Germany is the fourth largest economy and is globally third in both imports and exports. Whether it is business-to-business or consumer products and services, negotiating with Germany is a key to international marketing growth. There are four important cultural skills to remember to succeed in negotiating with Germans.

Punctuality

Germans follow the clock more closely than any other country. Trains arrive on time. If a train is just a few minutes late, German commuters grumble as they focus on their watches. When negotiating with Germans on marketing contract:

Arrive at least fifteen minutes before the meeting. Being late is a huge taboo. It tells the Germans you cannot be counted on;

Keep the agenda simple. Make the objective clear and quickly get to the main point. There will be questions, debates, and discussions. Budget time accordingly;

Face-to-face or teleconference meetings begin and end exactly on time. Germans are polite, but do not burn valuable minutes with too much small talk. If a one-hour meeting begins at 9:00AM, the meeting will end at 10:00AM in the middle of a sentence.





Debates

Germans enjoy arguing and debating. A visitor may view them as angry. In fact, Germans rarely get personal. As my German manager often reminded me, “I am debating your position, not you.” They believe a good idea improves after a debate. A weak idea fails in these types of discussion. Consider the following with negotiating with Germans:

A question or debate about a marketing proposal means they are interested. Silence suggest the Germans are not interested. Go on to the next subject;

Do not get upset about an irritating question. Remember, it is not personal. Germans use fewer words per sentence, therefore, the translation to English loses some diplomacy;

Engage in the debate. Defend the proposal. Germans are checking to see if the marketing proposal is solid.





Details

Germans love data when considering a decision. Their appetite to digest figures and numbers seems endless. This tends to delay negotiations as the German partner continues to ask for more information. When negotiating with Germans, contemplate the following:

Understand expectations before the meeting. If you are proposing a social networking campaign, what kind of dashboard information is anticipated in your proposal? Germans are happy to share their data expectations before the meeting;

Enthusiasm will not overcome weak data. Germans are serious people. Trying to persuade them with fervor and humor does not work;

Plan time at the before the end of the meeting to develop a list of additional data needed to increase your German partner’s confidence in the proposal.

Negotiating with Germans

A popular German proverb is, “Erst denken, dann handelin – first think, then act.” Understand your German marketing partner’s expectations. Gather the data. Efficiently plan the meeting with time for discussions. Start and end on time. Confidently engage in debates. Follow-up the meeting with specific actions.

The planning portion of the campaign will be longer than expected. The efficiency of implementation will make-up time and lead to success.

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