Cold calling in Wallonia: SMEs, logistics hubs and life sciences
For sales teams that call into Wallonia, from Charleroi and Liège to Namur, Mons and Walloon Brabant: the economy in figures, who decides and how to call in French.
Wallonia had 3,704,990 residents on 1 January 2025 (Statbel) and a GDP of 136 billion euro in 2023, 23% of Belgium's total (IWEPS). SMEs make up 99.9% of its enterprises, with 290,082 VAT-registered SMEs at the end of 2022 (Statbel via IWEPS). Business calls are in French, except in the nine German-speaking municipalities in the east of the province of Liège.
- Professional, scientific and technical43,964
- Wholesale and retail trade40,908
- Construction32,704
- Health and social work20,162
- Accommodation and food service15,846
- Administrative and support services15,658
B2B calling in Wallonia means calling a region of small and mid-sized companies, spread over five provinces and 261 municipalities, almost always in French. Statbel counts 3,704,990 residents on 1 January 2025, and IWEPS counts 290,082 VAT-registered SMEs at the end of 2022, which is 99.9% of all enterprises in the region. Most of the people you reach are owners. The bigger buying centres sit in logistics around Liège, in life sciences in Walloon Brabant and in industry along the Sambre and Meuse valley.
The economy of Wallonia
Wallonia produced a GDP of 136 billion euro in 2023, 23% of Belgium's total, and counted 1,344,350 jobs located in the region (IWEPS, Chiffres-clés 2025). Fewer jobs than working residents: many Walloons commute to Brussels and to Luxembourg.
Three clusters shape the region for a caller:
- Logistics around Liège. Liège Airport handled 1,324,579 tonnes of cargo in 2025, 14% more than in 2024 and its second-best year ever. The Port of Liège, the largest inland port in Belgium, recorded 16.4 million tonnes of traffic by water, road and rail in 2025. AWEX counts about 3,000 logistics companies with about 50,000 professionals in Wallonia.
- Life sciences. AWEX counts more than 300 life sciences companies in Wallonia. Eurostat shows 15,825 people working in 56 local units of the pharmaceutical industry in 2024: few sites, large buying teams.
- Industry and construction. Manufacturing has 9,803 local units with 126,538 people working in them, and construction 32,704 local units with 90,096 people (Eurostat, 2024).
By number of establishments, the Eurostat business statistics put professional services first with 43,964 local units, followed by trade with 40,908 and construction with 32,704. Staffing agencies employ 41,032 people. Agriculture and public administration are not in that dataset, so the chart above covers the business economy only.
Where the companies are
- Liège (197,323 residents in the city, 505,230 in the agglomeration, IWEPS 2025): the airport, the port, metal and engineering firms, and the services that serve them.
- Charleroi (205,763 residents, the largest Walloon city): industry, aviation around Brussels South Charleroi Airport, construction and wholesale.
- Namur (115,029): the regional capital, with the Walloon administration, federations and advisers around it.
- Mons (97,120) and the rest of Hainaut: SMEs in construction, logistics and trade, with ties to northern France.
- Walloon Brabant: Louvain-la-Neuve, Wavre and Braine-l'Alleud, home to life sciences, tech and the head offices of many service firms.
- Province of Luxembourg: rural, with many small firms and a strong pull towards the Grand Duchy.
Who to call and what to ask
In most Walloon SMEs the managing director, the gérant or administrateur délégué, decides and often owns the company. At industrial and logistics sites you also need:
- Site manager or directeur d'exploitation: operations, maintenance and safety.
- Purchasing manager: contracts above a set amount.
- HR manager: staffing, training and workwear.
- Finance manager: leasing, insurance and financing.
Discovery questions that fit Wallonia:
- Is the decision taken here, or at a group head office in Brussels, Flanders or abroad?
- How many sites do you run in Wallonia, and do they buy separately?
- Do you work with Walloon or European support schemes for this kind of investment?
- Do your customers sit mainly in Belgium, or also in France, Luxembourg or Germany?
- When does your current contract for this end, and who reviews it?
Write the script in French from the start rather than translating it from Dutch or English. Our guide to writing a cold calling script gives you the structure.
Calling in Wallonia: language, networks and rules
Language. Wallonia is French-speaking. Call in French, use vous, and expect a slightly more formal first call than in Flanders. The German-speaking Community covers nine municipalities in the east of the province of Liège, around Eupen and Sankt Vith. There, call in German. Companies near Brussels or with Flemish customers often speak Dutch or English too, but let them offer it.
Where owners meet. The chambers of commerce, such as AKT-CCI Liège-Verviers-Namur, run networking events across the provinces. UCM represents the self-employed and SMEs, the Walloon counterpart of UNIZO. In East Belgium, the WFG Ostbelgien connects local entrepreneurs. Use these networks to understand local priorities before you call.
Rules. Belgian rules apply across Wallonia. Before you call, check every number against the Ne m'appelez plus list, Bel-me-niet-meer in Dutch. It also covers business numbers, and you may not call numbers on it or people who have objected. This is general information, not legal advice. See our guide to cold calling rules in Belgium and the Netherlands.
A first week of calling in Wallonia
- Day 1: pick one province and one segment, for example construction firms with 10 to 50 people in Hainaut.
- Day 2: write the French script and the answers to the three objections you expect most.
- Days 3 and 4: call in two blocks a day. Our guide on the best time to cold call helps you choose them.
- Day 5: follow up every promise in writing, in French, and plan the call backs.
See how that looks in practice in the demo.
One calling workspace for teams in Wallonia
Real screens from the app. Call from your own phone, log every call with one key and see your numbers per caller and campaign.
Real screens from the Ringlane app with demo data. No affiliation with the companies shown.
Industries to call in Wallonia
Fill your trucks and warehouses with shippers you called yourself
How hauliers, forwarders and 3PLs in Belgium and the Netherlands can call shippers, time the call around tenders and follow up every lead on schedule.
Industrial manufacturingGet on the supplier list before the next project is quoted
How manufacturers and subcontractors in Belgium and the Netherlands can call buyers and engineers, get on the supplier list and follow up a long sales cycle.
HVAC and building servicesReach building owners before their old system or a new rule forces a choice
How HVAC installers in Belgium and the Netherlands can call facility managers, time calls around label C, F-gas rules and old systems, and follow up every lead.
Frequently asked questions
In which language do I call companies in Wallonia?
How many companies are there in Wallonia?
Which industries are strong in Wallonia?
Can I cold call Walloon businesses without consent?
Who decides at a Walloon SME?
Sources
- IWEPS: Les chiffres-clés de la Wallonie, édition 2025
- Statbel: Population by place of residence, 2016 to 2026 (Be.STAT table)
- Eurostat: Local units and employment by NUTS 2 region and NACE Rev. 2 (sbs_r_nuts2021)
- Liège Airport: on track to become one of the top three airports in Europe (2025 figures, 4 March 2026)
- Port autonome de Liège: homepage with 2025 traffic
- Invest in Wallonia (AWEX): Life sciences
- Invest in Wallonia (AWEX): Transport and logistics
- Province de Liège: cooperation with the German-speaking Community and its nine municipalities (1 October 2021)
- UCM: organisation for the self-employed and SMEs in Wallonia and Brussels