Making Sales in China – Talk About Awkward!

Posted by Michael Michelini on Jul 15 2008

man….not only am I a foreigner here…but now I am selling to Chinese…after pushing www.98products.com pretty hard getting some sample orders and small bar orders. I can do it….it is a price first, quality second game – but I can meet or beat most prices.

The awkward part comes from my not being able to speak chinese….the customer in China finds me online, comes to my office, and my staff chat with them….I sign the receipt, shake hands…..but man…i neeed to communicate with my customers!

Piotrek

i like the 98 products graphic you’ve got going on here. I like the line where you can meet and/or beat the prices. you are really showing the chinese what it’s all about and they are learning from you sucking it in. So just continue doing what you do. Don’t worry about the language. Hire people to talk and translate for you. You don’t need to speak chinese to sell!
http://blog.michaelmichelini.com mike

thanks dude, 2 and a half years later i get to comment here (the blogger system was blocked in china then)
http://blog.michaelmichelini.com/2010/12/i-have-to-learn-to-master-the-chinese-language.html I have to learn to Master the Chinese language!

[...] then tried selling bar products in China and I got nervous, and I realized I needed to rely on my staff completely…for the whole sales [...]
http://blog.michaelmichelini.com/2010/12/searching-for-products-to-import-sell-in-china.html Searching For Products to Import & Sell In China

[...] have talked about local sales tactics in China and gotten some experience selling Chinese bar products , but had taken a break from it for the majority of 2010….looking to get back involved in [...]
http://blog.michaelmichelini.com/2011/04/launching-new-chinese-ecommerce-shop-cashncarry-cn.html Launching New Chinese Ecommerce Shop – CashnCarry.cn

[...] 98products I learned the hard way, Chinese shopping carts, payment gateways, baidu SEM campaigns and mistakes….jeez I learned the hardest way possible I think, but I learn by being on the ground. I will be adding the Chinese bar products to the cashncarry line of products, along with the photograph camera accessories, photo albums, video game supplies. Talking to a Shenzhen product designer, Karta, about selling his bike accessories in China too, as well as a whole line of products from friends and contacts in USA, Iceland, and other countries. [...]

About

American ecommerce guy, I've been living in South China - Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Dongguan (+ a touch of Philippines) since end of 2007.

Successfully selling online since 2004, took it fulltime early 2007. Love international business & connecting, and working on ways to give hard working people global opportunities. (Read More...)