Special aspects of negotiating with German medium-sized businesses for investors from Italy

  

What special issues await Italian companies when they take over or acquire a stake in an owner-managed company in Germany?

German entrepreneurs place the importance on reliability, quality and sustainable development. When entering into partnership, medium-sized companies aim for collaboration that is as longest and honest as possible. Technical services and manual skills are highly appreciated. Communication is open and direct.

 

German business partners communicate very directly, as a rule. They expect a deal to be prepared well and accurately in every detail and from all aspects. Based on this, negotiations are expected to be performed swiftly, fairly and straight to the point. Unforeseen last-minute changes are not welcome. Italian companies should be ready for this because in Italy, negotiations usually last longer than in Germany. Likewise, the often quickly changing speed of negotiations, which is a normal feature in Italy, should be avoided. 

Moreover, it is important that communication is not impeded by any language barriers. At best, this should be clarified in advance, in particular if it is impossible to switch to English as the official language for negotiations.