É verdadeiro: China tem uma área grande do mercado, onde você possa fazer uma vida muito decent, mas não espera miracles. O Rob Groeneweg acredita que o thét é a essência de fazer o negócio com China. Seu friendship com o chinês Anne Xu é que começado sua experiência hands-on; vender a arte chinesa no mercado holandês, com his fundou recentemente o negócio, Xuro. A venda da arte chinesa necessita ainda a hora de florescer, a demanda em serviços de Xuro enquanto um colaborador do negócio na uma mão cresce ràpidamente. Os “lotes dos empreendedores pensam somente do potencial de China, tendo 1.3 bilhão consumidores, e estão conseqüentemente demasiado ansiosos. Entretanto, um negócio mau remanesce um negócio mau. Não seja demasiado greedy. O potencial de mercado real é frequentemente muito menor então você pensa.”

Trabalhando para linhas transversais do recipiente de Cosco do oceano, o Rob vem no contato com a China em 1990, porque esta companhia tem trabalhado com empregados e os estagiários chineses por décadas. “Nos Países Baixos, há aproximadamente 8.000 Os estudantes e chineses procuram frequentemente traineeships nas companhias que são China orientada. Eu transformei-me amigos com um destes estagiários. Em 2004 eu visitei-a em China e eu caí imediatamente no amor com este país. A dinâmica, os locais de edifício e a atmosfera, eu encontro-a maravilhosa.”

Os façades
Logo o Rob aprende aquele que faz o negócio com os muitos chineses das tomadas do conhecimento e da compreensão. Um grupo do dinheiro não é nenhuma garantia para o sucesso. “Diversas companhias grandes experimentaram esta. The failures of many multinationals are proof of the fact that behind the neon façades in the big cities, a totally different culture with corresponding traditions is hidden. A culture quite different from ours.”

Spend money to make money
“For companies doing business with China, a contact on-the-spot probably is the most important investment. To find one however, is not easy. There only are a few Chinese who, on a level that we are used to, take initiative themselves, dare to carry responsibility or speak English fluently. Let alone poses a combination of all these qualities. Although the search for the right person can take a long time, it is worth the effort. Without it you’ve got little hold on your business. For example, if you need a shipment from China, it is wiser to check the product and the quantity in China. If you do this on delivery only, it takes a lot of time and money if the shipment is not according to the agreement. A representative of your interests in China therefore is both practical as well as financially wise.

A different calendar
When you have found a suitable local employee, there is still a long way to go. “Chinese are friendly people, but they must be handled with care. One of the things you must reckon with, is the importance they attach to status. That comes in the smallest things, even on subjects where we Westerners don’t pay attention to. Once I had a Chinese employee in the office. By the end of the year, everyone received a calendar from the company. There were different varieties: red, brown and black ones, big and small. These were handed out among the employees randomly. One employee received one too, he did not say a thing, looked at it and ripped it into two pieces. After that, he said: ‘they look down on me’ and didn’t speak for a week. What had happened? He accidentally had become a smaller one than his colleagues.”

Good copycat
Cultural differences prevail on several occasions. “Besides lots of positive qualities, China unfortunately also has a reputation in selling imitations. That copy-culture has made Chinese companies into able producers. Products from China often are of excellent quality. In China, Volkswagens are being produced which are possibly better than the original German ones.” Rob has an explanation for the reason why products from China are of such a high quality. “It is a hierarchical society and copying the master is the ultimate challenge. They want to be equally capable or even better. That is also the reason why there is hardly any taboo on reproducing products in China.”

Next generation
Not to judge plagiarism directly probably is very difficult for most people. On a less burdened area it is much easier to reach the other’s hand regarding habits. “In a Chinese network for instance, it is unusual to thank each other for a service provided. Once I thanked someone, because that person had taken pains to help me with something. He said: you don’t have to thank me, next time you will be the one helping me. To help is normal. Just like addressing each other calmly. Don’t push. Because if you do, the Chinese will resist. Also avoid discussions on difficult topics – like Taiwan and Falun Gong – with business relations. Apart from that, it is no problem to discuss such topics with very good friends.”

“Further the Chinese cannot handle criticism very well. The new generation is eager to make a career and earn lots of money, without problems. As soon as you have a good Chinese candidate for your company, cherish him or her. Because the young Chinese change jobs for more money, power and status, just as easy as we do. And you can’t blame them for that either.”