Identifies common practices to be aware of when selling in this market, e.g., whether all sales material need to be in the local language.
Last Published: 7/9/2019

Though most business people in Austria speak English, some of their business practices and techniques differ from those in the United States. This can be traced back to Austrian risk-aversity. Austrians tend to plan and prepare projects in great detail, and are slow to adopt change, as the risk will often loom larger than the potential gain.

Recommendations for successfully working with Austrian business partners include: 1) Establishing a personal relationship to build trust and confidence, before trying to close a sale. High pressure sales offensives are counterproductive. Companies should stick to American business approaches of friendliness and transparency, which usually make a good impression.  U.S. companies should also be prepared to spend time planning and discussing client needs. 2) Remember that Austrians want to see a record of success and a well-established business.  Innovation and entrepreneurship are important, but an Austrian business partner wants to know that your solution works and that you will be there for the long haul. 3) When buying machinery and equipment, Austrians will look for quality and precision over robustness and user friendliness.  While Americans generally prefer a product to be sturdy and easy to use, Austrians tend to want a product to be well-engineered and precise. 
 

Prepared by our U.S. Embassies abroad. With its network of 108 offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. Locate the U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist in the U.S. nearest you by visiting http://export.gov/usoffices.