In this other post we gave some tips for price negotiation in China. However, we wanted to expand the information a little with this set of five essential tips that we missed:
1. Don't send young people to negotiate. In Chinese culture, age is a symbol of wisdom and power, so it is not advisable to send a twenty-something to a negotiation if it takes place face to face.
2. Negotiate between staff of the same level. To a Chinese person it can feel humiliating to be the owner of the company while the person trying to negotiate with them is just a salesperson with no decision-making power.
3. Don't go to negotiate alone, because they never will be. China has a collectivist culture, which implies that they tend to do things in groups rather than individually. Showing up alone to a negotiation suggests a lack of interest and also puts us in a psychologically inferior position when sitting with five or six strangers at the same table.
4. Take your time to figure out who is in charge. In China, all employees tend to be given grand titles to make them feel good. The consequence is that you will find departments where everyone is "manager" of something. You have to talk to people to find out who actually makes decisions in the area of your negotiation.
5. Keep up appearances. Stay at a good hotel and rent an Audi or a Mercedes, invite them to eat at a good restaurant, dress in branded clothes and accessories. Appearances are far more important in China than in the West, and you should not hesitate to use this tool to your advantage (as long as you can afford it, of course).
I don't think these are the typical China negotiation tips you will read everywhere; we hope they are useful to you!
If you would like to import from China, please do not hesitate to contact us with no obligation.