Q&A Is it true that Superior person/people are scheduled to have dinner at Bart's house when they come over here?
Superior representatives are scheduled to come over here and attend Comdex in the last quarter. While Bart's Chinese associates are here they will be staying at Bart's home. Chinese are funny about their business partners and do not receive the coldness of Americans very well.
Chinese are family and friend orientated thus Bart opening his home is an extremely positive and friendly gesture for the Chinese.
From the Washington Business Journal December 24-30, 1999
By Jake Richardson, Staff Reporter
The Chinese have a saying: first we become friends, then we do business -- a concept most Americans don't understand.
For a U.S. company to break in to the $1.3 billion consumer market in China, it takes a friend.
That's what D.C.-area resident Bart Fisher is to CBQ.com, a Dallas-based, e-commerce company, and to the Peoples' Republic of China.
A friend.
For instance, business often is discussed over a four-hour meal, which Fisher's partner J. Patrick Dowd says can be like a "scene out of an Indiana Jones movie."
"Bart was once bit by a lobster he later ate," Dowd said, with a laugh.
However, when the meals are over, business decisions come swiftly.
When Fisher hears anti-trade talk, he just waves his hand and dismisses the notion.
He said, "American businesses aren't going to miss this opportunity."
For some Americans (especially the internet) this type of business relationship is absurd.
Another item to be considered is the "Distance Factor" which is an explanatory variable in the theory of international trade and investment. The Chinese enter into joint ventures, partnerships, or any business relationship with usually a close friend, who possesses the necessary background to take care of dealings.
I think you can see just how important it is that the presence of a trusted friend in a particular overseas location is critical to achieve a comfort factor for the psychological distance between China and the US. This indicates that Chinese prefer to have someone that has a history of long service, friendship and loyalty usually based on a previous business relationship and trust.
No one is just going to go to china and get a deal quickly. But most will not understand the culture of China in business and most fail terribly when trying to deal with China.
Hope this helps.
CIIR cash & restricted stock
:-) Gary Swancey |
