Do you have any prospects, clients or business partners in Northwestern Europe?

When you reach out, how are you received?

In today's Vox Daily, Voices.com's Agnes Kes shares (from a European perspective) how your calls or emails might be perceived by companies in northwestern Europe with tips on how to best communicate going forward.

Europe Calling

By Agnes Kes
With special thanks to Lisa Kellner

I am lucky enough to be in a position at Voices that allows me to reach out to a lot of clients in northwestern Europe, where I'm from and where I've lived in a few different places. It is great to talk to these people and introduce them to our services. But, to my surprise, it's not so great to follow up with them. Turns out, Europeans aren't used to follow ups. Here are five things that are different when communicating with northwestern European Clients - including Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

1 - English May Not Be Their Native Language

While this is different for me, English native speakers have to keep in mind that most people in continental Europe do not have English as their native language. And however much they will seem to reinforce the stereotype that Europeans speak great English, speaking your second language is always harder than speaking your mother tongue. Especially when it comes to choosing the right words for such things as artistic directions, where you're not expressing concrete things, but thoughts, feelings, and expectations.

2 - How Your Greetings Come Across

When it comes to opening a conversation, this might be a bit of a surprise, but "how are you" is not a common thing to ask in most languages. Actually, it's a very English thing, and by now could be perceived as an English greeting instead of a question. When you ask a Northwestern European "how are you", however, it will be perceived as a question, and mostly as a strange question to ask someone you hardly know. So, the answer might be clunky (or honest!) and the conversation could be off to a bad start. Asking a client how they are when you've already built rapport is fine, but don't do it on the first, or even second call.

3 - Too Many Follow Ups!

Periodic follow-ups are not very common in Europe, as I've learned the hard way. Clients may be surprised they've got you on the phone again - for no reason as they'll see it. They'll assume that the ball is in their court after the initial introduction from your part. It's good practice in general to ask clients if following up is fine, but with European clients especially you want to be explicit. Don't be surprised if most will tell you that it's not necessary.

4 - Ask About Emailing First

This one is Germany-specific, but since it's the beating heart of the European economy, it's important to know. Germany isn't as digital as you'd expect it is. You'll find that every German website has a so-called impressum or imprint, and every website operating on the online German market technically has to have one. It also means that sending information by regular mail is still quite common, and you'll have to confirm if email is alright. Lastly, it's considered courtesy to verify the email address on the website - you'll get an easy danke for that.

5 - Get Straight to the Point

Last but not least, the most important thing to keep in mind when communicating with northwestern Europeans, and perhaps Europeans in general, is that they like to tell it how it is, and hear it how it is. No need for embellished, covert language; straightforward will do. This might be perceived as impolite through North American eyes, but through northwestern European eyes, it's clear communication.

What Have You Experienced?

Do you find it easy to communicate with your European clients?

Perhaps you are from Europe and this article has created an opportunity to join the conversation about communication.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

Agnes Kes
Business Development Representative
Voices.com