonly used when not knowing a person and in business
relationships.
A man should be addressed as Herr (Mr.) and woman with Frau (Mrs.). In
business settings it is good to use the honorific plus the professional designation.
Germans offer a firm, but brief, handshake as a greeting. The handshake is often
accompanied by saying “Guten Tag” (Good Day). Sometimes “Hallo” (Hello) is
used; in the South, people say “Grüss Gott.” It is customary for people to also shake
hands upon departing from one another. In some German offices shaking hands is
part of the daily ritual, so do not be surprised if a round of handshaking precedes a
day’s work.
When meeting a business contact for the first time exchange business cards.
Although sincere smiles are welcomed, and people tend to be polite and
hospitable to one another, physical and emotional expressions may be kept to a
minimum upon initial introductions. Eye contact is generally expected during the
course of the introduction and conversation.
Germans are known for being direct, frank, and truthful about how they feel;
superficial, small talk is rarely welcomed. During a conversation, visitors are often
expected to express their opinions on topics such as the arts and international
events; however, they should be discreet when political issues come up.
When close friends greet each other, it is common to kiss both the left and right
cheeks. However, this is considered inappropriate in a business setting.
Germans are not always going to come up and introduce themselves to
strangers, especially if they know that you don’t speak their language. Not all
Germans speak English and even if they do they might be not comfortable using it.
Even if you don’t know very much German, most of them will appreciate you
learning their language.
The primary purpose of a first meeting is to get to know one another and to
evaluate the person, to gain trust, and check the chemistry.
At the end of a meeting, some Germans signal their approval by rapping their
knuckles on the table top.