Bestlocal is a story of passion for China.
Since my first visit to China in 2016, I have been able to develop good and reliable partnerships with the Chinese. When I look back on it now, it is partly due to my good preparation for my first business trip.
In this blog post I would like to give you some tips on how I approached this preparation. 1. Read books, blogs, articles about China so that you can form a picture of the culture and customs thanks to good background information. This is absolutely necessary because there is 'a world of difference' between China and Flanders.
2. Speak to China specialists. During my preparation I met Sinologists, people who had lived in China for their work or Chinese people who live in Flanders. These people have been crucial in my preparation because they could provide me with very valuable information about the customs in China.
3. Have your business cards translated into Chinese. The China specialists I met during my preparation advised me to translate my business cards into Chinese as well as my name. It was a big success. When I presented my business cards, the Chinese took the time to read them and analyze the meaning of my name. It was appreciated that I made all this effort.
4. Give a present to your Chinese contacts. Because giving presents as a sign of appreciation or gratitude is an important part of Chinese culture, I decided to give Belgian chocolates. It's not cheap, but greatly appreciated. It is so satisfying that it was worth every euro/yuan spent.
5. Networking. Thanks to my good preparation, I was able to make good contacts and I felt welcome at my appointments. In this way I was able to build trust and, since my first business trip, I have gradually been able to build up a network of Chinese people whom I can trust and with whom I can work very honestly and correctly. A good network is crucial in China.