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Many people claim to know the secrets of success in China. There are so many different ways to market and push business in China. For the Australian or international business owner, there’s a lot of information about how to do business in China, and a lot of frankly overheated information that makes doing business in China sound impossible. But in reality, there’s absolutely no reason why a business from a foreign trader wouldn’t be able to make it big in China. They would only need to be flexible, patient and keen to learn and listen to the needs of their Chinese business associates. This articles is designed to examine how to make an impact on the Chinese market, is targeted to Western companies and is brought to you by Servcorp. For more information on their virtual offices, follow this link: http://www.servcorp.com.hk/en/virtual-offices/
A bit of history if you please
The Chinese market has grown in the past decade – quite substantially – and the Chinese business has become very sophisticated and developed in their systems and practices for operation. This development has proven to create both opportunity and challenge for the Western counterpart (in equal measures). Although the cultural differences will ever create a challenge for anyone seeking to make a mark with a foreign enterprise, it is the companies who strive to understand these differences who will triumph. In places like Beijing and Shanghai – two of the key cities for business and trade in China – companies will continue to prosper and it is the Western company with a keen eye for business and negotiation who will prosper.
Marketing and Sales in China
When looking at the Chinese person’s attitude towards marketing and sales, you must first look at the different kinds of businesses and companies operating in China now. There are a range of companies coming to the business arena with a range of different experiences. Most notable among these differences is the fact that while many Western companies will employ a marketing person with a great deal of experience, a local Chinese company will often have someone with limited comparative marketing experience. Thus, it is wise to be flexible when looking at your sales and marketing. As a rule, marketing in B2B is less common in China than in some other, more mature markets. The marketing is left to sales, and is sometimes little more than a few logos and brochures. The importance of marketing is minimal in many cases.
In comparison, the salesperson and the art of selling are very well respected in China. There is a strong entrepreneurial spirit in China, and people will gladly work to better themselves. A great salesperson needs to be able to strike up a great relationship – and indeed, a friendship – with a potential customer.
The importance of quality
A key element that many Chinese buyers want is the best quality. It is often a ‘hygiene’ requirement and is something that Western companies must do in order to add value to their potential buyers. In order to get your quality across in your business to business market, you need to be able to speak to the right people for a low price per exchange, and to do so in the correct manner for sales. The premium that you used to be able to place on a product being ‘Western’ has dropped, largely in part to a saturation in the market and the ability of local Chinese businesses to compete in terms of quality.
If you focus on building a great relationship with your potential clients, if you treat your customers as friends and if you focus on quality as a unique selling point you will be well on your way to success with the Chinese market.