Global Business Culture – Germany

Draw a distinct line between business and personal matters when doing business with Germans!

At the first meeting with your German customer, you notice that your counterpart is a tall guy. Upon shaking hands, you compliment him, saying, “I didn’t expect my customer to be so tall and handsome!” The reaction you get, however, is an expressionless face, far from what you had expected. Somewhat embarrassed, you try to break the ice by asking how old he is. Your friendly gesture, unfortunately, is discomforting to your customer and the atmosphere freezes up from the very beginning of the meeting.

In a business setting, Germans tend to save on by-talks unrelated to the business and refrain from mixing business with pleasure. When dealing with a German, avoid commenting on your counterpart’s private matters, such as the looks, age, marital status, and so on.

Business in Germany: DOs and DON'Ts

DOs
  • Take a logical approach.
    Rather than appealing to emotions, better be prepared with figures, graphs, tables, and other data that can objectively demonstrate your argument.

  • If you choose to speak German, use the word Sie, which is a formal form of “you” in German, to address your counterpart. The more informal form, Du is usually acceptable only among close friends. Use the family name with the title at meetings or in front of outside visitors or managers, no matter how close you are to the person you are addressing.

  • When shaking hands, make eye contact while holding the hand with a firm but not overpowering grip to give a confident impression. Do not use both hands or bow your head.

DON’Ts
  • In a business relationship, it is not appropriate to give red roses as a present. In Germany, red roses are only given to the ones you love, so beware when choosing flowers as a gift.

  • Avoid making unnecessary physical contacts, except for handshakes. Touching is usually restricted to intimate friends, so even a pat on the shoulder can be off-putting to coworkers.

  • Avoid contacting your counterpart on work-related matters after work. Beware that in Germany, managers are banned from calling or emailing staff out of hours.

Hanwha Affiliates in Germany

Germany is the base for the Hanwha Group’s European headquarters, Hanwha Europe GmbH, and five other subsidiaries of four Hanwha affiliates—Hanwha Corporation, Hanwha Total Petrochemical, Hanwha Advanced Materials, and Hanwha Q CELLS—located in Eschborn, Stuttgart, Dietfurt, Berlin, and Bitterfeld-Wolfen.

Hanwha Affiliates in Germany

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