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iMy experience working with German companies for the past 10 years as an American
I run a metal processing company in the US and almost every machine I buy to process steel comes from companies in Baden-Wurttemberg. I visit Germany every year to attend trade shows and I have had a fair amount of exposure to German businesspeople over the past 10 years.
A few things I was surprised by:
1. Attitude shown by employees
Employees are very deferential to their bosses. I walked the production floor of my largest machine vendor (family owned 5-6 billion euros revenue per year) with its owner and employees would remove their hats as they walked by. The only other place I’ve seen this happen was in Japan (they take it to another level) and I was surprised to find this in Western Europe. I’ve been to shops in Spain and Switzerland but haven’t seen this type of employee-employer relationship.
2. Prestige of Doctorate Degrees/Professors
Doctorate degrees and professorships seem to carry far more prestige in Germany than they do in the US. Perhaps there aren’t as many professors and Ph.Ds n Germany? Once I referred to a German partner as Mr. XXX and his subordinate didn’t go so far as to correct me but quickly followed up by saying “Yes, \*\*\*DR. XXX\*\*\* likes to…” German companies really like to have academic scholars on their board too.
3. Germans are very direct even with their customers
I had heard of this even before I began my career but it really hit me once I started talking with German counterparts. I frequently negotiate machine price/financing deals with German companies, and they really don’t like using euphemisms. Where an American would say “perhaps we could work out an arrangement in which we can see more commitment from your company into this deal to mitigate risk on our end,” a German would say “we need a higher down payment from you.” Americans working for German companies’ branch offices in the US have told me that they often have culture clashes regarding how they talk to/treat their customers.
4. Penny Pinchers
Germans are very generous when entertaining their customers but they like to save operating expenses when it comes to their own comfort, which I find admirable. I’ve had someone working for a German company’s branch office in the US complain about how his German CFO makes him park in economy lots 15 minutes away by shuttle when going on business trips.
My experience with Germans has been overwhelmingly positive. They are very competent and always well-prepared when they come into meetings. German machines are almost double the price of their competitors’ but I keep buying them because they are of the highest quality and last the longest. I just wish I can visit Germany for personal leisure trips!
With that said, any travel tips for areas surrounding Stuttgart?
#local
source
I run a metal processing company in the US and almost every machine I buy to process steel comes from companies in Baden-Wurttemberg. I visit Germany every year to attend trade shows and I have had a fair amount of exposure to German businesspeople over the past 10 years.
A few things I was surprised by:
1. Attitude shown by employees
Employees are very deferential to their bosses. I walked the production floor of my largest machine vendor (family owned 5-6 billion euros revenue per year) with its owner and employees would remove their hats as they walked by. The only other place I’ve seen this happen was in Japan (they take it to another level) and I was surprised to find this in Western Europe. I’ve been to shops in Spain and Switzerland but haven’t seen this type of employee-employer relationship.
2. Prestige of Doctorate Degrees/Professors
Doctorate degrees and professorships seem to carry far more prestige in Germany than they do in the US. Perhaps there aren’t as many professors and Ph.Ds n Germany? Once I referred to a German partner as Mr. XXX and his subordinate didn’t go so far as to correct me but quickly followed up by saying “Yes, \*\*\*DR. XXX\*\*\* likes to…” German companies really like to have academic scholars on their board too.
3. Germans are very direct even with their customers
I had heard of this even before I began my career but it really hit me once I started talking with German counterparts. I frequently negotiate machine price/financing deals with German companies, and they really don’t like using euphemisms. Where an American would say “perhaps we could work out an arrangement in which we can see more commitment from your company into this deal to mitigate risk on our end,” a German would say “we need a higher down payment from you.” Americans working for German companies’ branch offices in the US have told me that they often have culture clashes regarding how they talk to/treat their customers.
4. Penny Pinchers
Germans are very generous when entertaining their customers but they like to save operating expenses when it comes to their own comfort, which I find admirable. I’ve had someone working for a German company’s branch office in the US complain about how his German CFO makes him park in economy lots 15 minutes away by shuttle when going on business trips.
My experience with Germans has been overwhelmingly positive. They are very competent and always well-prepared when they come into meetings. German machines are almost double the price of their competitors’ but I keep buying them because they are of the highest quality and last the longest. I just wish I can visit Germany for personal leisure trips!
With that said, any travel tips for areas surrounding Stuttgart?
#local
source
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