Lição oito de China: As duas coisas que faz exame para fazer o negócio bem sucedido em China
Uma mente aberta, flexível e um compromisso sério.
Por Ernie Tadla
Primeiramente: uma mente aberta e flexível. Posso eu introduzir meus amigos de duas senhoras?
Alguns povos olham este retrato e vêem um crone. Alguns povos vêem uma mulher nova. Alguns povos podem ver ambos, mas não no
a mesma hora. Escolhem esse que verão.
Se você puder ver ambos, você comuta da senhora velha à senhora nova mudando sua percepção, seu paradigm. Nada muda na parte externa, somente no interior. Você pode ver e compreender ambos os lados.

Em vez de uma senhora velha e de uma senhora nova, nós temos o estilo ocidental do negócio e o estilo chinês do negócio. Apenas porque você esperaria uma pessoa chinesa ou japonesa do negócio que vem a Canadá se operar sob nosso estilo do negócio, parece lógico, prático e o normal que quando nós vamos excesso lá nós se adaptam a seu estilo.
Se você não, você não será bem sucedido em China. É tão simples quanto aquele.
Você tem um aberto e mente flexível e é você disposto aprender suas maneiras, compreendê-las, apreciá-las, aceitá-las e adaptá-las e adotar em sua aproximação do negócio de China? É sua chamada!
Em segundo: Um compromisso sério.
É seu interesse um a matéria da curiosidade, fazendo apenas algum do “retroceder pneu?”
Que são seus sentimentos sobre China, chineses?
≺ onde você gosta de seu negócio de ser com a China em cinco anos, dez anos?
≺ como contínuo, específico, e detalhada é sua planta?
O ≺ quando você quiser esteja lá?
≺ por que? This should be well articulated.
≺ What are your expectations?
≺ How many resources have you budgeted for China?
China is unlike any other market you have entered and been successful in. Remember those awesome numbers: 1.3 billion. 5,000. Compare these two numbers with the numbers in your other markets. You can’t. You need a whole new approach, their approach. They aren’t going to change their style. So you must change yours. It’s their party you want to join.
There are US companies that were and are extremely successful and profitable and others that did not, are still not profitable, or have pulled the plug after wasting time, money, energy and opportunity. These are the horror stories the press likes to tout. The negatives, the failures without delving into the causes.
Here is a list of things I would recommend:
≺ Go to China as a tourist. No business. Just experience the place, the sights, the sounds, the smells, the music, the food, and the hustle-bustle of the busy streets. Sure, visit Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, but the real China is not in its international cities, but out in the second and third tier cities, in the countryside.
≺ It requires a total commitment from the top person in the organization. This is not something you delegate to a middle manager. To develop guanxi, save face and get things done, you will need the approval and support of the top man, both in the company you want to deal with and the government officials whose approval you require. Remember that China is a dictatorship, and operates hierarchically, with the top man, often hidden from the fray, granting the final approval. They only respect dealing with your top guy. Others will get the run around. You, the top man, must be prepared to make repeated trips to build guanxi. It might take months, maybe even years. How important is China to the future of your company? You will find shortcuts costly.
≺ Dedicate a responsible person within your organization here to shepherd this project. You need only show up for shaking hands, giving gifts, getting pictures taken, attending and extending banquets.
≺ Your dedicated man over there needs to liaison with two Chinese people. One should be a respected, experienced Chinese person in the industry you’re in, who knows the ins and outs and has already established guanxi with the proper government officials.
≺ The other person should be a smart, quick, well-educated, savvy, young Chinese recent graduate, fluent in English and Western expectations. She/he will be your go-fer in the labyrinths of China, dealing at ground level with the day-to-day activities on your behalf.
A major contributor to my success in China was my good fortune to have several young assistants to steer me through the shoals of being a foreigner in a strange land
≺ Helen in Beijing was so helpful in my first days.
≺ Vivian was my first assistant in Shanghai and I was her first boss. She now owns a successful re-location business dealing with foreigners. www.chinarelosh.com
≺ Agatha, who co-trained with me, provided Chinese translation.
≺ Shirley was very supportive after Lovy’s passing and assisted me in my transition.
These were intelligent, sensitive ladies who had a deep interest in English and Western ways. One day, while in a bookstore with Shirley I was surprised to see a book by Ralph Waldo Emerson. She said, “Oh, the transcendentalist!” She had never been out of China! Another day, she used the word “omnipotent” correctly, but in an off-handed manner. I hadn’t even heard a foreigner use that word in China.
They all were most useful in coaching and guiding me in my dealings with Chinese staff, clients and even management and played an important role in my job performance.
Over on this side of the water, hire a smart Chinese student who is studying over here as an intern to work with your dedicated manager here. He/she would be an invaluable asset on this side. Chinese like working with Chinese. They do not trust foreigners.
The questions you have to ask are:
≺ How open-minded and flexible am I?
≺ How committed am I and my organization to the China market?
Ernie Tadla, www.odysseychina.net




































November 26th, 2007 at 2:51 am
Ernie,
I agree that many people in China don’t trust foreigners, but more and more of the young generation do, and often they see the directness of foreigners as a net positive. So maybe as China opens up we are looking at a situation where trust becomes less of an issue.
Good post…. Frank
December 4th, 2007 at 3:14 pm
Hi Anthony,
Thank you for your comments.
I would like to help you, but I need more details on your dream.
* Have you read all 8 Lessons that are on this blog? Do you have any questions about the directions I have laid out?
* How serious are you? Do you have a written out plan? What is your time frame and what is your financial commitment?
If you wish to continue this dialogue could you e-mail me at ernie.tadla@odysseychina.net.
Sincerely,
Ernie