Doing Business in China: Words of Wisdom

Introduction

During my early years working in China, I made many mistakes and learnt from them. One of the working attitudes and habits I practiced was being extremely curious. I was hungry to gain experience and to learn, fast. So, it may surprise you that I remembered and took down some of the words of wisdom I collected from talking to industry leaders, businessmen and government officials.

I still keep to them and they have served me well when I conduct business in China and when I serve clients in their consulting projects.

Words of Wisdom
Here are some of them:

(1) It matters not who you know; who knows you is that which matters.

(2) Always seek to give help to others before they request it; favours are owed to you, collect them when the occasion arises.

(3) Never embarrass your prospective client or your partner. When possible, make them feel and look extremely good. Chinese people enjoy that very much.

(4) I have 3 pieces of advice for you; connections, connections and connections.

(5) When you meet with a business problem, don’t waste time resolving it the right way. Go straight to the person who can resolve the problem, make a connection and have cash on hand.

(6) Monetary benefit is the greatest motivation in China. Remember this.

(7) You must present yourself as a successful businessman. Do not sound or look desperate for business. Chinese people do not like to associate with desperate persons.

(8) Guard your value-add, where possible increase it. Chinese people are capable of duplicating your value-add.

(9) To safeguard your interests, get the other person or organization to be in the same boat as you. Sharing the same stake is good protection of your investments.

(10)China is made up of several different markets. Not all of them are addressable to you.

(11)Display integrity and commitment. Chinese people appreciate it and they will keep doing business with you.

(12)You are not the only entrepreneur in China. There are thousands of others like you. What sets you apart is the amount of time you spend in building connections, you are professional and committed.

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Problem Solving: Tried & Tested

Introduction

I like to keep things simple. Life as it is has uncountable challenges for us each day. Those of us who are managing our own business, problems are never-ending. Keeping things simple, thus, makes life and business easier to manage.

I learnt primarily through observations, having a keen sense of curiosity and the courage to try better ways when I fail.

I’d like to share what I’ve learnt and tried with you. Please bear in mind the content I’m sharing is what I have used in my work and business. I hope it will be helpful to you as it is for me.

#1: Solving a Problem – What do you know about your problem?

“What’s the problem?”. This is the first question I will ask whenever there are challenges preventing me from my desired outcome.

Thus, the first thing I do when I encounter an obstacle is to find out or define clearly just what the problem is.

I usually define my problem by describing the desired outcome first. This will keep my efforts in solving the problem focus on achieving my desired outcome. It will also help you better understand the problem you are facing.

Then, I describe the problem using simple words eliminating ambiguities. I keep it short, sweet and easy for any reader to understand the problem.

#2 Solving a Problem – What do you not know about your problem?

When I have clearly and concisely described the problem, my mind will undoubtedly scan possible solutions to the problem. To help me think better, I want to find out what I do not know about the problem.

By doing this, I am actually identifying key questions and key issues regarding the problem. Further, I will uncover any ‘blind-spots’ to the problem at hand such as assumptions, biases and beliefs.

In most instances, I usually find resolution to the problem when I can satisfactorily answer the key questions.

#3 Solving a Problem – What do you need to find out?

Having key questions require me to find answers to them because it will help me solve my problem. To do this, I need to clarify what I need to find out.

This step is usually rather straight-forward if I have clearly identify the problem and key questions. I need to remind myself, however, to keep the items on my “To Find Out” list as relevant as possible to the key questions.

When you have gathered sufficient information on what you need to find out, the next step is to synthesize the information such that you will be able to answer the key questions. By this time, you will be very clear on what is hindering you from your desired outcome and come up with a resolution to the problem.


End


I hope this short post will be helpful to you. Let me know if you'd like to discuss problem solving further. I'm particularly interested in this topic.

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Problem-Solving Technique: Tried & Tested

Hi all,

I've been up to my neck in projects. I took some time during lunch today to consider the topic for my next blog article. As you can guess from this blog title, I will be writing on problem-solving techniques that I've tried and tested in my projects and work.

So watch out this space for the article.

Cheers everyone!

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Best Practice: Living it Out

You may notice near the top of my blog I have put out a "best practice: living it out" section. I have been putting into practice values, habits and best practices I have learnt from business individuals, books and past experiences.

When you live out or put into practice a certain value or habit, and do it consistently over a period of time, you will see direct benefits to your business and personal lives.

This is the reason why I would like to share with you each best practice I'm putting into practice every week.

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First Post

Well, I finally get to start my own blog. I've been putting it off for some time now and have been deliberating which blog site to go with. Several of my friends recommended blogger so here I am. :)

Blogger is easy to use despite my maiden attempt at blogging. Steve Pavlina's site really helped me alot when I started blogging. Do bear with me as I continue to personalize my blog. Over the next few days, I will put up articles and blogs on topics that I'd like to share to with you, and hopefully add to our marketplace experiences as you give comments and feedbacks.

The topics will essentially revolve around my business consulting experiences in Asia Pacific, what I have learnt & the best practices in managing & doing business; all of these are aimed at marketplace leaders and business owners (esp. SME - small-medium enterprise).

For a more detailed bio on what I do and who I am, you may refer to the section aptly named "long bio on brian chan" on the right. :)

Last but not least, I hope you enjoy the blogs and articles I will be putting up for discussion.

Happy surfing and blogging!

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