The China Factor

Chapter 17The West: Promotion => Customer Relationships and CultureRecommendations for the West

Foreknowledge cannot be gotten from ghosts and spirits, cannot be had by analogy, cannot be found out by calculation. It must be obtained from people, people who know the conditions….

—Sun Tzu, The Art of War

Questions Answered in This Chapter

• How do I get better at targeting customers in emerging markets, the way emerging competitors, such as those from China, do? The usual approach that I use with Western or developed country customers often does not work.
• Emerging entrants, like the Chinese, seem to be very involved with the government-development goals of the targeted emerging market. They are quite localized in their involvement and this seems to win trust. What can I do to develop a similar sentiment with prospective customers?

Chapter Outline

1. (Really) Know Your Customer by Knowing Their Culture
   1. Cultural Dimensions
   2. Trust
2. Know Your Competition
3. Know Yourself
4. Analyze Using the Customer Profile
5. Build Relationships at All Levels
   1. Influence at All Organizational Levels
   2. Go Outside the Organization
6. Help Your Customer Get to Yes More Quickly
   1. Be Flexible and Adapt
   2. Be Nice
   3. More Than “Free Fries”—Crispy Too? Going Above and Beyond
   4. Articulate All That You Bring to the Table
   5. Always Deliver, Do Not Overcommit
7. Practice High-Touch Customer Relations
8. Adopt a Longer-Term View and Approach
   1. Invest and Commit beyond the Signing of the Purchase Order
   2. Example
   3. Embrace a Long-Term ...