When attending business meeting in China, there are cultural customs that needs to be taken into account. Language isn’t an issue anymore, as nowadays most sales staff as well as business owners speak decent English. Yet, there’s still some cultural differences that needs to be bridged. Follow this guide to prepare yourself perfectly for a Chinese business meeting! Arrive early This is a do that is quite normal everywhere but do try to arrive more early before a meeting. Chinese are very punctual in a business setting. So by coming earlier you make a good image for yourself. Business Cards Exchange When meeting your host, you’ll see the ritual of exchanging business cards will follow. It’s important to use both your hands when giving and receiving business cards! A few more tips: Do not write on the received business card, that’s considered rude. Have your business card translated in the local language. While your host likely can read English, having a translated side of your business card, shows that you’re well prepared and professional. Use formal titles When you are having a meeting with your Chinese associates, always address them by titles. i.e. Director Wu, Chairman Chen. If you don’t know somebody yet, just start with “xian sheng” or “xiao jie,” which means Mister or Miss/Mrs in Chinese. It is very important to keep in mind someone’s family name, which comes before the first name of a Chinese person. ( As in “Yao Ming”,“Yao” is the family name.) Other tips: Try not to frown when you having a conversation with your Chinese host. This might look like you disagree with what the person is telling you. Seniority is vital in China. You need to be sensitive to rankings and be respectful to the elders in a Chinese company or organization. Greet the elders and seniors before the others, especially when dealing with government officials. The Chinese prefer face-to-face meetings rather than written or by telephone. When you are in China always try to have face-to-face communication. Contact by mail, phone or Skype is taken less serious. Communicate Your Dinner Preferences If you go for a dinner and you don’t like some of Chinese food please let your host knows ahead of time. You may feel this is rude, but if you don’t and you don’t eat it will be considered an insult and lose “Face” of your host. This is a big thing in China and definitely make you lose that business opportunity. Sometimes a good host will ask you proactively what you like. In such case, don’t shy away, and simply tell him/her your preferences. Do not open a gift directly when receiving When you receive a gift from your host never open it in front of them! This could embarrass your host and also is not common. Only when your host keep insist to open it you can do it. In other cultures this is quite normal. Get used to lengthy meetings When you are at a meeting with a group of Chinese people, you may experience it to be very lengthy. That’s normal in China. The Chinese love to discuss everything and even take small breaks in between. During the meeting there may even be frequent periods of silence. The reason for such long meetings is that meetings are often attended by more people relative to the West. In Western countries, people want to limit the amount of attendants and meet effectively and fast. In China, the meetings could get extremely lengthy, with the speaker giving those long pauses during the speech. You may feel uncomfortable as a Westerner, but it would be a bad idea to interrupt them. Try to be patient and understandable during such meetings. Periods of silence are considered acceptable and can be expected while having a conversation with Chinese. Especially after a question is asked to them. Avoid interrupting them or showing displeasure through facial or eye movements. Be patient. |
| FOLLOW US： |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |