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Next Entries »Negotiating in China: Swiping the Cab Fare
Tuesday, March 20th, 2007Western business people put a lot of faith in Win-Win negotiation. They believe in the notion that if both sides are willing to accept less gain now, they can increase the overall profit potential of the relationship and both come out ahead. That can lead to problems when negotiating in China, because not all Chinese […]
Negotiating in China: Trust is just the beginning
Tuesday, March 13th, 2007Negotiating in China requires you to make a wide range of judgments about your counter-party. If you are negotiating with a local Chinese business person, you have to deal with a host of cultural traditional business practice issues. The issue of TRUST is going to come up early and often, no matter who the counter […]
Negotiating in China: Checking References
Friday, March 9th, 2007Professionals and experienced managers know to ask for referrals before hiring a service provider or consultant. But like everything else, getting referrals in China is slightly different from referrals back home.
In China there is still a tendency to judge businesses by very low standards. An expat who has been living in China for 5 years may […]
Negotiating in China: Due Diligence Questions for Service Providers in China
Thursday, March 8th, 2007You can’t go it alone in China — and shouldn’t try. Once there were few options for the Small or Medium Business looking for service providers in China, but now there is a wide range of options. Some are great values — others are money-pits. Due diligence becomes more important the less you know about your potential market.
But the rule in China is: […]
Successful Negotiating in China: Be Yourself
Wednesday, March 7th, 2007I’ve been in China long enough to have gotten into the habit of handing people my business card with two hands, the way they do it here. Whenever another ex-pat sees it, we both laugh. It’s more or less a holdover from earlier times.
Now I council clients and other newcomers not to do that. I […]
Negotiating in China: Getting the Deal vs. Doing the Deal
Tuesday, March 6th, 2007Negotiating with Chinese service providers is a 2-step process. First, you must agree on terms, pricing, measurement, delivery methods, etc. Next, the service provider must actually execute the services or deliver the product that you both have agreed to.
Unfortunately, those two steps are often wholly unrelated. Experienced managers in
China will tell you that the […]
3 Basic Ideas for Negotiating your China Business Entry
Sunday, March 4th, 2007There are 3 rules that all owners and managers entering the China market should understand when negotiating during the early stages of your entry to the China market.
Go Slow. The China Market is not going away any time soon.
Build a network of professional service providers first, do business after.
Have a Plan … and a Plan B.
1) Go […]
China Business Strategy Basics: What do you NOT know?
Saturday, February 24th, 2007What do you know?
What do you know you don’t know?
What do you NOT know you don’t know?
Sounds like a word game, or a hippy philosophy discussion. In China , though, figuring out what you DO NOT know is your top priority for surviving your first year. Before you start doing RESEARCH on the China […]