1. Take the get rich quick stories lightly: A launch in China, while holding phenomenal potential also takes a lot of heart to see through. There are dangers like misreading Chinese consumer habits, copycat competitors setting up faster than lightning, long periods of no visible returns, struggles with a workforce from a totally different culture, the list rolls out continually. Once the down sides are understood however, the potential sales campaign (considering good points and bad) can be conducted with a clear mind.

2. Look at your strategy: Does your company really want to explore new sales market? Total commitment is needed to break into a Far East Asian market place such as China. How far into the future do you look? The “We’ll clean up quickly here” mentality is often followed by excessive cash burn and a bemused collapse. Give yourself a 5 to 10 year horizon to build a worthwhile business; patience pays untold dividends in China.

3. Compare your offering: You will be going head to head against others in the most fiercely competitive market in the world. Your product or service offering needs firstly to be something that’s hard to emulate, secondly, have equal or better quality than theirs and thirdly, have something of the mystique of being foreign to the Chinese consumers. Foreign companies that reach kudos level in the Chinese high street have these traits (e.g. KFC, Starbucks).

4. Do your Market Research: The Chinese middle class is growing fast. While perhaps around 50-100m people right now, some predict it to be 250m people by 2011 and 520m by the year 2025. The clever ones are starting now, testing and learning, finding out what works and what doesn’t. When your learning period has identified your sweet spot in the market, then you can roll out wider scale (note: B&Q have used this strategy for the last 7 years to great effect).

5. Do your sums: No company can survive for long selling at less than cost price. Plan your financials thoroughly. Start with a 5 to 10 year ball park long range forecast, blending it with your overall company objective. Then break this down to the quantifiable first 2 years, getting real figures supplied by real people in China. Make sure that these figures are not being supplied by potential suppliers that could be understating costs so as to maximise the chances of getting your business.

6. Do your due diligence: This is a high priority in China. It’s a long distance from here and there are many pretenders. Make sure the business partnerships you build are with competent people who are in the place they say they are, can do the things they say they can, and have a good track record of getting things done properly. Get copies of their business licence, check references thoroughly, go to their office, meet them, and ask them the tough of questions before any deals are struck.

7. Talk to other operators: These tend to be the closest relating people to you that you will find in China. Although some of them could be in competition with you, most Brits I have met in China have been very helpful. There are many expat and business chambers that will lend a supportive hand and help out with knowledge. US and European organisations are also very helpful.

8. Watch the high street first hand: Spend some time watching how the Chinese shop. If you can take a local Chinese friend along to help you understand the mechanics of how people do business in the high street do so, it will expedite your understanding of how it works..

9. Formalise your network: Pay particular attention to your Chinese partners. Don’t forget that this is their market and you are the outsider. They are helping you to come into their world. When the time comes, spend time training them to fit well with your company but remember always that they’re the ones who really know the people who dwell in this market, not you. Make him or her earn your trust by complying with solid company procedure, and then trust them to do the job.

10. Keep learning: The fact that nothing stands still in China opens up some veryinteresting opportunities for fit businesses. Mighty western giants sometimes have toperform tactical withdrawals while small sole traders can sometimes build hundred people companies. Why? Because the small guys ask questions and listen for answers and some of those giants think that they already have the answers because they are successful in other markets, this almost guarantees spectacular failure. If you want to sell successfully into China do yourself a favour; never stop learning about the market and the interesting people in it.

For more information visit the Modern Management Worldwide website at

www.momaworldwide.com