Integrate Chinese and Western Sales Strategies w/ Francis Kremer

International Trade Resources Podcast

Today on the International Trade Resources Podcast, our host Kim Kirkendall is joined by Francis Kremer. Francis works in China and has been for about six years. He's the sales and marketing director for Juli Automotive, an electric vehicle (EV) motor company. In this podcast he shares insights on managing teams and the differences between selling to domestic and foreign customers in China.

We begin the episode talking about how Francis found a job working in China after working unsatisfactorily in Germany. He realized he could stay in Germany on this path, or pursue work in China. His first job was with a German company in China, but it wasn't the best fit. However he learned a lot about how Chinese companies operate and he eventually moved to his current company Juli Automotive.

Francis discusses the challenges and benefits for domestic companies selling into China compared to foreign companies. Foreign companies, such as American, German, Italian, and Japanese, have a big advantage because what they sell in China is a product they’ve developed for decades. They’ve developed deep technical knowledge, so Chinese consumers like working with them. However, it comes with culture and language barriers, which Francis describes.

Francis then discusses Chinese companies and how they compares to foreign companies. For Chinese companies, helping them establish credibility and trust with the customer is important to building success when working in foreign customers. Francis also covers certain challenges he faces as a foreigner working in China, such as transparency, skills, and trust.

Finally, Francis and Kim discuss creating a system that encourages spontaneity and still establishes procedures. Many foreign managers struggle with not getting much detail back from their Chinese teams - and on this podcast we talk about why that happens. Because of the lack of transparency - foreign management can be concerned. That is why transparency and building trust are key, both for domestic and international team members. Listen now for all this and more on the International Trade Resources Podcast!

Things you’ll learn

• The benefits of domestic vs foreign selling styles with Chinese customers
• How Francis manages to build trust as a foreign manager working in China
• Advice on how to build a more efficient team based in trust

Episode Sponsors:

Acclime China:

https://china.acclime.com/

Corporate Services and full Accounting/CPA/Tax for China.

Website: www.intltraderesources.com

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