As a fast-growing marketplace and a huge supplier, China can be a critical part in almost any company’s global strategy. In How to Negotiate Anything with Anyone Anywhere Around the World, Frank Acuff offers pointers for effectively navigating negotiations in China:
Let the leader lead. The highest-ranking person of your negotiating team should lead the group when entering a business meeting.
Be reserved and dignified in your personal style. Loud, overly expressive behaviour is perceived as very offensive.
Give yourself plenty of room to negotiate. Chinese negotiators are characterized by a soft sell and a hard buy. Extreme initial offers are the norm, and the Chinese will be offended if there are not sizeable concessions.
Don’t go it alone. The Chinese prefer to deal with a group rather than a single negotiator. Be sure to have technically competent engineers and other experts with you.
