Top Culture and Business Etiquettes in Greece

Thessaloniki Downtown District (Photo by Vladimir Rud on Getty Images)

καλώς ήρθατε! (Welcome!)

Greece is a country with a long history of culture and tradition. It is also an important business hub in Europe, making it essential for any foreign businessperson to understand the local customs and etiquette when conducting business there.

In this blog post, we will explore the background of Greek business culture, as well as essential topics such as communication styles, body language, dress codes, business meetings, negotiations, and dining etiquette. I’ll also provide tips and tricks for doing business with Greek companies. So let’s get into it!

Cultural Background

Greece has been home to many civilizations throughout its long history. This has resulted in a rich culture that is deeply embedded in the everyday lives of Greeks. Hospitality is an important part of Greek culture and visiting businesspeople may well be taken to lunch or dinner. Greeks enjoy socializing with friends and business associates; dinners are a form of entertainment that usually take several hours and are often followed by drinks.

Communication Styles

• Greeks prefer face-to-face meetings rather than doing business by telephone or in writing, which is seen as too impersonal.
• Keep in mind that first impressions can influence your relationship with your Greek counterpart. So, make a good first impression!
• The Greeks are known for being very talkative and passionate about cultural and historical topics. Whenever these topics come up, it can get pretty emotional and intense.
• Greeks often interrupt when speaking, and it may seem a little rude, but it’s actually just a typical part of their way of communicating.
• It takes time to develop relationships with people before they open up about their businesses so patience is key when doing business in Greece.

Body Language & Non-Verbal Communication

• Greek culture is all about closeness, so don’t be surprised if they sit or stand a bit closer than what you are used to. Do your best not to move away because this will be seen as rude.
• Direct eye contact is very important when communicating with Greeks — it shows respect and sincerity.
• Greeks tend to prefer personal contact as they are very tactile. When meeting someone, give a firm handshake while holding eye contact. Good friends even embrace and share kisses on both cheeks. It’s pretty common to see people touch each other on the back, arm, or leg when they want to make a point during a conversation.
• To say “no”, Greeks tilt their head back once, and nod their head slightly forward to say “yes”. Just to be safe, it’s always good to say “yes” or “no” with your words to avoid any mix-ups!
• Do not use the ‘okay’ hand gesture, which involves putting one’s thumb and forefinger together to form a circle because this is seen as an obscenity. So avoid this at all costs!
• Pointing your open palm with your fingers wide apart at someone’s face is extremely rude. It’s called the ‘moútza’, and if you do it with both hands at the same time, it’s considered twice as insulting. Another gesture to really avoid!
• Greeks sometimes purse their lips and exhale after giving or getting a compliment. This isn’t a sign of boredom or disgust. It’s an old superstitious tradition to keep the ‘evil eye’–whoever might be jealous of the compliment–at bay.

Dress Codes

When you’re in Greece, people, especially Greek professionals, form a first impression of the way you dress, so it’s crucial to dress appropriately.

• When attending formal meetings or events, men should wear dark-colored suits while women should opt for conservative yet stylish clothing such as dresses or skirts paired with blazers or jackets in dark or subtle colors.
• Shoes should always be clean and polished; sandals are generally considered inappropriate for formal occasions unless otherwise specified by your host.
• Summer months in Greece can be pretty hot, especially in cities. For men, wearing a shirt with trousers (no tie needed) is the norm, and women should dress lightly and avoid tight clothing. You really don’t want to be uncomfortably hot and potentially pass out during a business meeting!

Business Meetings

• Being a little late is actually quite normal in Greece, usually up to 10 minutes is acceptable. However, if someone is very tardy to an important business meeting, it’s okay for you to expect a good reason.
• When you’re introduced formally, exchange business cards, and before putting them away, take a moment to go through the information on the card you’re given.
• Before discussing business, let social conversations run their course. And do keep in mind, this can take longer than planned.
• In Greek business meetings, they tend to loosely follow the meeting agenda, with the frequent revisiting of previously settled points or jumping ahead to new topics. Exercise your patience!
• Be ready for lively and engaging business meetings, with multiple conversations happening simultaneously. Be patient and feel free to interject to make your voice heard; they won’t mind at all! It’s totally normal for discussions to get heated (sometimes very heated!) during meetings, and it’s viewed as a great way to keep ideas flowing.
• Sometimes people try to use emotional outbursts to gain an advantage in arguments by suggesting that the person who cares more should win. Although it’s important to understand and value their enthusiasm, it’s crucial not to assume that they’ll make decisions solely based on emotions.
• Greeks appreciate responses and perspectives that are grounded in logic and respond well to appeals based on reason.

Negotiations

• The first meeting is mainly for introductions and negotiations usually will be undertaken in subsequent meetings.
• The most senior person will often steer the discussion and negotiations.
• Make sure you know the company’s hierarchy and who will be making the decisions.
• It’s a good idea to showcase your product or service with supporting documentation, as Greeks like to test your expertise.
• When it comes to Greeks, they might take some time to evaluate situations and adjust their expectations accordingly. But as the meeting goes on, you might see them becoming more open to compromise, leading to smoother and more effective negotiations.
• When it comes to negotiating, a friendly and patient approach works best, but don’t forget to stand your ground when necessary.
• Meetings often progress at a slow pace and can run overtime by several hours. It’s important to be patient as rushing them can end negotiations. Just my two cents!
• Verbal agreements are often seen as more binding and are often kept due to mutual trust. That’s why, anything agreed upon in writing should be immediately followed up with verbal communication such as a friendly phone call.

Dining Etiquette

• Before a business meeting, it’s typical for your Greek counterpart to casually offer coffee, whether it’s in the office or at a nearby coffee shop. Always accept this invitation!
• After a meeting, your host may invite you out to lunch or dinner at a restaurant. It’s always best to accept their hospitality, as declining might be misconstrued as impolite.
• Lunch is started by ordering appetizers on small plates, called mezedes. At either lunch or dinner, a main dish will be served followed by a delicious dessert. Tip: Take the time to learn a little about the food you will encounter in Greece, such as Greek breakfast dishes, Greek seafood dishes, Greek meat dishes, Greek vegetarian dishes, and their amazing Greek desserts and sweets. You might like to read up on Greek alcoholic drinks and French non-alcoholic drinks too!
• Table manners are quite formal — wait until everyone has been served before starting to eat and don’t start eating until your host does first! Do not leave the table until everyone has finished their meal.
• Conversation topics should remain lighthearted — politics and religion are best avoided! A business meal in Greece is used to cement personal relationships so the last thing you want to do is offend the other attendees in any way!

Tips & Tricks

• Don’t forget that hospitality plays an important role in Greek culture — accepting invitations out for meals/drinks helps build relationships which can go a long way towards successful negotiations!
• When attending a meal with a business counterpart, ask them for their recommendations on what to order.
• When negotiating deals it’s important to remain patient — decisions take time due to bureaucracy so don’t expect immediate results!
• Try not to rush things — taking your time helps build trust between parties which makes negotiations smoother!
• Lastly, try not to focus too much on money— focusing on building relationships first tends to yield better results than pushing hard for financial gain right away!

Conclusion

I hope this article has provided useful insights into understanding more about the intricacies of Greek business culture — if done correctly conducting successful business transactions in Greece can prove extremely rewarding both financially and culturally speaking!!

Of course, this is not an exhaustive list of Greek cultural and business etiquette tips. So if you have any great points to add, just include them in your comments!

καλή τύχη!

Kalí týchi! (Good luck!)