Chinese Business Etiquette: Opportunities

Series Summary

China is one of the oldest nations on the planet. Its list of dynasties, kingdoms and empires is a veritable who’s who of enlightened despots and monarchs, spanning thousands of years in the annals of world history. Today, China boasts the largest national population on the face of the Earth, with over 1.3 billion inhabitants—and it is currently ranked the fourth largest country in terms of total land area. Naturally then, a country so large is bound to have branches that extend throughout the lineage of mankind, from East to West. Many Western countries are now doing business in China. Our cultures are so different that the opportunities for misunderstanding and offense are tremendous. In this free video series for executives, you will learn etiquette for doing business in China. Learn about the mindset of Chinese businessmen their ways of negotiating, the importance of good interpreters and some basic do’s and don’ts. Also, get helpful tips on hosting both formal and informal meetings, greetings, selling, finding objections, closing a deal and follow-up.

Video Transcript

"Hi, my name is Mark Kemsley. Today I would like to talk with you about doing business in China. I've actually been in China for the last twenty years. I've worked with many big companies over there in management positions and for the last seven or eight years, I was a consultant helping western companies to set up their businesses in China. You know why they need a consultant like me? Because doing business in China is very, very different from doing business in the western world. So I hope that you enjoy the series that we're putting together for you now and that it will be a big help to your business with China. This series of clips will help you from the moment you meet a Chinese business man through any meetings you need to have with them, what the proper etiquette is and how to succeed in your dealings with them. The reason this is important is because I've seen some terrible mistakes in my twenty years in China that have just turned a business completely off. If you want your business to succeed, you need to know this. Throughout this series, there is something I'd like you to understand and, that is, that the people in China are all individuals just like people in any other country are."