Doing Business in the Greater Seattle Area

Before you hop on a plane and visit the Seattle Area for your next business trip you should be aware of the other cities that surround the Emerald city. Here is a list of the major cities of commerce in the Puget Sound Region and the primary distinguishing characteristics of each:

Everett—About 40 minutes North from Downtown Seattle. Within Everett’s sprawling city you will find a number of large businesses sprinkled about and, most notable, on the southern outskirts sits a Boeing Manufacturing plant. Everett is one of Washington’s more established city, but it probably does the least business of amount of business out f the four major metropolitan areas in the state.

Bellevue—About 20 minutes West of Downtown Seattle. The area surrounding Bellevue is also known as the Eastside and a large amount of the technology sector of our industry has made its home here (i.e. Microsoft). Because of the large number of successful technology firms and the businesses that support them, some parts of this area are extremely affluent. You will find that the city of Bellevue is comparatively new and the majority of businesses are concentrated in one downtown area.

Tacoma—About 45 minutes South of Downtown Seattle. Tacoma was once a booming log town, but visit it now and you will find most of the commercial and retail spaces left vacant. Like Everett, Tacoma is large in size but the economic output compared to Seattle and Bellevue is small.

Introduction to Doing Business in Seattle

Doing business in various parts of the country can be as different as doing business internationally. That is why I thought I would share my insights, as a native resident of the Emerald City, of doing business in Seattle. Doing business in Seattle is similar to conducting professional affairs in other large cities along the West Coast, namely Portland. Here is a list for you to consider when traveling to Seattle for your next business trip:

Dress Down, Not Up
Seattle is one of the most relaxed metropolitan cities in the whole of the USA. Even if you have an appointment with one higher up, you can probably take what you are planning to wear down a notch on the fancy side. Most people here feel more comfortable building relationships with others that are easygoing. Garbing yourself in a stuffy suit will immediately put them off.

This fact is especially important if you are traveling to Seattle as a salesperson. We Seattleites want to work with those that we can relate, are honest, and can tell it to us straight. Showing up for a sales call wearing a designer suit and shoes could work against, not for you.

Laissez-Faire
Pretty much the only thing French you will find here is the attitude of Laissez-Faire. Keep in mind that I mean this for only social situations, not fiscal. Seattle is among the most liberal cities in the entire country and many believe that you should leave others to live their life however they want. Whether or not you agree with this philosophy, keep in mind that it is prevalent in the business culture of Seattle.

It Takes Us Time to “Warm Up”
I’ve have heard several firsthand accounts from new transplants to the city of Seattle that people are initially not friendly. We can blame it on the clouds and rain that stick around for most of the year, but don’t let that stop you from trying to make connections. If you are in Seattle to network and want to reach out to someone in particular, never forget the power of a smile, a handshake , exchanging promotional magnets, accompanied but a hot cup of coffee on a wet day…