Nicole Due Frenzel runs the small communications company Beltkomm. The focus here is to help Danish companies enter the German market. Nicole has the best prerequisites for this – she grew up in the German minority in Southern Jutland and has a Danish-German background.
T-shirt and “you” for the director prohibited
She says that it is important to make it clear from the start that there are some rather significant differences between Danes and Germans, even though we look similar at first glance:
– We have some assumptions that we look alike. But there is a difference. And you should not come to your first business meeting in Germany wearing jeans and a t-shirt and say “you” to the director. Formality means something to the Germans, and so it is on the last name and “Herr Doktor”, says Nicole Due Frenzel.
Large internal cultural differences
It is also important to clarify that Germany is not just Germany. There is a big difference in culture depending on which state you want to do business in. From Cologne and southward, the Germans are Catholic, and that is worth paying attention to in relation to more traditional values. And in eastern Germany (the former GDR), it is important to be aware that a whole generation has been brought up in a completely different system and political climate to that of Western Europe. And then there’s the language:
Getting further in German
– The younger Germans are getting better at English all the time. But they are not that good at it yet. So you get further there if you can handle yourself in German. You don’t have to worry about grammar. The Germans are very tolerant and know very well that it is difficult. But you should always start in German if you can. And then it’s a disaster that German is such a low priority in Denmark, says Nicole Due Frenzel.
Workshops and cultural training
Beltkomm organizes cultural training workshops where Danish companies can learn how to act in Germany. Here again, formality is paramount:
– It’s about respect and courtesy. If you want to appear professional in Germany, you cannot compromise on formalities. There is typically a dress code in German companies. Men in suits and ties and women in overalls or other “uniform” – except if it’s “casual Friday”, concludes Nicole Due Frenzel from Beltkomm.
Beltkomm collaborates with Erhvervshus Sjælland and has also published a podcast about Danish-German bridge building.
