How to Sell B2B in Germany: Outreach, Language and the Law

B2B sales in Germany start with the law: advertising by email needs prior express consent, even to businesses, while calls to companies need at least presumed consent. German buyers expect formal German, precise detail and patience. Plan for longer cycles, and treat Germany, Austria and Switzerland as three separate markets.

Germany is Europe’s largest economy and, for many Nordic B2B companies, the obvious next market after home. It is also the market where a playbook that worked in Stockholm or Helsinki most often fails, usually for reasons that have nothing to do with the product.

The first reason is legal. B2B sales in Germany operate under outreach rules that are stricter than anywhere in the Nordics except Denmark. The second is cultural. German buyers expect formality, precision and proof in a way that reads as slow to Nordic sellers and as basic professionalism to Germans.

This guide covers the seven things to plan before your first German campaign, and how Austria and Switzerland differ.

1. B2B sales in Germany start with the law

Section 7 of Germany’s Act Against Unfair Competition, the UWG, sets two rules every outbound plan has to start from:

• Email advertising needs the recipient’s prior express consent. There is no exception for business recipients. A cold email offering your services to a German company is, legally, unsolicited advertising.

• Advertising calls to businesses need at least presumed consent. There has to be a concrete, objective reason to assume the company would welcome the call. Fitting your target profile is not enough on its own; the reason should relate to that company specifically, and you should record it before calling.

Enforcement often arrives as a formal warning letter, an Abmahnung, from a competitor or trade association rather than from a regulator. It demands that the practice stops, usually asks for a signed undertaking backed by a contractual penalty, and passes on the legal costs. Our guide to whether cold email is legal in Europe sets the German rules beside the other markets. This section is a summary as of October 2026, not legal advice; confirm the position with a German lawyer before you start outreach.

2. Decide between German and English

English proficiency in Germany is very high by international standards: the EF English Proficiency Index 2025 ranks Germany fourth among the countries it measures, with a score of 615. That makes English acceptable in Berlin’s technology scene, in international software companies and in the global functions of large corporates.

It is the wrong default for the Mittelstand, the family owned and medium sized companies that make up much of German industry. There, buyers work in German, read in German and decide in German. Outreach, website pages and proposals in German signal that you intend to serve the market rather than test it.

Three rules for German copy:

• Use the formal Sie in first contact, and surnames with titles where people use them, such as Dr. First names come when the buyer offers them.

• Write it natively. A German native speaker, not a translation tool, and ideally one who knows your industry’s vocabulary.

• Keep the substance. German translations of Nordic copy often lose their directness and gain padding. Good German B2B copy is precise, not decorative.

3. Know what German buyers expect

• Precision. Specific numbers, specifications and scope. Vague benefits read as a lack of substance.

• Proof from comparable companies. A German reference, or at least a DACH one, carries far more weight than an international logo.

• Data protection as standard. Expect questions about where data is hosted and who processes it. If you will handle personal data on the client’s behalf, Article 28 of the GDPR requires a data processing agreement, which German buyers call an AVV, and larger buyers often send their own template. Hosting in the EU is often a requirement, not a preference.

• Complete company details. German companies must show their legal details in business correspondence, and commercial websites carry a legal notice, the Impressum. A foreign sender without full company details looks less established.

• Process. Decisions involve several people and formal steps. A buyer who seems slow is often a buyer following a process that will hold once it concludes.

4. Build a channel mix that works without cold email

Because email cannot open a German relationship without consent, the German outbound mix looks different from the Nordic one:

• Phone, with a documented reason. Calls to businesses are the main direct channel, provided you can state why this specific company would welcome the call.

• Trade fairs. Germany’s trade fair calendar is among the busiest in the world, and industry fairs remain a place where buyers expect to meet new suppliers. The trade fair industry association AUMA publishes the calendar. Book meetings before the fair, not during it.

• LinkedIn presence and content. Useful for visibility and for conversations people choose to start. Treat private sales messages with the same caution as email.

• Partners and associations. Industry associations, integration partners and local consultancies open doors that cold approaches cannot.

• Letters. Addressed business post remains a legitimate first touch unless the recipient has objected, and a well written letter stands out because few companies still send them.

• Email after agreement. Once a prospect has agreed to hear from you, on the phone or at a fair, email becomes the working channel.

To build a call list with a documented reason for each company, combine sources: the Handelsregister for company and management data, StepStone for hiring that points to the problem you solve, and the exhibitor lists of the fairs in your sector, which show who is investing in visibility this year. Record the reason next to each company before anyone picks up the phone.

5. Plan for longer sales cycles

Expect German B2B sales cycles to run longer than Nordic ones for the same product, largely because of process and the number of people involved. Budget for it rather than trying to compress it; pushing for speed tends to read as a warning sign.

Build the plan around the buying committee: the specialist who evaluates, the manager who owns the budget and, in larger companies, purchasing. Where a tool processes employee data or could be used to monitor performance, expect the works council to be involved as well, and prepare the documentation it will ask for.

6. Work with the German calendar

Holidays are staggered. School summer holidays rotate across the sixteen federal states between late June and mid September, as the Standing Conference of education ministers publishes, so there is no single German July to avoid; availability depends on each prospect’s state. Public holidays also vary by state. The stretch between mid December and early January is quiet everywhere.

7. Treat DACH as three markets

Germany, Austria and German speaking Switzerland share a language and differ on nearly everything else that matters in sales.

• Austria is stricter than Germany on outreach. According to the Austrian Economic Chamber, WKO, advertising calls, faxes and emails all need the recipient’s prior consent under section 174 of the Telecommunications Act 2021, with fines of up to 50,000 euros for email and up to 100,000 euros for calls and faxes. Plan Austria around events, partners and consent.

• Switzerland is outside the EU. It has its own Unfair Competition Act covering unsolicited mass advertising, uses the Swiss franc and has four national languages. Take Swiss advice and price in francs.

• References transfer imperfectly. A Swiss buyer wants Swiss or at least DACH proof, not only German, and an Austrian buyer notices when a German case study is presented as local.

A first 90 days in Germany

The honest summary. Germany rewards patience and punishes shortcuts. The Nordic habit of moving fast with light process reads as unreliable to a German buying committee, and the outbound shortcut of bulk cold email is not lawful there. Companies that respect both, and invest in German language and German proof, find a market that is loyal once won.

Planning a German launch? See what our clients say, or book a call.

Frequently asked questions

Is cold email legal for B2B in Germany?

No. Section 7 of Germany’s UWG requires prior express consent for advertising by email, and it makes no exception for business recipients. Calls to businesses are allowed with presumed consent, meaning a concrete reason to believe that specific company would welcome the call. Email becomes usable once a prospect has agreed to hear from you.

Do I need to sell in German to German companies?

For the Mittelstand and industrial buyers, yes. Germany ranks fourth in EF’s 2025 English Proficiency Index, so English works in technology, international software and global corporate functions, but family owned and medium sized companies work and decide in German. Use native German copy and the formal Sie.

How long is the B2B sales cycle in Germany?

Usually longer than in the Nordics for the same product, because German buying involves more people and more formal steps. Plan for it rather than trying to compress it. A buyer following a thorough process is often a buyer who stays once the decision is made.

What is presumed consent for B2B calls in Germany?

Presumed consent means there is an objective, concrete reason to assume the business would welcome your call. Simply matching your target profile is generally not enough. The reason should relate to the specific company, and it is good practice to record it before you call.

Is DACH one market?

No. Germany, Austria and German speaking Switzerland share a language but differ in law, buying habits, references and, in Switzerland, currency. Austria requires prior consent for advertising calls and emails, and Switzerland has its own Unfair Competition Act, so check each separately before extending a German campaign.

Do trade fairs still matter for B2B sales in Germany?

Yes, more than in most markets. Industry fairs remain a place where German buyers expect to meet new suppliers, and they give a lawful, natural reason for a first conversation. Book meetings in the weeks before a fair rather than hoping for passing visitors, and follow up within days.