Getting Past the Chinese Gate-keeper
If you do sales in China, then you probably want to develop some new ways of getting past the “gatekeeper” and reaching the real decision-maker. One of the big differences between Chinese and Western selling is the degree of access to the real decision-maker. In the US, you will usually have to meet the decision maker before anything happens. It’s part of normal due-diligence. But in China it is quite common for a deal to be done without the salesman ever meeting the true decision-maker. If your strategy is to get around the gatekeeper, you may be wasting your time. You are better off turning the gatekeeper into a messenger or a supporter. Check out the full article for more details.
Experienced Chinese salesmen talk about another option — going around the gatekeeper and making contact with the boss directly. I call this one “ambushing the decision-maker”. It’s great if it works, but make sure that your relationship with the boss is strong enough to offset the blind hatred that the gatekeeper will feel for you. A high risk stategy, here in China. Use with care.
What about giving gifts to gatekeepers to make them more cooperative. To be honest, I was a little surprised to find out that this is still a common practice in developed markets like Shanghai. If you feel that this is really beneficial, then go for it. But it’s definitely NOT a good idea when approaching international firms. Even Chinese members of an international DMU (decision-making unit) will probably shy away from the practice. While illegal in the US, there is a much more compelling reason for the gift-giving habit to leave the business scene. I can’t think of a single Western business owner or high-level manager who wouldn’t fire a junior manager who took gifts in exchange for access to the DMU. If anyone is going to benefit from a purchasing or partnership agreement, it should be the company owners, shareholders and senior managers. Junior managers who take gifts are considered to be stealing from the boss, and are rarely given a second chance.