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How to win overseas clients?

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Catherine3823

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Joined: July 29, 2009
Posts: 26

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Posted: July 29, 2009 - 11:05 AM
Post subject: How to win overseas clients?

I want to do a business, mainly to provide consulting service for overseas companies (outside China) when they need to procure presswork on quantity in China. My business will suggest them which printing company in China will be most appropriate and supervise for them to assure the quality of printing work.
Anyone can help me to find such kind of overseas companies and how to win them?

Shangstar

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Joined: Feb 07, 2008
Posts: 2776
Location: Spitland
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Posted: Sep 23, 2009 - 03:44 PM

Overseas companies will only entertain your services if you take risk. Too often Chinese companies take money from foreigners but take little risk.

So, you need to guarantee that the presswork will be of the required quality, otherwise the company will get its money back quickly.

Too often Chinese consultants will act as the "middle man", but when something goes wrong, they say it is nothing to do with them. Fix this, and you will win clients who will pay good money.

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MrPuxi

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Joined: Jan 30, 2008
Posts: 466

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Posted: Sep 23, 2009 - 04:27 PM

shangstar is absolutely right! add value and actual function (be it quality control and actual quality guaranty, risk management etc.), and people will pay for your service.

jasonnoguchi

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Joined: Mar 05, 2005
Posts: 902
Location: From Singapore
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Posted: Sep 23, 2009 - 04:46 PM

The problem is the way Chinese business do business and the reputation of Chinese businesses so far...

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Misteral

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Joined: July 24, 2008
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Posted: Sep 23, 2009 - 04:50 PM

Am I having a groundhog day? This question or something similar is very familiar.

leidelaohu

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Joined: June 11, 2007
Posts: 5746

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Posted: Sep 23, 2009 - 04:57 PM

Misteral wrote:

Am I having a groundhog day? This question or something similar is very familiar.

Yeah, she's got it on a cron job, every six weeks the same message gets reposted. She'll keep this up until she gets an answer she likes.

Last time it ended up "Don't bother, you have nothing to offer." She didn't like that one Very Happy

CoffeeHawk_0
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Joined: July 14, 2005
Posts: 17952

Posted: Sep 23, 2009 - 08:30 PM

2 words: cleavage

trousers

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Posts: 581
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Posted: Sep 23, 2009 - 08:39 PM

CoffeeHawk_0 wrote:

2 words: cleavage

I hate to ask, but what would be the other word?

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leidelaohu

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Joined: June 11, 2007
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Posted: Sep 23, 2009 - 09:05 PM

trousers wrote:

CoffeeHawk_0 wrote:

2 words: cleavage

I hate to ask, but what would be the other word?

It's something of a collective noun ... buffalo gather in a herd, lionesses hunt in a pride, breasts assemble in a cleavage. Let your imagination roam free.

Good point tho, Coffee. If the op has a good set of knockers that's the most likely chance she has to expand her business. Skills are nice to have but nothing trumps a great set of bazooms.

root
Raver
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Joined: Oct 06, 2008
Posts: 417

Posted: Sep 23, 2009 - 09:31 PM
Post subject: Re: How to win overseas clients?

Catherine3823 wrote:

No body know who you are, right ? Nobody know what quality of service you are offered, right ? So, by default, you are just Mrs Piece of Sh1t, right ?

So, YOU CANT SELL IT. But you may try offer you service FOR FREE and after many days you may try ASK FOR MONEY.

This is very simple idea but hard to realize it. Good luck, my small brother.

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Last edited by root on Sep 24, 2009 - 11:12 AM; edited 1 time in total

peterber

Talker

Joined: June 14, 2009
Posts: 120
Location: Shanghai
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Posted: Sep 23, 2009 - 10:40 PM

I suggest that you get a job with a local print outsourcer for a few few years before you start your business - learn how it works first. You're obviously not ready if you have to ask how to do your business here on this bulletin board.

Adrienne

SuperStar

Joined: Mar 01, 2003
Posts: 1433
Location: Shanghai, China
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Posted: Sep 23, 2009 - 11:01 PM

leidelaohu wrote:

breasts assemble in a cleavage

Wow, I never knew my breasts were assembled in my cleavage. I always thought they kinda just hung on. Shocked

Adrienne

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Shangstar

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Joined: Feb 07, 2008
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Location: Spitland
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Posted: Sep 23, 2009 - 11:03 PM

only if you've got a pair of swingers on you Adrienne, as opposed to a fused cleavage

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Andreas
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Joined: Feb 27, 2004
Posts: 9140
Location: s/v Waratah

Posted: Sep 24, 2009 - 12:35 AM
Post subject: Re: How to win overseas clients?

Catherine3823 wrote:

Just be honest. It would make a huge difference, and it would be highly appreciated.
AND, you would be the first!

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ziccawei

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Joined: Sep 12, 2008
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Posted: Sep 24, 2009 - 12:56 AM

Adrienne wrote:

leidelaohu wrote:

breasts assemble in a cleavage

Wow, I never knew my breasts were assembled in my cleavage. I always thought they kinda just hung on. Shocked

Adrienne

Birds of a feather assemble together.

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CoffeeHawk_0
Board Deity

Joined: July 14, 2005
Posts: 17952

Posted: Sep 24, 2009 - 07:06 AM

An assembly of breasts sounds better than a gaggle of breasts, as in a gaggle of geese.

Renovator

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Joined: Apr 18, 2007
Posts: 1429
Location: Century Park & MA,USA
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Posted: Sep 24, 2009 - 08:30 AM
Post subject: Re: How to win overseas clients?

Catherine3823 wrote:

Is there not something wrong with the premise that you are out to win an overseas client? Business in the Western world is not a lottery of throwing out low prices and promises of looking after the work in China expecting a business relationship to develop. This mentality alone is enough to discourage anyone from overseas doing business with you. It seems to me that a more appropriate question would be:

How do you earn the privilege of a long term business relationship with an overseas client?

Just a thought you may want to ponder.

leidelaohu

Board Lord

Joined: June 11, 2007
Posts: 5746

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Posted: Sep 24, 2009 - 10:37 AM
Post subject: Re: How to win overseas clients?

Renovator wrote:

Just a thought you may want to ponder.

If she were the pondering type she'd have started pondering the last time, when you went to the trouble to write 23 column inches explaining what she would need to do to get and retain clients.

She has no intention of doing what it takes to run a business -- except for the billng part. Must be Shanghainese.

txaggie07

Reacher

Joined: Aug 10, 2007
Posts: 295

Status: Offline

Posted: Sep 24, 2009 - 11:02 AM

I think take "win" out of your vernacular in regards to clients. You don't "win" clients like you win money. You build relationships, provide value, exceptional service, and keep offering what the client needs at a good price and most importantly value. If you do this, then they will keep coming back. No need to "win" them, they will come to you after you build your reputation. Unfortunately, as previously stated, very very few Chinese have been able to do that.

Shangstar

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Joined: Feb 07, 2008
Posts: 2776
Location: Spitland
Status: Offline

Posted: Sep 25, 2009 - 02:01 PM

yes, to win clients you need to invest time and money beforehand for no intitial return. This means spending money on foreigners in return for nothing initially. This may sound alien to you, but that's how it works in the cut throat business of "consulting". A client needs to trust its consultant, and trust does not appear overnight, neither is it given to you on a plate. Trust is earned over time, and you cannot speed that up. So start speaking with foreigners, advising foreigners on the print business, take them to lunch, buy them drinks, offer to make free introductions....there are lots of things you can do. But as a consultant, you will only earn over time, through your PROVEN reputation. Once you earn a client's trust, they will pay you well.

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leidelaohu

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Posted: Sep 25, 2009 - 02:50 PM

Shangstar wrote:

So start speaking with foreigners, advising foreigners on the print business, take them to lunch, buy them drinks, offer to make free introductions....there are lots of things you can do..

Excellent advice, Catherine. I may be free this weekend for some practice sessions. How about you put up a suggestive photo for inspection, then possibly we can make arrangements for your initial training period ?