westerhaug advisory

Norwegian perspective. German market.

A no-obligation first contact.

Real insights.
No fluff.

Considering Germany?
Practical advice for Norwegian companies — from first assessment to profitable operations.

Share your question Get to know the perspective

An operational perspective

A new market has to
work in practice.

This perspective is built on operational responsibility for production, delivery and customer service in Germany. That is why we look at growth in practical terms: What do you keep per order or contract? What has to work locally? And what can the organisation handle when demand increases?

Experience from the operational side in Germany.
Understanding of Norwegian decision-makers.

See how we think

Who

Norwegian companies entering or growing in the German market — across industries.

What

Practical advice on market entry, sales channels and operations in Germany.

Why

A clear basis for deciding what to do first.

Where we can help

Three questions.
A clearer path.

  1. 01 / MARKET ENTRY

    Is Germany
    right for us?

    Assess the opportunity, challenge the assumptions and clarify what must be in place before you move on.

    Includes

    • Assess the opportunity
    • Challenge the assumptions
    • Clarify the prerequisites

    What you get

    A decision overview with opportunities, critical assumptions and questions to settle before the next investment.

  2. 02 / SALES CHANNELS

    Where should
    we start?

    Choose your route to market — your own online shop, marketplaces such as Amazon, partners or direct sales — based on your offer, margin, resources and customer needs.

    Includes

    • Your own online shop
    • Marketplaces such as Amazon
    • Partners and direct sales

    What you get

    A reasoned priority of sales channels and routes to market, and concrete actions for the first steps in the German market.

  3. 03 / OPERATIONS

    What is holding
    us back?

    Find the friction between what you promise customers and what you deliver — from order or contract to delivery, service and returns.

    Includes

    • Order or contract
    • Delivery
    • Service and returns

    What you get

    A prioritised overview of bottlenecks, responsibilities and improvements that can be carried out in day-to-day operations.

Theses

What we see differently

Not a market report. A decision.

  1. Revenue is not the result.

    We never look at revenue alone. We ask what is left per order after fees, advertising, shipping and returns.

  2. No is also a result.

    If Germany isn't the right fit right now, we say so and explain why.

  3. Assumptions are not facts.

    We show clearly what is documented, what is assumed and what you don't know yet.

Germany Opportunity Review

Start with
one question.

First we clarify what you need. If a closer assessment is useful, the next step can be a focused Germany Opportunity Review: Is there a basis for testing or expanding your offer in the German market?

Share your question

  1. Clarify.

    A first contact clarifies the question and whether we can help. Any paid engagement gets an agreed scope, delivery time and fixed price before it starts.

  2. Assess.

    We assess the agreed question against market, economics and execution. Documented facts are clearly separated from assumptions and knowledge gaps.

  3. Prioritise.

    You receive a short decision note and a joint walkthrough. We discuss the recommendation, the uncertainty and what you should do first.

What you are left with

A basis for choosing.

A reasoned recommendation. The key assumptions and risks. Prioritised next steps with suggestions for what to test, measure or clarify.

One focused question. Agreed fixed price. No ongoing agreement. Further work only if you need it.

Approach

How we work

How we proceed, from the first question to the recommendation.

  1. 01

    One question.

    One focused question, an agreed fixed price and no ongoing agreement. Further work only if you need it.

  2. 02

    Facts and assumptions.

    Every statement in the result is labelled.

  3. 03

    Margins and operations.

    The assessment is weighed against margins, capacity and day-to-day operations.

  4. 04

    Clear limits.

    No legal or tax advice. Such questions must be assessed by qualified professionals.

Work sample

A look inside
the assessment.

How a broad question can become concrete clarifications. The example comes from a product business; for services, software or B2B sales, the questions and criteria would look different.

DECISION NOTE / 01 ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLEPRODUCT BUSINESS

Should we start with
Amazon in Germany?

Question

More orders do not necessarily mean a better market. A low-priced product can sell well and still leave too little after advertising, delivery and returns.

What we compared

Margin per order schematic
Single product
Bundle

CostsKept

Recommendation

What to test first

A sales channel has to work both commercially and operationally.
Open the assessment

The dilemma

In this hypothetical example, a single product looks attractive before channel and delivery costs. A product bundle can spread the cost per order across more items, but a higher price may reduce demand.

What do we compare?

Net sales revenue minus cost of goods, channel fees, advertising, delivery and expected return and service costs — for the single product and the bundle. Fixed costs and required capacity are assessed afterwards.

What would we test?

A small range with a clear hypothesis for each option. Before the test, we agree a maximum acquisition cost, a required contribution per order and a loss budget. Weak sales alone are not enough to rule out Germany; the cause may be the offer, the price or the channel.

The example shows the way of working, not a completed client case. A real recommendation requires your actual data.

Before we talk

Good to know.

What happens when we get in touch?

We briefly clarify your situation and whether our expertise fits your needs. Getting in touch does not commission anything. Paid work only starts once scope and price are agreed.

Who is this for?

Norwegian companies that want to enter or grow in the German market, whatever the industry: products, services, B2B, manufacturers, software and more. Especially when sales channels, partners and operations need to be looked at together.

What does a first review cost?

You receive a fixed-price proposal based on the question, the available data and the deliverable. Scope, price and delivery time are approved before paid work begins.

Does this include legal or tax advice?

No. Such questions must be assessed by qualified professionals. A review can show which clarifications you need.

Let us start where you are

What is your
next question?

A couple of sentences are enough: What do you offer, and what would you like to clarify about Germany? You do not need a finished plan.

The first step is to clarify whether we can help. No order, no ongoing agreement.

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