I'm a developer working on an pilot Product that targets traditional German businesses, like bakeries, cafes and restaurants. (No it's not a POS solution).
However I'm totally clueless about how to approach the businesses. I speak B1 level German, and can hold a decent conversation with the locals.
How do I approach this? I would really appreciate if anyone have pointers about talking to German businesses.
Businesses with foot traffic can become very busy during business hours. Therefore, employees won't have the time and patience for vendors trying to sell them something, even if that something potentially is tremendously helpful to them.
Finding out who the owner is usually is particularly easy with German businesses: If the business has a website just have a look at the company details (the legally required "Impressum"). If it doesn't - which unfortunately still is the case with some companies in those industries you mentioned - you can try looking up the company at the company register ("Handelsregister", https://www.handelsregister.de ). Only incorporated companies are listed there, however.
Many businesses of these kinds are branches of larger chains or franchise businesses. In that case, contacting procurement or ideally trying to reach the managing director / CEO of the mother company probably is a more conducive approach.
In terms of business culture both conversations in general and business practices in particular can appear to be more direct and formal than one might be used to from other cultures.
These resources might help with familiarising yourself with some cultural aspects of communication in a business context in Germany. I just had a cursory glimpse at them but from what I've read the information stated there seems to be correct. Keep in mind, though, that due to the influence from other cultures, particularly from the English-speaking world, conventions and practices today tend to be much more relaxed, especially with younger people:
https://businessculture.org/western-europe/business-culture-...
https://businessculture.org/western-europe/business-culture-...
For me there are 10 important steps:
Make sure Germany is the best place for your business (culture, talent pool, taxes, regulation etc.) Find the best legal form. It could be a corporation, a partnership or a single-person structure, it depends on the nature of your business. Go to the notary to officialize the articles of association or any official document Open a bank account with a German bank Enter the Chamber of Commerce’s register Open your bookkeeping Register the business at the Trade Office Register your employees and open the payroll Register with the professional association Choose an insurance for the founders Most of the steps are doable by yourself. Step 1 to 5 doesn’t need external help, especially if you choose to create a standard UG or GmbH.
At step 6 (open the bookkeeping), I would recommend to start working with an accountant. They can also help on all following steps and of course for the future accounting of your company.
Concerning the country pros and cons, that’s my own analysis:
What makes Germany good for business:
it’s not hard to start a company as mentioned above and cheap to do it, the country has a very good talent pool and attracts many international talents too (especially in Berlin), the comfort of life is great, German people are very respectful and open, the healthcare system is one of the best in the world, and the country is beautiful when you get to know it, What are the challenges:
the regulation and bureaucracy may be very heavy and slow-moving sometimes, having cheap employees like interns for example is very difficult and heavily regulated, the market is specific in some cases. For example Germans are very concerned about data protection or other topics that are not necessarily important in other markets. A special mention on the language. The German language barrier may be seen as both a pro and con. On one hand, you can attract international people that don’t speak German and they should not be afraid about living here. On the other hand, they would feel more comfortable if they learn some basis of the language on the long run.
Overall, if you plan to open your business in Germany and you think that the market is attractive for this, I would recommend you to do it. And I would recommend even more Berlin, if you’re looking for a city to settle in!
Such dir 'nen deutschen Muttersprachler als "Verkäufer".