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France sales guide

How to sell in France.

French buyers value relationship-building with formal business etiquette. Trust is built through personal connections and proper introductions. French companies protect domestic suppliers-foreign vendors need clear advantages. Decision-making is hierarchical and relationship-driven.

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  • 01

    Language: French

  • 02

    3 email rules to know

  • 03

    10-point checklist

  • 04

    Free to read, no signup

Local tips

Selling in France what works locally

Tips for outreach to buyers in France, then the rules your emails must follow.

  1. 01

    Study French competitors

    Research successful French competitors to understand formal business etiquette and relationship-focused selling.

  2. 02

    French language is essential

    French buyers strongly prefer French-language communication. Professional translation is non-negotiable.

  3. 03

    Network first, sell later

    French business culture prioritizes relationship building. Don't rush to pitch.

  4. 04

    Paris vs regions

    Paris business culture differs significantly from regional cities. Adapt your approach.

  5. 05

    Quality emphasis

    French buyers value quality, craftsmanship, and heritage. Emphasize these attributes.

  6. 06

    Protection awareness

    French protectionism is real. Demonstrate your commitment to the French market.

  7. 07

    Test French networks

    Test from French networks and ensure French-language support.

  8. 08

    GDPR & CNIL

    France's CNIL strictly enforces GDPR. Ensure robust consent mechanisms and data protection.

  9. 09

    French Consumer Code

    Code de la consommation governs consumer protection with specific rules for commercial practices.

  10. 10

    RGPD compliance

    French GDPR implementation includes additional requirements for data processing and transfers.

Before you send to France

run through this list

Tick each one off before a campaign goes out.

  • Use formal French business etiquette in communications
  • Build relationships before pitching-network first, sell later
  • Provide French-language materials whenever possible
  • Understand French protectionism-emphasize your local presence
  • Comply with CNIL requirements (French GDPR authority)
  • Research French business hierarchy and gatekeepers
  • Include European social proof and case studies
  • Use Viadeo alongside LinkedIn (still relevant in France)
  • Follow up professionally but respect French work-life balance
  • Emphasize quality and craftsmanship in your messaging
Go deeper

Pick a topic. Then add what you know about France.

Each topic has a guide for every industry, with four steps, mistakes, metrics and a 30-day start.

How the guidesare put together

Three ways in, one outline inside. Here is how to find the right guide and what you will find when you open it.

  1. Browse

    Three ways to find your guide

    Go by topic if you know the skill you want to work on. Go by industry if you want everything for one market in one place. Go by country if you are about to sell somewhere new. Each path ends at the same kind of guide, written for your situation.

    • By topic. Thirty sales topics and seven AI search topics.
    • By industry. Grouped so you find yours fast.
    • By country. Ten markets, each with local rules.
  2. Read

    Every guide follows the same outline

    Each guide opens with why your industry is different, then four steps: define who you are targeting, research what actually matters, write messages that get replies, and execute consistently. It closes with common mistakes, the tools and stack, the metrics that matter, a 30-day quick start and answers to common questions.

    • Why it is different. What sets your market apart.
    • Four clear steps. Target, research, write, execute.
    • 30-day quick start. A plan you can begin this week.
  3. Compare

    The same topic, written for each market

    Topics and industries form a grid. Pick a row to see every topic for one industry, or a column to see one topic across every industry. Comparing two versions side by side is a quick way to see what changes from one market to the next.

    • Row: one industry. Every topic for your market.
    • Column: one topic. The same skill across markets.
    • Every cell is a guide. One page per pair.
  4. Go local

    Country guides cover the local rules

    Before you email buyers in a new country, read its guide. It sets out how buyers there tend to like being approached, the email and data rules you should know about, and practical tips for that market. It is general information, not legal advice, but it tells you what to check.

    • Buyer habits. How the market likes to be approached.
    • Local rules. Email and data rules to check.
    • Practical tips. What to adjust before you send.

Other countries

Questions,answered plainly.

Can’t find yours? Write to us.

01What is different about selling in France?

French buyers value relationship-building with formal business etiquette. Trust is built through personal connections and proper introductions. French companies protect domestic suppliers-foreign vendors need clear advantages. Decision-making is hierarchical and relationship-driven.

02Which email rules apply in France?

The main ones to know: GDPR & CNIL, French Consumer Code, RGPD compliance. Read the rules section above, and check with a lawyer if you are unsure.

03Are the guides free?

Yes. Every guide is a public page. There is no signup and no email gate.

04Do I need FirstSales to use the guides?

No. The guides work with any setup. FirstSales is there when you want the outreach to run for you: it can find and research leads, write each email for one person, send from warmed inboxes and follow up until someone replies.

Outreach that keeps going after you log off.Leads, emails, follow-ups and replies, handled.

Connect unlimited mailboxes and let AI agents find leads, write each email and follow up. Or send your own templates in manual mode. From $29/mo.

Start your $1 trial See pricing

$1 for 3 days · Cancel anytime · No contract

Install with AI

Your coding agent sets up the FirstSales CLI and skills for you.

Prompt for Claude Code

I'm setting up FirstSales (https://firstsales.io), an AI outbound sales platform: campaigns, contacts, a reply inbox, deliverability and lead signals. Help me get my workspace sending real, good emails end to end, from Claude Code.

Read these first so you know how FirstSales works:
- Developer docs and API: https://developer.firstsales.io
- CLI: https://www.npmjs.com/package/@firstsales.io/cli
- Skills for coding agents: https://github.com/firstsalesio/firstsales-skills (read README.md and GUIDE.md)

Setup
1. Install the CLI: npm install -g @firstsales.io/cli
2. Install the FirstSales skills:
   claude plugin marketplace add firstsalesio/firstsales-skills
   claude plugin install firstsales@firstsales
3. Ask me if I already have a FirstSales account. If not, send me to https://app.firstsales.io to sign up.
4. Ask me to create an API key under Settings → API → API Keys, with only the scopes we need.
   Never ask me to paste the key into this chat. Tell me to run this in my own terminal, so the key stays hidden:
   read -rs FS_KEY && firstsales auth login --api-key "$FS_KEY"; unset FS_KEY
5. Run `firstsales whoami` and tell me which workspace and organisation we are connected to.

Then ask me about my business: what I sell, who I sell to (roles, company size, countries), my best customers, and what I use today for outbound (tools, lists, mailboxes). Walk me through:
1. Teaching FirstSales my business: website, offer, proof points and case studies in the knowledge base, so the AI writes like someone who knows the product.
2. Connecting my sending mailboxes and checking my sending domain: SPF, DKIM, DMARC and warm-up. If anything is unhealthy, tell me the exact DNS record to add.
3. Bringing in contacts: import my CSV or CRM export into a clean list, remove duplicates and bad emails, and block domains I must never email (customers, competitors, my own).
4. Building my first campaign: the right list, senders, steps and timing. Write the sequence with me, show me the drafts, and do not launch until I say yes.
5. Setting up Signals if it fits: find people engaging with LinkedIn posts about topics my buyers care about, and turn them into leads.
6. Inviting my team and giving each person the right access.

Once campaigns run, show me how to work the reply inbox from here: which replies need an answer, draft responses in my voice, and move good conversations into deals. If I use Cal.com, connect it so follow-ups can offer my booking link (not the first email).

Throughout, as you learn about my business, proactively suggest and help create:
- Reply templates for the questions and objections my prospects are likely to raise, based on my product, site and codebase if you can see them.
- Campaign ideas and segments worth testing, with the reason for each.

Safety rules:
- Show every change as a dry run (--dry-run) first and wait for my yes. Never send emails, launch campaigns or delete anything without my yes.
- Tell me before anything that spends credits, and how many.

Be opinionated. If the docs give a sensible default, just use it. Don't make me choose between five options.
Developer docs ↗npm: @firstsales.io/cli ↗GitHub: firstsales-skills ↗