Switzerland is one of Europe’s wealthiest nations, doing billions of dollars worth of international trade each year. They are fanatical about privacy, because of this their banking system is the most famous in the world. By researching and preparing properly, the business visitor to Switzerland will ensure success and avoid any cultural awkwardness that can block a business deal.

As the country is made up of four distinct cultures, the approach may need to be modified a bit to prevent any mishaps. The cultural breakdown is Swiss-German, French, Italian and Romansch. Only around 1% of the population is Romansch so concentrate research on the other three. They all speak their own languages and have cultural similarities while being different enough to keep it interesting.

Swiss-Germans are very similar to the Germans. They are very proper, punctual and businesslike. They can come across as cold, but they aren’t cold at all. The French and Italian Swiss share their characters with their home countries. They are more laid back and friendlier in their approach.

Any greetings offered to the Swiss should take into account these cultural differences. A German-Swiss should be referred to as “Herr” for a man and “Frau” for a woman. The French is “Monsieur” for a man and “Madame” for woman, whereas the Italian is “Signore” for a man and “Signora” for a woman.

As already mentioned, the Swiss are a very private people. It is best to avoid personal questions during small talk until a relationship has been created. Anything to do with family, money, age, religion etc is off limits. Keep the conversation banal or mundane and it will be on safer ground. Their style make appear sober or reserved and this is true so avoid making jokes and sarcastic comments if at all possible. Small talk isn’t necessary with the Swiss-Germans, but is for the others. The Germans like to get straight to business while the French and Italian like to enjoy the niceties first.

When appearing for an appointment in Switzerland it is usual to provide a business card to the secretary when you introduce yourself. Then a further business card to be presented to the contact after the formal introductions. Normally the card won’t be shared between the contact and their secretary for some reason. Quality is everything here so it may be an idea to have something like an embossed business card to make the very best first impression.

Dress is very conservative to reflect the conservatism of the culture. Jewelery and any display of wealth or personality should be kept to a minimum to get the best out of your meeting. Seeing as the Swiss make the best watches in the world, unless you own one, keep it hidden of leave it in the hotel.

If you do leave your watch at home, ensure you are still punctual. Unlike make other cultures the Swiss think it rude of someone turns up early for a meeting. Delegates are expected to turn up on time, not before and not after. Any visitor to Switzerland will soon learn not to smile when businessmen suddenly appear as the second hand reaches twelve.

First impressions are everything in business. It doesn’t matter how big or small your company is, if you want to get ahead it’s essential to create a good impression. The philosophy should permeate all areas of company marketing and identity.

A business could have the best product or service in the world, but if the company themselves looks bad, the product will look bad. The same could be said to the representatives. A creative may like sitting in the office in flip flops and an AC-DC t-shirt but he wouldn’t, or shouldn’t go to a meeting dressed like it.

Getting ahead is about perception. If you can project a capable, professional company facade it doesn’t matter to crazy things are behind closed doors. As long as the face of the company is calm and composed and the end product is just what they want it’s all good.

Any web savvy businessman will have seen some truly atrocious websites promoting good products. They may have been tempted to purchase, but probably not. This face of the company is just as important as the people that represent it. The website is the shop door of the company 24/7, and nine times out of ten will be the first impression of the company potential customers will get. If you don’t get this right, and make the best impression possible, the company is destined for failure.

Any marketing materials and branding also needs to create those good first impressions. There are hundreds if not thousands of business card examples that never should have seen the light of day. Bland templates, colorless cards with uninspiring text that says and sells nothing. Business cards are almost as important as a website. They are a marketing tool just like any other and should be viewed as such. Branding doesn’t have to cost the earth. Some companies can afford hundreds of thousands of dollars to spend on a design or advertising agency to brand and promote them. The vast majority of companies cannot. That doesn’t mean that the designs have to be basic and boring. There are plenty of budding designers and artist out there who will work for little or no money in return for favors or opportunity. A decent bit of free advertising is like gold to the fledgling designer, these arrangements can work out mutually beneficial in the long run.

Adequate though has to be put into the impression of the product itself too. Good quality packaging, speedy dispatch and delivery. If it’s a service, then the quality of that service, speed of response and resolution of issues. It is said that a customer only gets to know how good a service is when it goes wrong. While this isn’t true for all types of service, it is definitely true for some. The speedy and efficient resolution of issues is a cornerstone of any service provider. Reputations are made and broken on it.

Customer opinions and first impressions are vital to any business. Ignore them are your peril.