Moving to Austria with IntlMOVE and Doing Business

Moving to Austria with IntlMOVE will enrich your life culturally.

If you are moving to Austria for a new job, IntlMOVE can ship your household goods and personal effects to your new home.

When you first arrive in Austria, you may experience some communication challenges.

This is to be expected, but learn from your mistakes and view challenges as opportunities to learn something new.

You may not only have language challenges, but non-verbal communicate is also something you need to learn about. 

Meeting new people can be very easy.

You might have to make some simple changes in your meetings and introductions.

However, business negotiations and conducting yourself in a meeting can take a little bit longer to get used to.

Business presentations can also prove to be difficult for people not familiar with the Austrian culture.

IntlMOVE has put together some tips on conducting business in Austria to help you adjust in your new home overseas. 

Greetings

When meeting people for the first time, you will want to greet them with a firm handshake.

Eye contact should also be maintained when shaking hands.

Kissing new acquaintances on the cheek when you meet them for the first time is not customary.

Don’t hug people you don’t know well.

A lot of body contact, except for handshakes, is only reserved for close friends or family. 

Titles and surnames are regularly used as business is conducted very formally in Austria.

If a title is not used, you should address someone with their surname.

The title “Herr” can be used for a man in front of his surname.

The title “Frau” should be used for a woman in front of her surname if she does not have an honorific title.

Follow the lead of your Austrian business associate to determine when to start communicating on a first name basis. 

Body Language

Austrians are very direct.

Some cultures see this directness as being rude, but it is just the way Austrians communicate.

When communicating, personal space is very much respected, as it is in the United States.

The first few meetings with your Austrian business associates will be conducted with very little body language.

However, as you get to know Austrians better, they warm up and are livelier with their non-verbal communication.  

Presentations and Negotiations

You may exchange some idle chatter before moving onto the meeting, but don’t expect the informal discussions to last long.

When you are in a business meeting in Austria, you should focus on the business issues at hand.

As you may have guessed, Austrians expect fact-based data in presentations.

Graphs, charts and empirical data will help promote your idea or business suggestion.

After you have presented your data, give your business associates time to analyze the information you have given them.

They appreciate their time and space to dissect the fact-based data you present. 

You will soon get used to the negotiating and business style of Austrians if you give yourself time to get used to the changes.

One thing to keep in mind is that Austrians are not being rude with matter-of-fact attitude.

This is just their way of doing business.

When you become friends with the people in Austria, you will find that it is a very warm and inviting culture. 

When moving to Austria for a new job, you will have many choices in international movers.

Choose IntlMOVE as your international moving company that can ship your household goods to Austria.

If you want your international move to start out well, contact IntlMOVE for your shipping needs to Austria.