Ever wondered if you could deal directly with
manufacturers... in China?! It's easier than you think.
First Impressions:
I visited China in Autumn 2005 with a group of business
associates and must admit that I was amazed, both by the
warm reception we received wherever we went, and at the
factories we toured. Having never been there before, and
having only news accounts of ¡°difficulties¡± between China
and the U.S. to fuel my imagination, I assumed things would
be overly formal and official at best¡ at worst, cold¡ and
we would be ¡°watched¡± constantly. I was so wrong on both
counts. We were treated as welcome visitors and had only
to ask the hotel staff for something to have it almost
magically produced.
Lost in Translation:
Outside of the hotels and manufacturing facilities, doing
business in the streets and in small shops was, at most
times, terribly difficult. We had arranged our factory visits
and business meetings with our contacts in China, and there
were no problems on that side when it came to language.
But once we stepped out on our own, we rarely found
anyone ¨C even in tourist gift shops ¨C who could
communicate in English at all. Next time I visit China, I¡¯ll
hopefully be armed with a few more basic Mandarin phrases,
but for everyone visiting, even just for leisure, I¡¯d
recommend hiring translators to assist you.
Cash in China:
Another word of warning: business owners back home in
the States may be suitably impressed by your Gold Card, but
to the Chinese shopkeeper it's just a pretty piece of plastic
that won't buy a cup of Chinese tea. Even in the large
cities, you¡¯re going to have to carry around Chinese Yuan
(aka Renminbi) in cash if you want to be able to go shopping
or eat at a restaurant. I have to say, the upside of this is
that you won¡¯t find yourself going over budget. But with
the incredibly low Chinese retail prices, that probably
wouldn¡¯t happen anyway.
Low Retail Prices:
Once you've overcome the communication difficulties you'll
be amazed to find the bargains you'll find in the small shops.
For a start, it's an electronics paradise. Just make sure you
do your homework on what will and won't work back in the
States. Of course it is easy to load yourself up with personal
purchases, but the real value is getting even more ideas of
attractive products to start selling back home.
Factories in China:
Our visit to a manufacturing plant in Huizhou left us all . . .
well, 'impressed' hardly seems like a strong enough word.
The building, on the outside was sort of drab looking with
banners hanging here and there but inside was quite a
different story. First of all we were treated as if we were
VIPs instead of mid-level managers from Kenosha. Most
importantly, however, the level of automation in this factory
was remarkable, even by American standards and, when you
look at the numbers, you see that the productivity is really
impressive. It's no longer a mystery to this American why
China is finding such a willing market in America.
Back Again:
I wish I had more than the seven days we were able to stay
in China, but it won¡¯t be long before I¡¯m back, this time with
a group of my friends who have been listening to me talking
about the business opportunities since I got back¡ and who
now want to go out there to get a piece of the action for
themselves.
Source: http://www.ArticlePros.com/author.php?Rose Lee
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