Sinofile | Daily News from China

by Perry I. Belcher

China, just like any other country, values customs and culture. This is reflected even in their business world. They command respect and when they feel that they are being disrespected in any way, Chinese businessmen will forget all about you and the business that you wish to present to them.

If you are a budding entrepreneur and you wish to deal with Chinese suppliers for your import business, it is vital that you show them the respect they deserve at the very onset. Fact is, these businessmen study your gestures and simple things about you. And if you have decided on doing business with them, make sure that you meet their expectations. Business deals start at a very early phase that is the exchange of business cards. Most Chinese businessmen give much importance to the manner of giving out business cards. They are able to tell whether or not someone is talking serious business with them by merely judging on how they give and receive business cards.

Your business cards need not be fancy. It does not need to be scented or be printed in a variety of colors. Your business card must not defy its purpose. Make sure that all information about you and your business is found on your business card because this is all your potential Chinese suppliers need.

Print your business cards on double-sided cards. Print the information on one side in Chinese and the other in English. Doing this makes your card multi-lingual. Some Western names are difficult for Chinese locals therefore print unfamiliar names in simple Chinese characters.

It is essential for you to use both hands in giving or receiving a business card or a name card. Flicking or tossing the card might gravely offend your business partner. Once you have accepted a business card, take time to read what is written on the card. It would also be appreciated by Chinese businessmen if you ask about the information that is written on their card. This will make these foreign businessmen feel that you value them and that you want to know more about their business.

If you are meeting with a number of people from a certain company and everybody hands out their business cards, make sure that the card of the most superior importance among them stays on top.

Chinese businessmen value authority and they would expect you to value that too. The same is true when handing out your cards to them. Make sure that you hand the first card to the person who is of top rank. Doing business in China does not only entail actually making the operations possible. A few gesture of courtesy here and there will be highly appreciated. Getting the approval of your potential business partner deals solely on how you treat them.

Another very important aspect of importing from China is business communication in China. There you will find all the useful information for what you need to know when doing business deals with Chinese people in their native land.

For a free mini-course in importing from China visit www.chinaimportagent.com.

by Marian F Cook

With the right planning, China can play an important role in the strategy of many businesses and their sale.

If a business owner wants to include China as part of their overall strategy to grow their business for sale, how should they go about that?

First they should assemble their own ‘A team’ and they should identify their goals and alternative. And I think the seller needs do a lot of homework and preparation. Understand the value of this business to potential buyers, and help the potential buyers understand the value of this business to them. And with that established, I think we should look at how the Chinese part can play this out, the overall strategy.

I can share my experience from a few different angles. For example, I may look at a Chinese business as a potential buyer, as a strategic partner or maybe even look at China as a launching pad for the U.S. business to do other business around the world.

So let’s say if we look at China as a potential buyer, we first need to find out what these Chinese prospects are looking for in our business. And when you do business with the Chinese, you must understand that education it’s very important.

If we look at the Chinese coming in to buy, they have an overall value proposition. They’re looking for some or all of these things I would mention such as market knowledge, market presence, sales channels, management team, technology, innovation, tangible assets and intangible assets such as brand, patent and trademark.

In one case, a Chinese manufacturer visited the U.S. and saw an item that he sold at the factory for $5, which is retailing in the U.S. for $40.

He immediately said he wanted to capture that $35 too by selling directly into the U.S. market. But he found that it’s very different when he sells at the factory to buyers or trading companies, because the only thing he’s involved is managing his production site.

Whereas, if he wants to sell to the end users, that sale is very different because he has to manage the entire sales cycle which involves marketing, inventory, freight, customs, duties, pricing, channels, sales and after-sales services.

For example, in Asia it’s quite unusual for people to return goods but in North America people are very used to returning goods, so that’s something that came as a shock.

So with the Chinese, they start doing research and planning early. When we deal with them, what works well is education and partnership.

When I say partnership, instead of someone who’s superior, in simple terms, I just put it as respect. As you may already have heard many times when you work with the Chinese, you give them face. You give face when doing business with the Chinese.

The Chinese are interested in establishing strategic partnerships, which do not touch their equity but, at the same time, help to increase the value of the company.

And you can also use China not just as a market to sell to, but as a base to sell to existing strategic relationships in Asia and to developing countries as well.

Strategic partnerships can then become a way to test the business relationship prior to selling the business, and as a launching pad into the US for the Chinese and into Asia for a US firm.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marian_F_Cook