Market research for doing business in Poland

Find clients and sell your products in Poland

Finding clients abroad is always a challenge, and business development in Poland is not different. You need the right contacts and once you reach the decision maker, you need the right sales pitch.

A lot of companies that want to enter the market in Poland do this with their general sales pitch. However, if you don’t know the local regulations, pricing levels and your competition’s product, sales meetings may be difficult to conclude successfully.

How to sell your product or service in Poland?

The Poles are well educated with a commitment to work ethics that are not too different from their European counterparts. The main language spoken in the country is Polish while the other minority one is Silesian. Every piece of literature shared with the Poles during a business negotiation should ideally be translated into their language even if the verbal medium may be English. Due to many expats entering Poland for the purpose of business, the local business folks are used to interact with people from a variety of nationalities.

The Polish are reserved individuals but direct and frank negotiators. Establish a close and trusted relationship before proceeding to talk ‘shop’ with your Polish associates.

What are the right negotiation tactics in Poland?

Inform your Polish business partners of your arrival into the country one day before the day you arrive, prior to the meeting.
Set up meetings between 10 am and 12 pm or 2 pm to 4pm. June, July and August are summer holidays and not recommended for meetings.
Be prepared for frank communication, including a ‘no’ when necessary.
Use titles and family names when introducing, rather than first names
Firm handshakes and direct eye contact is what the Poles like
Negotiation time or the time taken to arrive at a decision depends on both parties
Refrain from shaking hands in a doorway. That’s considered bad luck!

What is a contract worth in Poland?

It is advisable to seek legal assistance when devising or entering a business contract in Poland as a signed agreement between two parties is considered serious and binding. In certain cases, even a verbal agreement can be taken as a done deal. However a written one is better to protect interests of both sides.

It would be beneficial to the foreign party to engage the services of a Polish translator who can explain all the terms and conditions included in a contract to avoid issues at a later stage.

The Polish Civil Code establishes the general rules of the contract law under which all contracts made within the country fall.

Legislation and Arbitration in Poland

The Polish court system and civil procedures cover many areas that the legal system in other countries do not. Disputes between individuals or corporations, contract or tort disputes are considered to be civil procedures in nature.

Arbitration, on the other hand, is being used commonly to resolve commercial disputes in Poland. In fact, commercial contracts between foreign companies and Polish companies often contain arbitration clauses as they prefer to use a neutral forum instead of a state court. The organizations most commonly used to resolve commercial disputes are Arbitration Court at the Polish-German Chamber of commerce and the Arbitration court at the Polish chamber of commerce.

Hence, conducting business in Poland requires a good understanding of the Polish market, Polish negotiation skills, and business environment including the planned and existing regulations of the Polish Government.

Who actually decides?

Business development abroad fails more often on the wrong contact than on the wrong product. Decide first whether you sell to end users, to a procurement department or through a partner: each asks for a different pitch and a different price level.

Expect to adapt three things per market. The language of your materials, your proof — local references count for more than global ones — and your price positioning against the local alternatives.

Do you need help in Poland?

Our service providers are local specialists. They know the market, the regulations and the parties that matter, and they can support you with the steps on this page.

Ask a professional

Finding your first clients in Poland in three steps

Step 1

Define the target group

Describe the companies or consumers you want to reach, the budget they have and the problem you solve for them. Skip this and every later step costs more time.

Step 2

Build a list and approach

Collect 50 to 100 relevant companies, find the person who decides, and reach out in the local language by email, LinkedIn or telephone.

Step 3

Follow up and localise

Track what you hear back and sharpen the pitch on it. Add local proof: translated pages, references from the region and a local number or partner.