Europe provides certainly golden business opportunities as one of the richest and most prosperous areas in the world.

The quality of products, the highly skilled and well educated workforce has been an evidence of power and development for many decades.

Just think of quality brands like BMW, Mercedes, Rolls Royce, Shell, Airbus, Nokia, ABB, etc.

Due to its complexity and diversity however, it demands a separate approach on a country basis to be successful!

How to do business in Europe is strongly driven by:

• History
• Climate
• Demographics
• Local rules
• Education
• Political situation
• Geography
• Country size
• Wealth
• Growth
• Pride
• Etc.

Principles that might work in let’s say Germany might not appeal directly to the British or Italians! Are you looking for some examples?

• Talking very straight might be perceived as open and honest in the Netherlands or Finland but it could have the opposite effect in France and Italy

• Punctuality has a different meaning in Switzerland compared to Greece

• Not taking time for lunch could be seen as rude or even unprofessional in Spain or Portugal but could be a sign of perseverance in Sweden or Poland

• Dressing code has a different significance in Italy compared to Norway

• You will see many country flags in Denmark but not in Belgium

When crossing borders between for example The Netherlands and Belgium you will also notice tremendous differences! From rather “standardized” smaller houses to “tailor-made” big homes …. Even within one country you can see big opposites (ex. north to the south of Italy).

Without having a profound knowledge of your focused European country, you will absolutely fail in your business (ad) venture! How to create your “own mirror” is of key importance to doing business in Europe …. You can only make that mistake once!

Labels: doing business in europe