How to Do Business in China
Each year, two-way trade between the United States of America and China is around 100 billion dollars and as the Asian giants get ready to join the World Trade Organisation, this amount is going to grow even more. More and more companies are now making and selling their products in China.
However, people who aspire to invest a lot of money in China, need to know the norms of conducting business in the country. You have to know about the Chinese culture as well as the tricks of attracting investment in China are totally different.
Instructions
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1
Even if you are a first-rate scientist, manager or engineer, if you do not know how to deal with Chinese people, you will never be able to get your message across which will then result in you not being able to invest in the country.
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2
Chinese people lay a great emphasis on the formality of exchanging business cards. Unlike Westerners, when Chinese people give someone their business cards, they do it with both hands so if you are going to exchange a business card, do it with both hands as doing it with one hand will look rude and discourteous.
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3
Never forget that Chinese people are very conscious in terms of status. When you meet someone from an organisation, recognise that person’s status in it. When you go to China, make sure that your business card is written in both English and Chinese.
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4
Just like a handshake is considered important in the West, in China a smile is its replacement. When Chinese people meet eachother, they greet eachother with smiles as in their culture, a smile is supposed to be a friendly gesture.
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5
Chinese people are very keen on metrics so when you are presenting your skills, make sure that you do that in charts, data, tables and transparencies. This will grab their attention and they will understand you better.
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6
When you give a presentation to an American, he will be having a steady eye contact with you. However, that is not the case in China. Here, lack of steady eye contact is not considered a bad thing. Furthermore, due to the authoritarian nature of the society, steady eye contact is considered rude.
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7
Most of the Westerners prefer getting to the point rather than lingering on with formalities. The case is the entire opposite of it when it comes to Chinese people. Chinese love small chit chat and pleasantries and want to learn more about the other person. So, become friends with your aspiring clients before getting down to business.
