What you need to do is to make sure that your business conduct is tuned in to that of your business partners’ but most especially to the potential ones. This doesn’t apply to your German counterparts but to every country in the world. It could take some practice to get accustomed to what Germans are used to but it’s worth the effort. Your German business counterparts will even appreciate you more for going the extra mile of blending in together with them. It could start a beautiful partnership with them as well.
You can start working on your greetings. When you are up for a meeting with business guests for the first time, already make a positive impression. Whether you are a senior officer of your company or an employee representative assigned to do the task for your big boss, stand up and walk out from your desk as you greet them properly with handshakes.
Next would be the way you address your German guests. Remember that the German language has a distinct greeting pattern. A familiar greeting is different from a formal one so be sure you know how to greet your German guests. But in this case, it’s best to use “Sie” since it is already a formal word for “you”. Also, in writing Sie, it always starts with capital letter S. But of course using Sie to formally address your German guests is just appropriate. This is even a good reason why you should continue on learning German words and how to use them since impressing your German would-be partners is going to be worth the effort in the business world.
