Meeting etiquette

Business meetings in Slovenia

Slovenians take a business meeting very seriously and prepare for it carefully. They expect the partner to be prepared to present the products, services and offer and to be able to answer any additional questions.

The first meeting is dedicated to getting to know each other and even if a strict agenda is not necessary, the objectives should be clearly formulated. The months of July and August should be avoided, as most Slovenians take their summer holidays during this period and companies may be closed or working with reduced staff.

Importance of business meetings

Hierarchy is an essential part of the Slovenian business world and a person’s level of education and experience is important for their status and career progression. People are accorded respect their title and position within the business hierarchy. Slovenian managers are used to a Western style of management and business.

At the first meeting, it is common for Slovenians to exchange business cards. You should make sure that your card includes your academic titles and your position at work so that you can introduce yourself properly.

As a rule, a first meeting does not follow a fixed agenda, but serves as a general introduction so that both parties can get to know each other and determine whether there is enough potential for useful cooperation.

It usually takes a series of meetings before agreement can be reached, as most Slovenian companies are hierarchical, and the most important decisions are made by the management. Decision-making power is rarely delegated to anyone below management and family businesses are the fastest growing form of enterprise.

Negotiation process

Negotiations in Slovenia are a kind of give and take. In order to achieve a win-win situation, you should show the Slovenians your personal and entrepreneurial advantages so that the deal has a great chance of success.

In negotiations, managers of the older generation usually like to take their time before making a decision. They also dislike being pushed and reject aggressive negotiating behaviour; they also prefer to talk to someone from their own age group. Although they do not have an emotional attachment, they try to create a friendly atmosphere and try to be humorous.

Managers of the younger generation tend to be more Western-oriented, as many of them did their postgraduate studies in Western Europe or America, and their negotiation style is more American than Slovenian.

When presenting, it is important to ensure that all the research has been done to provide a valid and convincing argument that gives good reasons to attract Slovenians to participate. A key point is the benefits of the partnership for the host company. To back up their reputation, Slovenians will provide a list of references from their business partners and expect you to provide references from your own partners in return, if possible.

Negotiations with the public sector usually take longer than with the private sector. Other crucial factors for closing deals are the quality of the products or services and flexibility in price negotiations.

Once a verbal agreement has been reached, the Slovenians will expect a written contract to be drawn up with the terms and conditions detailed in full, to make the agreement official.

Business meetings tips

Slovenian hosts expect their partners to come prepared and confident, without any preconceptions and behave in a modest fashion. Any opinions should be presented, but not forced, to give the Slovenian representatives enough opportunity to express their own ideas and ways of looking at things. Equality, respect, and openness are essential at the negotiation table (Passport to Trade 2.0, 2019).

Signing contracts

Successful business agreements and negotiations with partners in foreign markets culminate in the conclusion and signature of an international trade agreement.

Contracting can be fraught with many hidden pitfalls and opportunities for mistakes.

Differences will show:

• in the legislation of individual countries,
• in contract law,
• in legal regulation.

The rules of the Vienna Convention apply automatically to the conclusion of an international sales contract. If the contracting parties do not wish to do so, they must expressly exclude the CISG provisions.

Essential elements of a sales contract

When concluding purchase contracts, pay particular attention to the following:

• the subject of the contract is precisely defined
• the exact address of the buyer for invoicing, the address for delivery of the goods
• the method and terms of payment of the goods and the determination of the instruments of security for payment
• specification of the Incoterms parity
• depending on the parity chosen, the obligations regarding export (country of the seller) and import clearance of the goods (country of the buyer) should be specified
• the type of carriage of the goods and transport insurance (amount of cover in the event of loss of or damage to the goods)
• the method of packaging of the products
• dispute settlement, applicable national law

Concluding international contracts

A well-drafted and concluded international commercial contract is an excellent legal tool for optimizing the allocation of business risks between the contracting parties!

The pre-drafting of an international contract should be carried out by legal experts who should be familiar with the legal rules of the foreign country, and by paralegals who have a good knowledge of the subject matter of the contract.

It is necessary to check whether our business partner is a taxable person and has a valid tax number. A contract may be concluded orally, in writing, by implication or by implied acts, but in practice, for all major transactions, the contract is usually concluded in writing only.

A contract between business parties is formed when the party acting as offeror receives confirmation from the other business party that it accepts its offer and when both parties agree on all the essential elements of the contract. They must also agree on the non-essential elements.

The place and time of conclusion of the contract are particularly important for determining the applicable law.

The place of conclusion of the contract is the place where the company, as the offeror, has its registered office at the time of signature (SPIRIT Slovenia, public agency, 2008–2022).

Respecting contracts

Slovenian companies in almost all cases respect the contracts, its terms and conditions. International economic cooperation is crucial for Slovenia, as exports account for more than 80 % of its GDP. So Slovenian companies cannot afford to have a bad reputation and consequently less income, as they mostly depend on foreign market.

References

BSH. (2022). Compliance & Commitments. BSH. https://www.bsh-group.com/about-bsh/compliance-commitments

Passport to Trade 2.0. (2019). Passport to Trade 2.0. https://businessculture.org/southern-europe/business-culture-in-slovenia/meeting-etiquette-in-slovenia/

SPIRIT Slovenia, public agency. (2008 – 2022). Gospodarske pogodbe. SPIRIT Slovenia Business Development Agency. https://www.izvoznookno.si/mednarodno-trgovanje/gospodarske-pogodbe/

Termoelektrarna Brestanica. (2022). Etični kodeks. Termoelektrarna Brestanica. https://www.teb.si/si/o-druzbi/eticni-kodeks/