How To Get Started – Part One

Now that you know what to wear (and what not) in a formal business situation with Germans, you can now learn how to behave and what to do at the start of a business meeting.

Good morning. Or good night?

Tired?

Yes, indeed, your meeting may also start in the afternoon. But it doesn’t matter. What does matter, though, is that you make sure you have had sufficient sleep before you have an important business meeting. You do not want to attend a meeting through which you are sleeping most of the time. Your time is precious and so is your business partner’s. Apart from being awfully impolite when you cannot hide how tired you are, why would you be wasting your time with a meeting which you cannot fully follow, because your body wants you to dream of something else? So, please, make sure you have had enough rest the night before and you’re are absolutely fit and awake. Only then you can have a sharp mind and you can be certain you don’t get taken to the cleaners. And: If you really cannot avoid to yawn, please hold your hand in front of your open mouth, that’s a matter of manners.

Today. Or Tomorrow. Or Never.

Be on time!

Before you even see the persons you will be meeting with, you need to obey one fundamental rule, which is timeliness. Say, you have an appointment at 10:00 A.M., you are expected to make yourself available at 10:00 A.M. sharp. Not at 10:02, and not at 10:15. If you are on time, you show your respect to the persons you are meeting. Your message to them is, “I know you only have limited time, thanks for giving it to me. I do not want to disturb your planned schedule, this is why I made sure to be here on time.”

Normally, you would make sure to be at the agreed upon venue just a few minutes ahead of the scheduled time (but make sure not to show up too early, either.) If you are uncertain how long it will take you to get there, you should consider asking somebody who you know should be able to tell you or, alternatively and if it is a really important meeting, you may want to check out the way yourself a day in advance, if you have the chance. Please also consider to reserve some time for contingent delays such as traffic jams or problems at the passport control at the airport. Always have a little bit of a time buffer as hardly anything is more embarrassing than showing up too late for a meeting.

Timeliness is regarded as a token of reliability. And reliability, which you will learn further down, is a key success factor when doing business with German companies. If you don’t manage to be on time, you may be regarded as somebody who may come today. Or maybe tomorrow. Or never?

“Hi Mom, I’m in a meeting right now…”

No cell phones!

Some ten years ago, you woudn’t have had to worry about this. When your mother wanted to give you a ring to remind you of your Dad’s birthday, the phone on your desk in your office far away from your today’s meeting would have rung. Not so today. You have your cell phone or your Blackberry with you. It not only rings when someone calls you, it also makes sounds when an e-mail or SMS arrives and makes disturbing sounds when it reminds you of your wedding anniversary tomorrow or your next appointment with the dentist. Certain coevals find it especially funny to have all sorts of strange noises in their sound profiles: A screaming T-Rex when their boss desires to talk to them or a honking car horn which tells them that their spouse has just packed up and left their house. Not good, not funny – only very disturbing. The least you can do is put your cell phone on mute or, if you keep it close to your body, on vibration so that at least you know you need to briefly check out of the meeting in a favorable moment to check what’s so important. Else, store it away in your briefcase and take it out only after the meeting has finished. Turn it off before the meeting starts or, better, even before you enter the building in which you will be meeting. Having no disruption from your ringing phone is a sign of respect: You make sure you can concentrate fully on the meeting, on its contents, and on its participants.

There can be an exception to this rule, though. There may be a case where it is essential for the successful conclusion of the meeting that somebody calls you or sends you an e-mail during this meeting, because maybe some important information is yet to be obtained from the outside. In such case, however, make sure to inform the persons at the table that you keep your phone / Blackberry turned on and why.

Please read on in Part Two.

This article is part of the blog, Doing Business With Germans