Cold calling in Friesland: from Leeuwarden to Drachten, Sneek and Heerenveen

B2B calling in Friesland means working a wide map. There is no single dominant city: Leeuwarden had 130,162 of the province's 665,208 inhabitants on 1 January 2026, and the rest live in towns such as Sneek, Drachten and Heerenveen and in many villages. CBS counted 88,090 business establishments on that date, with a larger share of farms and manufacturers than the Netherlands as a whole.

The economy of Friesland

In the Eurostat count of local units for 2024, professional, scientific and technical services lead with 15,903 units, followed by trade (14,318), construction (10,840) and health and social care (9,625). Manufacturing comes fifth with 5,071 units, which is unusual: in many Dutch provinces it does not reach the top six. It employs 31,594 people in that dataset.

Two features set Friesland apart:

• Agriculture. CBS counts 6,220 establishments in agriculture, forestry and fishing, 7.1% of all establishments against 3.1% nationally. Dairy farms, contractors and the suppliers around them form a large market for machinery, feed, financial and advisory services. Eurostat's business dataset leaves farming out, so it does not appear in the chart.
• Manufacturing. Manufacturing is 5.2% of establishments in Friesland, against 3.5% for the Netherlands. The best-known example is Philips in Drachten, where about 1,700 people worked in June 2024 making parts for shavers and electric toothbrushes. Around it are metal, machinery, maritime and food companies of all sizes.

Leeuwarden adds a knowledge cluster. Wetsus, the water technology research centre on the WaterCampus, counted 108 companies taking part in its research programme on 1 January 2026, and about 136 academic and industrial partners.

Where the companies are

• Leeuwarden. Provincial government, financial services, education, healthcare, and water technology around the WaterCampus.
• Drachten (Smallingerland, 57,188 inhabitants). Manufacturing and high tech, with Philips as the anchor and suppliers on the surrounding business parks.
• Heerenveen (51,955 inhabitants). Trade, logistics and services along the A7 and A32 junction.
• Sneek and Súdwest-Fryslân (90,521 inhabitants). Water sports and boat building, food, trade and many small family firms.
• The countryside. Dairy farms, agricultural contractors, builders and installers.

Because the market is spread out, segment by sector first and by town second. A list of 200 metal companies across the province works better than all companies in one town.

Who to call and what to ask

• Owner or managing director at family manufacturers, builders, installers and service firms. They often answer the phone themselves.
• Operations or production manager at larger manufacturers.
• The farmer or the farm's adviser when you sell to agriculture; the accountant or a feed adviser often has a say. Many farms are sole traders or partnerships, so you need their prior consent before a sales call.
• Office manager at professional firms in Leeuwarden.

Discovery questions that fit Friesland:

1. Do you work mainly for customers in Friesland, or elsewhere in the Netherlands and abroad?
2. Where is your production or capacity tight at the moment?
3. How easy is it to find technical staff here, and what do you do when you cannot?
4. Who do you work with today for this, and how long have you worked with them?
5. What would make it worth switching, or adding a second supplier?

Family firms in a close region often stay with suppliers for years. Ask about the current relationship before you pitch. A strong opening helps: see cold call opening lines.

Calling in Friesland

Frisian is an official language in the province alongside Dutch, and you will hear it in many companies. Business calls, emails and proposals are normally in Dutch, so call in Dutch. If a prospect mentions they are Frisian-speaking, that is a good moment to listen, not to switch.

Farmers and site-based owners are often out during the day. Try early in the morning or at the end of the afternoon, and read the best time to cold call to test it against your own numbers.

Places to learn about the local market and meet owners:

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

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 Friesland

1. Day 1: the list. Choose one sector across the whole province, for example manufacturers with 10 to 100 employees.
2. Day 2: the script. One opening, the five questions above, and an answer to "we have worked with the same supplier for years".
3. Days 3 to 4: calling blocks. One early block and one late block per day, when owners are at their desk.
4. Day 5: follow-up. Send what you promised and plan every call back with a date.

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. Wetsus: About Wetsus, figures as of 1 January 2026
5. Rijksoverheid: De Friese taal
6. Nieuws.nl: Philips wil 400 banen schrappen in Drachten (12 June 2024)
7. NOM, investment and development agency for the Northern Netherlands
8. ACM: Vanaf 1 juli strengere regels voor telemarketing (June 2026)

• Best time to make cold calls: what the studies say and how to test it
• Cold call opening lines: what the research actually shows