Archive for the ‘Articles’ Category
Tuesday, May 6th, 2008
Forget the traditional Oxbridge boat race, here’s the Manchester-Salford equivalent!
B2B International is donating money to the North West’s Two Cities Boat Race on 10th May, an annual event at Salford Quays where thousands watch university rowing teams from Manchester and Salford fight with sculls.
Nick Hague, director at the Bramhall-based business-to-business market research agency, says:
This race presses many buttons for us. Both universities are valued clients so it’s an opportunity to support them. Also, money from the donation is given to SPARKS, a fantastic charity that supports medical research for children. What’s more, the Chinese Dragon Boat Race, which takes place alongside the main Regatta event, is of great interest to us as B2B has an office in Beijing and does a lot of work throughout China.
Dragon Boat Racing has established itself as the UK’s favourite mass participation water sport (allegedly) so B2B is planning to enter a team next year…once 17 staff have practiced their team-building and rowing techniques!
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Thursday, April 3rd, 2008
Part 3 - Language
In the final extract of our three-part series on effective communication with businesses in China, we tackle the crucial issue of language.
The official language of China is Mandarin Chinese (also known as Putonghua). Although there are many, many dialects across China (including the popular Cantonese, which is spoken in Hong Kong and surrounding areas), Mandarin is taught and used in schools and universities.
There are two types of written Chinese characters: simplified and traditional. In general, simplified Chinese should be employed for communication with a mainland Chinese audience.
Since there are tens of thousands of Chinese characters whose written form gives little indication of pronunciation, a phonetic spelling system using the Latin alphabet (called pinyin) is increasingly used nowadays to help Chinese children and foreigners alike to improve their spoken language skills. Pinyin is helpful to Westerners since it translates Chinese characters into a recognisable form and also indicates which of the four ‘tones’ of Mandarin should be used. You should note that pinyin is generally not used as a form of written communication.
One exception to this rule is that in major mainland Chinese cities you can often find street names and subway signs shown in pinyin as well as in Chinese characters. English speakers will also be relieved to know that translations into English are increasingly common, especially in tourist areas. This is likely to become even more prevalent in the run up to the Beijing Olympics. Similarly, the frequency and standard of English spoken in hotels and taxis, etc. will only increase in the future.
As with any foreign language, it will help considerably if you are willing and able to speak Mandarin, even if it’s a case of just learning a few basic phrases. In addition to helping you when you encounter people who simply don’t speak a word of English, there is no doubt that people will appreciate that you have made an effort and it will go some way to breaking the ice for those business negotiations.
Further useful information on conducting business in China can be found in B2B International’s white papers:
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Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008
Part 2 - Face-to-face
In the second of our three-part guide to communicating with Chinese businesses, we look at the ways in which you communicate better once you actually get to that all-important meeting.
In exactly the same way that many Chinese are impressed by a professional-looking corporate website, PowerPoint presentations are used by forward-looking Chinese companies. The same is expected of Western companies, and the more effort that has gone into producing an impressive presentation, the more credibility your organisation will garner. Given the difficulties of language barriers, PowerPoint presentations provide an excellent opportunity to summarise your company through clear, succinct bullet points and by using a whole manner of graphs, pie charts and other diagrams.
Interpreters and translators will likely be crucial to conducting business successfully in China. Since any interpreter or translator may effectively become your negation partner, you should always brief them fully in advance. It may be advisable to take your own interpreter rather than rely on one provided by the company you are visiting. If you can’t get a recommendation through a business contact, the China-Britain Business Council is one organisation that can arrange interpreters for you.
Always make sure you speak clearly and in ‘manageable’ sentences. Repeat crucial information to ensure that this is communicated properly. Write down any large numbers to avoid mistranslation and misunderstandings. Make sure you have explained any key industry terminology to your interpreter in advance of the meeting. Avoid the use of jargon and jokes, as these may get lost in translation and risk causing confusion or offence. Finally, although you may not understand everything that’s being said in the meeting, observe the body language of your clients to get a feel for how things are progressing and to understand who might be the more important players and decision makers in the room.
Further useful information on conducting business in China can be found in B2B International’s white papers:
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Tuesday, April 1st, 2008
Part 1 of 3 – Modern Technology
If you were asked to get in touch with a company in China, chances are you’d wonder how easy it would be to get hold of the right person and get your exact message across. Active UK China Publications gives some handy hints on things to consider if you’re tasked with communicating with a Chinese company. More expert tips, based on B2B International’s first-hand knowledge of conducting business in China, are available in our white papers Market Research in China and China and the Outsourcing Opportunities.
It goes without saying that all the mod cons we use in day-to-day business are prevalent in China. In fact, chances are that they are probably all made in China! This of course means that Chinese businesspeople tend to have access to landlines, mobiles, fax machines and emails.
In many respects, Chinese mobile phone numbers will be more useful to you than a landline telephone number. Mobile telephones are extensively used in China, and business calls will frequently be taken outside of working hours or during meetings. This is clearly advantageous from a business point of view, especially given the significant time difference between the UK and China, but you may therefore want to show restraint when handing out your own mobile phone number!
In China, fax machines still play a very important role in business, unlike in the West where email has become the indispensable tool of choice. Not all businesses have reliable high speed internet/email connections, and in more traditional companies individual employees may all still share a single generic email address. Faxes, meanwhile, are seen to provide fast and safe (i.e. virus-free) delivery to the recipient, whilst providing proof of a document’s origin and source. Another key advantage is that many Chinese find it easier and quicker to handwrite Chinese characters than to type them. Of course, like with any fax, you would need to ensure that any confidential documents are expected by the recipient, to ensure that they are not read by co-workers in the office.
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Monday, March 17th, 2008
When the US sneezes, everybody else catches a cold – or at least, that’s what we’re all led to believe. If this is indeed the case, what does 2008 have in store for b2b marketers around the world?
According to a recent online study conducted by B2B Magazine, a majority of the 684 b2b marketers questioned (58.3%) have not revised their original marketing budgets for 2008 in the face of concerns over a possible US economic recession. 29.4% have revised their marketing budgets down, yet a further 12.3% have actually revised their budgets up.
Marketing budgets often become the first casualties during economic downturns, yet ironically, this is really the time when it’s more important than ever to communicate closely with your existing customers and make potential customers aware of what you can offer to them. The key is to use your budgets wisely in order to ensure maximum efficiency and return on investment.
In the US-based survey, of those who have reduced their marketing budgets in anticipation of a possible downturn, 45.3% are making cuts in print; 17.3% in events; 10.0% in broadcast, 8.7% in direct marketing, 6.0% in online and 2.0% in outdoor. The biggest winners, amongst those who are increasing their spend, include: online (48.5%); direct marketing (16.5%); events (13.5%); print (9.0%) and broadcast (3.0%).
Whether we are all in for a rough ride over the coming months is still open to debate somewhat, but don’t fall into the trap of putting the brakes on your marketing spend, or you’re certain to pay the price in the not-too-distant future.
More useful information can be found at:
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