Along with all the certifications, standards and other paperwork you have to deal with, you also need to understand how to conduct yourself when dealing with Chinese businesses. There are a number of social and cultural norms you need to know about in China, that are wildly at odds with Western business practices.

At Dragon Import Services, we understand exactly how to work with Chinese businesses in order to get you the best possible import deals. Throughout the years, we’ve built up strong relationships with Chinese suppliers and have amassed a broad cultural knowledge of how to successfully conduct business there.

Whilst there are many small and intricate pieces of business etiquette to remember when conducting business with Chinese companies, we’ve listed 9 of the most important social and cultural things to remember when entering into a business relationship with Chinese companies.

Don’t expect western concepts of time

In China, definitions of time are different and won’t necessarily give you an idea of when an hour passes. For example, in the UK, we generally take noon to mean 12pm. However, in China it’s used to describe any time between 11am and 1pm. If you’re waiting to hear from a Chinese trade partner or need to meet a deadline, this can be an essential factor to remember.

 Shaking hands

In the west, it’s almost natural for us to shake hands upon meeting with our business associates and contacts. However, in China, this expression of affability can be considered both impolite and disrespectful.

When meeting with potential Chinese business associates, don’t be surprised or offended if the most you receive is a small handshake and a more reserved greeting.

Always exchange business cards before your meetings

A brilliant way to show your respect for your Chinese counterpart is to have a double-sided business card with your details in both English and Mandarin. The lack of a business card is similar to western businessmen not shaking hands when meeting, and if you don’t offer one, it will be noticed.

This applies even if you’re already familiar with the position and job title of the person you’re being introduced to. When you receive a business card, ensure you read it and place it in easy sight if you’re sitting at a table.

Learn and understand the intricacies of guanxi

Guanxi has no simple translation to English, but can be described as “Connections and relationships outside the family” and is a foundation of Chinese culture and society. It’s very important in China for people to properly know the people you wish to do business with before you conduct business. Whether, how, why and how business is conducted is based on the relationship you share.

Meals aren’t ‘just meals’

When meeting with Chinese trade associates, you will undoubtedly be invited to lunch or dinner at some point, where it’ll be considered extremely rude to discuss business. That’s not to say there isn’t any business goal achieved by going for a meal, due to the concept of guanxi. Remember that it’s quite common for people who have been absent from you business meetings to attend the dining table.

Remember your table etiquette

In China, it’s believed that good luck is brought with good table manners and that shame is the result of bad table manners. As a westerner, you will find there is too much food at the table (the amount of food on offer is intended to be a sign of the host’s prosperity), but ensure that you at least try every dish there.

Always accept the last serving of the dish the host has singled out as the best, as this has been offered as a sign of hospitality.

Passing over on a toast

Things that don’t happen matter just as much as things that do when it comes to building business relationships in China. Even if you have a legitimate excuse, by declining anything offered from your host, you will inadvertently cast a bad mood over the meeting or meal. If you can’t drink, it’s always best to let your host know before the toasts start.

Expect to be asked a lot of questions

In China, there is no aversion to asking questions not considered polite in the west. Your Chinese business partners will openly ask questions that you wouldn’t consider in the west. Men should expect to be asked about their finances and assets, and women will often be asked about their marital status.

Dignity is valued over profit

When you conduct business in China, you must be aware that directly saying ‘no’ is very unpopular. But refusing, you will cause your associate to lose face (and therefore dignity), an unforgivable act. It’s much more wise and polite to say ‘no’ indirectly.

On the other hand, don’t accept to hear a definite ‘yes’ in business, either. In Chinese business, saying ‘yes’ is more of a flexible concept that can change depending on guanxi.

If you’re looking to import consumer goods, components or other products from China to the UK at highly competitive rates, why not call the experts at Dragon Import Services? Call our friendly and professional team on +44(0)1953 440 047 or send us a message today.

Along with all the certifications, standards and other paperwork you have to deal with, you also need to understand how to conduct yourself when dealing with Chinese businesses. There are a number of social and cultural norms you need to know about in China, that are wildly at odds with Western business practices.

At Dragon Import Services, we understand exactly how to work with Chinese businesses in order to get you the best possible import deals. Throughout the years, we’ve built up strong relationships with Chinese suppliers and have amassed a broad cultural knowledge of how to successfully conduct business there.

Whilst there are many small and intricate pieces of business etiquette to remember when conducting business with Chinese companies, we’ve listed 9 of the most important social and cultural things to remember when entering into a business relationship with Chinese companies.

Don’t expect western concepts of time

In China, definitions of time are different and won’t necessarily give you an idea of when an hour passes. For example, in the UK, we generally take noon to mean 12pm. However, in China it’s used to describe any time between 11am and 1pm. If you’re waiting to hear from a Chinese trade partner or need to meet a deadline, this can be an essential factor to remember.

 Shaking hands

In the west, it’s almost natural for us to shake hands upon meeting with our business associates and contacts. However, in China, this expression of affability can be considered both impolite and disrespectful.

When meeting with potential Chinese business associates, don’t be surprised or offended if the most you receive is a small handshake and a more reserved greeting.

Always exchange business cards before your meetings

A brilliant way to show your respect for your Chinese counterpart is to have a double-sided business card with your details in both English and Mandarin. The lack of a business card is similar to western businessmen not shaking hands when meeting, and if you don’t offer one, it will be noticed.

This applies even if you’re already familiar with the position and job title of the person you’re being introduced to. When you receive a business card, ensure you read it and place it in easy sight if you’re sitting at a table.

Learn and understand the intricacies of guanxi

Guanxi has no simple translation to English, but can be described as “Connections and relationships outside the family” and is a foundation of Chinese culture and society. It’s very important in China for people to properly know the people you wish to do business with before you conduct business. Whether, how, why and how business is conducted is based on the relationship you share.

Meals aren’t ‘just meals’

When meeting with Chinese trade associates, you will undoubtedly be invited to lunch or dinner at some point, where it’ll be considered extremely rude to discuss business. That’s not to say there isn’t any business goal achieved by going for a meal, due to the concept of guanxi. Remember that it’s quite common for people who have been absent from you business meetings to attend the dining table.

Remember your table etiquette

In China, it’s believed that good luck is brought with good table manners and that shame is the result of bad table manners. As a westerner, you will find there is too much food at the table (the amount of food on offer is intended to be a sign of the host’s prosperity), but ensure that you at least try every dish there.

Always accept the last serving of the dish the host has singled out as the best, as this has been offered as a sign of hospitality.

Passing over on a toast

Things that don’t happen matter just as much as things that do when it comes to building business relationships in China. Even if you have a legitimate excuse, by declining anything offered from your host, you will inadvertently cast a bad mood over the meeting or meal. If you can’t drink, it’s always best to let your host know before the toasts start.

Expect to be asked a lot of questions

In China, there is no aversion to asking questions not considered polite in the west. Your Chinese business partners will openly ask questions that you wouldn’t consider in the west. Men should expect to be asked about their finances and assets, and women will often be asked about their marital status.

Dignity is valued over profit

When you conduct business in China, you must be aware that directly saying ‘no’ is very unpopular. But refusing, you will cause your associate to lose face (and therefore dignity), an unforgivable act. It’s much more wise and polite to say ‘no’ indirectly.

On the other hand, don’t accept to hear a definite ‘yes’ in business, either. In Chinese business, saying ‘yes’ is more of a flexible concept that can change depending on guanxi.

If you’re looking to import consumer goods, components or other products from China to the UK at highly competitive rates, why not call the experts at Dragon Import Services? Call our friendly and professional team on +44(0)1953 440 047 or send us a message today.

Pricing– We understand that you’re looking for the best importation prices. By cutting out third party fees, we can make sure we find you the best deal.

Production– Our expert production management team are here to ensure your product is made to your specifications. By monitoring quality and meeting deadlines, we guarantee you a highly professional service.

Delivery– Our professional freight services control your freight from factory gate to warehouse door. Our regular audits and inspections mean that we know exactly where your product is at every point.

Who we are and what we provide for you

Dragon Import Services are UK based import specialists, with offices in both the UK and China. We have the knowledge and facilities needed to handle your products successfully.

NO RISK ordering– We believe that if you’re putting your trust into us as your international import specialists, then we should reward you with the confidence that your money is safe. All your transactions are risk free, with us simply following importation guidelines. Everything we carry out is under your instruction, ensuring all protocols are met to deliver safe trading.

Import management– Our import management services provide a tailored solution from start to finish, handling all your documentation, including customs clearance. Our imports team are ready to deal with your individual requirements, including new designs and marketplace products, providing the ideal solution for your business.

Quality assured– Dragon Import Services are fully insured, allowing us to offer you a guarantee of quality. If the product you signed off during sampling is different from that delivered, we will take full responsibility for the batch, instructing our legal team to work on your behalf and get a new batch delivered free of charge.

Our philosophy

At Dragon Import Services, we love being able to help UK businesses trade successfully with the rest of the world. Importing from China can be highly rewarding for your business and employees, allowing savings to be passed throughout your company.

We strongly believe in cultivating trusted and fair relationships with our clients, allowing us to take away your stress from overseas trading. In return, we offer you a great working relationship, helping your business to succeed and grow.

The team at Dragon Import Services love the diversity in the products we source. We cross into a wide range of industries due to not having our clients competing against each other for the same products.

Ray Brown- Managing Director

For more information about how Dragon Import Services can help you achieve fast, safe and reliable international imports, call +44 (0)1953 440 047 to talk to one of our expert team members.

Product Sourcing services helping you source your products and delivering them straight to your door

Product Sourcing whatever your product or volume, is our job.  Low budgets to Procurement Management, our dedicated staff are on hand to assist your business.

Why get caught out by factory errors, or bogus sellers?  Even down to the cost of shipping once it arrives, its always best to know your costs before ordering or it could end up costing more than its worth.

Product Sourcing is more than just finding the right product.  Placing the factory under contract for the works and agreeing strict terms for production and delivery can illuminate unwanted fees and embarrassments.

Is the product made from a legal material?  Animal firs or other prohibited material can lead to refusal of entry to the destination Country , or even worse a decontamination disposal fee!

Don’t be scared off, but please do be thorough and get some free advice from supportive companies.  Importers don’t tend to charge too much for their services, but make sure your goods are right and ready for you if they do their job correctly.

Managing the order from product sampling to delivery make it easier to manage as we have the relationship with the factory from the start ensuring our contracts and term are adhered to throughout the process.  This should give you peace of mind knowing its on its way once you give us the green light.

Why not visit our site and take a look at how we may help you. Click HERE

or Make a Direct Enquiry HERE

We also like to talk so why not call us direct on 01953 440047 and speak with our dedicated customer service team and get the answers you need.

Buyer’s Introductory Guide to China

Buying from overseas can seem very daunting and with the stigma that surrounds poor quality goods, buyers have a right to be cautious.  This introduction to Buying in China is the perfect guide to get you started or to remind you of those starting points to consider.

Getting the purchase right from day one means the international world remains open to your business and doesn’t leave scares preventing you from those trades that keep you ahead of the game.

Our Introduction to Buying in China provides the following steps, which are only a guide into some of the processes required, to ensure your goods ordered are that what are expected and keeps you trading safe.  This should always be coupled with experience, where possible working with a partner like ourselves taking the stress out of every order.

A good consultancy and sourcing company like ourselves should mean you don’t actually notice any worse price of goods landed from your own sourcing, as we use our experienced staff in China to find the best prices for your product by searching a multitude of factories.  Even with our fees included in the quoted price, we believe they will match or beat your existing price paid; removing all importing, quality and trust issues you may have suffered through doing it yourself.

The following guide is not an exhaustive list of do’s and don’ts, but starts your mind thinking in the right direction for safer trading if going it alone.  Hope this helps and we are always happy to discuss any requirements or concerns you have with your trade.

All 8 points are procedures we have in place using our staff in the UK and China.  By having staff located in China, it reduces the cost for our clients to have to physically travel themselves to sit down and have the meetings.

UK staff in China gives a strong presence as it shows commitment to the negotiations and tell the seller you’re not here to mess around.

8 Useful tips, to always remember when trading with China Factories

1. Is the product you want to buy really the factories “core business”

Many factories quote on product they haven’t made before. And don’t intend making. Does this surprise you?

A hidden secret is most factories trade in product. They won’t tell you this. Enthusiastic sales people will try to get sales however possible. Visiting the factory will reveal what they currently produce.

Without visiting their operations on the ground you don’t know if they are:-

–       a trading company pretending to be a manufacturer

–       a manufacturer trading in product

–       a manufacturer highly experienced at producing exactly what you want!

There are several reasons you want to avoid having product outsourced to an unknown supplier.

Firstly, you cannot monitor or control quality as you don’t know where it’s being made.

Secondly, communication is going through multiple sources; the factory sales person, the second factory sales person; and finally to the technical workers. Lost in translation is likely.

If the manufacturer is not familiar with your product and how to make it, you’ll end up paying for their “education” in creating your product. This is not a situation you want to be in!

2. Assess the standards; sales staff, managers & workers

Do the workers wear uniforms? Does the factory have signs all over saying “Quality is Number One”? Do they have facilities for the workers; basketball courts, canteen etc? Are they busy and currently producing product? Is the warehouse full of materials for upcoming orders? If not, why not? How long have the workers been there? How skilled are they? What is their level of workmanship?

Having visited several quality factories, the workers are in uniforms, the factories are always remarkably clean and well organised. Throughout these factories are massive boards hanging from the ceiling with quotes from the likes of Bill Gates, Edward Deming or big signs showing current defect rates and the targeted defect rates, as in “98% defect free”.

These factories often have multiple production lines and advanced machinery imported from all over the world. They have quality control inspectors at the end of each production line actively removing defects. They don’t leave raw materials or customer’s final product sitting outside exposed to the elements (many suppliers do!).

Without visiting the factory you wouldn’t know any of this.

3. Competitive Research: Who do they currently produce for?

Many factories claim: “we produce for such and such famous brand”. But is this true? Much of the time it’s just a sales pitch – or a greatly exaggerated statement (perhaps they were asked to quote on product by this famous company, or produced one order for them).

When visiting a factory you can see the cartons of other customer’s product and can confirm who they are currently supplying. You will likely know many of the competitor’s products and can research them online.

Online sellers usually have detailed online feedback. This is the most direct verdict on the company’s product you will get.

4. How Important a Customer Are You to the Factory?

You can judge if your orders are too small or too large for this factory. There’s nothing worse than dealing with a factory who doesn’t care for you business, with disinterested sales and production staff.

Many larger factories will openly tell you they subcontract smaller orders to other factories – because they are too busy.

Currently we work with many smaller factories; our purchases make up 10-30% of their sales volume. Do they listen to us and respond quickly to our demands? You bet they do. When Chinese New Year comes around and they have orders backed up – who do you think is first in the queue to get product out?

5. Is the factory undergoing an expansion or buying new equipment?

In some ways an expansion is good. It suggests business is growing which usually means the product is of good enough quality for their customers.

However, there are ugly side effects. Production delays and new workers!

For many products the workers skill makes a big difference. A factory expansion means they are going to hire new workers. And if the workers are inexperienced and not well trained this means more defects and poor quality workmanship.

It can also mean delays in getting orders out – at least short term. They are expanding for a reason. And many factories are expanding because they cannot keep up with current orders!

6. Production Methods and Production Quality

How does the factory produce the product? For example, are the products handmade? Or do they use CNC machines? Do they have advanced equipment suitable to make to your product requirements? What is their actual production method?

Does the factory routinely leave raw materials outside, unprotected to be rained on? Does the factory have well organized areas to stock materials?

Do they have in house labs or testing equipment? Are they using these labs to test raw materials that come in? Or do they have no way to check the raw materials they buy?

Can they show you the processes they take to stop quality issues? Do they have quality inspectors at the end of production lines? Can you see evidence they are actually taking out defective product?

Does the production run quality match the sample quality you have received? Many factories can make an excellent hand sample, but cannot make your product nearly as well in mass production.

7. Packaging – is it suitable?

In my opinion, poor packaging accounts for more defects than anything else. And it’s easy to overlook.

By visiting you can see the standard packaging the supplier uses. Do they package the items well? Do you require better packaging? Factories won’t tell you their standard cardboard is the cheapest possible. You will have to ask for upgrades.

In many products the difference between a 1% defect rate and 5% defect rate is the packaging used.

Check the packaging used, find out the grade of cardboard and ask what levels of packaging they can provide if you pay more.

8. Face to face interaction; problem solving

Nothing beats sitting down with the factory owner and technical workers/engineers. They see you face to face. They know you have travelled a long way to be there. They know you must be reasonably serious.

After all, factories receive a lot of emails from low quality customers asking for pricing, pricing and more pricing!

Sometimes factories just don’t understand what you want done. They just don’t get it. Sometimes there’s a big communication gap between the sales person and the technical person.

Sitting down and going through details with their full attention, not just with the sales person – but with an engineer, designer or technical person can be crucial to get things moving along quickly.

As previously said, this is what we do, day in day out, we can do all the above without you noticing any different to the price you pay; why not give us a call and get your quote today.

Call for further details – 01953 44 00 47 or visit us at dragonimportservices.co.uk for more information on your Introduction to Buying in China