The China Ready to Export Program had another outstanding event on Friday the 8th of April with over 20 people fully engaged in our workshop. Leonie Mckeon lead a really in depth discussion on the Chinese culture using round table discussion , group activities and her fountain of knowledge and experience to enlighten us on the most beneficial way to approach the China Market.
After letting everyone introduce themselves and explain why they attended the session, Leonie gave several examples of what the China Market is currently looking for that fit each person individually and added a personal connection to the conversation.
Some of the topics that Leonie went over were:
- Chinese mindset and cultural values
- Hierarchy
- Written and unwritten rules: the ‘yes’ that may mean ‘no’
- 36 Stratagems as a reflection of Chinese negotiating culture
- Business meeting etiquette
- Some essential Chinese words
Some hot tips that were learnt on the day were about just how different we are culturally, for example in when meeting someone in Australia you might ask them where they are from to get an idea of who you are dealing with, whereas in China the question would be “Whom do you know?”
Leonie explain that before getting into the China Market, it would be wise to become as informed as possible in Chinas Political and economic standpoint. Knowing exactly what direction China’s leaders are heading in will help you morph your business into something that is extremely valuable solution.
My personal favourite part of the presentation was when Leonie was explaining some of the 36 Stratagems that should be known when dealing with the Chinese culture. One that sit well with me was:
Strategy
Lure the tiger down the mountain
Never directly attack a well-entrenched opponent. Instead lure him away from his stronghold and separate him from his source of strength.
It was nice to get the perspective of an Australian who has gone through this process many times over and was able to better explain the differences to us in a way that was easy to understand and accurate. We had a very informative participant who was raised in China who confirmed everything that Leonie was describing.
The RDA would like to once again thank Leonie for a wonderful presentation and for everyone who managed to attend.