Cold calling in Drenthe: Emmen, Assen, Hoogeveen and Meppel

B2B calling in Drenthe means calling many small and family firms spread over a green province. CBS counted 60,975 business establishments on 1 January 2026, for 508,109 inhabitants. The largest municipality is not the capital: Emmen, with 109,881 inhabitants, is bigger than Assen (70,769) and is also the industrial heart of the province.

The economy of Drenthe

In the Eurostat count of local units for 2024, professional, scientific and technical services lead with 11,079 units, closely followed by trade (10,711). Health and social care (7,681) and construction (6,728) come next. Health and social care is also the largest employer, with 48,692 people, ahead of trade with 39,701.

Manufacturing looks small by number of units (2,698) but not by jobs. Eurostat counts 19,606 people working in manufacturing in Drenthe in 2024, about the same as in the province of Groningen (19,578), which has nearly 100,000 more inhabitants. CBS puts manufacturing at 4.0% of all establishments in Drenthe, against 3.5% nationally.

• Chemicals and materials in Emmen. GETEC PARK.EMMEN is an industrial park for companies in chemicals, polymers and composites, with its own combined heat and power plants. Suppliers, maintenance firms and technical service providers cluster around it.
• Agriculture. CBS counts 3,785 establishments in agriculture, forestry and fishing, 6.2% of all establishments against 3.1% nationally. Eurostat's business dataset leaves farming out, so it does not appear in the chart.
• Few transport firms. Transport and storage is only 1.8% of establishments in Drenthe, against 2.8% nationally. Logistics buyers here are mostly the manufacturers and traders themselves.

Where the companies are

• Emmen (109,881 inhabitants). Chemicals, plastics and fibres, metal, and the technical service firms around them. Also healthcare and education.
• Assen (70,769). Provincial government, public services, business services and events.
• Hoogeveen (56,781). Manufacturing, trade and construction near the A28 and A37.
• Meppel (36,616). Trade, services and logistics on the border with Overijssel.
• Coevorden (35,729). Industry and trade on the German border.
• The countryside. Farms, contractors, builders, installers and leisure and tourism businesses.

Who to call and what to ask

Most companies in Drenthe are small enough for the owner to decide. At the industrial sites in Emmen and Coevorden, you will speak with technical and purchasing staff first.

• Owner or managing director at builders, installers, traders and service firms.
• Plant, maintenance or technical manager at manufacturers and chemical companies.
• Purchasing manager at larger industrial firms.
• Office manager or practice owner at accountants, care providers and other professional firms.

Do not overlook care. With 48,692 people, health and social care is the largest employer in Drenthe, and care organisations buy services such as cleaning, IT, staffing and training like any other company.

Discovery questions that fit Drenthe:

1. Do you work mainly for customers in Drenthe, in the rest of the Netherlands, or across the border in Germany?
2. What part of the work do you now hand out to suppliers, and where would you like more capacity?
3. How do you find technical staff here, and what happens when a job stays open?
4. When do you usually review your suppliers or contracts?
5. What would a better supplier have to do differently?

Calling in Drenthe

Business in Drenthe is done in Dutch. You may hear Drents, but calls and proposals are in standard Dutch. Emmen and Coevorden lie close to the German border; for firms that work with German customers, a German-speaking colleague can help.

With small firms, the first call often ends with "call me back next week". That is not a no. Write down the moment, plan it and keep your promise. A short guide to doing that well: sales follow-up.

Places to learn about the local market and meet owners:

• VNO-NCW MKB Noord, the employers' and entrepreneurs' organisation for Drenthe, Groningen and Friesland.
• NOM, the investment and development agency for the Northern Netherlands.
• KVK events and local business clubs in Emmen, Assen, Hoogeveen and Meppel.

You may call Dutch companies with legal personality, such as a BV or NV, without prior consent. Since 1 July 2026 you need prior consent for sales calls to sole traders and partnerships such as a vof, and you must honour objections and handle contacts' personal data under the GDPR. This is general information, not legal advice. Read the cold calling rules for Belgium and the Netherlands.

A first week of calling in Drenthe

1. Day 1: the list. Pick one segment and one area, for example installers between Hoogeveen and Meppel, or suppliers to the industry in Emmen.
2. Day 2: the script and the target. Write the opening and the questions above, and work out how many calls one new customer takes with this calculation.
3. Days 3 to 4: calling blocks. Two blocks per day, one early in the morning for owners who are on site later.
4. Day 5: follow-up. Plan every call back and send what you promised.

Want to see the calling screen first? Try the demo.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. CBS StatLine: Vestigingen van bedrijven; bedrijfstak, regio (table 81578NED), 1 January 2026
2. CBS StatLine: Bevolking op 1 januari; geslacht, leeftijd en regio (table 03759ned), 1 January 2026
3. Eurostat: Enterprises by NUTS 2 region and NACE Rev. 2 activity (sbs_r_nuts2021), 2024
4. GETEC: GETEC PARK.EMMEN, the Netherlands
5. NOM, investment and development agency for the Northern Netherlands
6. Dutch IT Channel: Anna Noorda appointed director of VNO-NCW MKB Noord (13 August 2026)
7. ACM: Vanaf 1 juli strengere regels voor telemarketing (June 2026)

• How many cold calls does it take to get one customer?
• Sales follow-up: how many attempts, which channels, what cadence