GrandageConsulting

Business success in China through strong relationships

Three Scams To Watch Out For When Trading with China

Oct 25, 2018
2 min

Three Scams To Watch Out For When Trading with China

These three scams, or variations on them, could occur when doing business anywhere in the world. I’ve had to assist UK businesses regarding all three of them recently, with regards to communications they’ve had with China. Read on… 1.Notarisation of contracts Imagine that you're a manufacturer or supplier and you receive an unexpected enquiry from China. How exciting! You develop the enquiry over several weeks, and get to the point where you’re both ready to sign a contra

New case study - Güralp Systems Ltd.

Country risk - it's no laughing matter

May 14, 2018
4 min

Country risk - it's no laughing matter

Three questions and a pig When assessing a country as a potential export market, we ask three questions: 1) What are the benefits of this opportunity? 2) What are the costs? 3) What are the risks? And what might a pig have to do with any of this? Read on and you’ll see. Assessing an opportunity’s benefits involves working out the size of the market for your product, how fast it’s growing, and possible price points. Also, you’ll consider secondary operational benefits such as

Finding the right distributor for you in China - top tips

Feb 8, 2018
4 min

Finding the right distributor for you in China - top tips

For many businesses, particularly manufacturers and producers, success overseas depends on finding and building strong partnerships with distributors. Here are our top tips, to help you do it right: 1) Take the initiative Yes, it’s true that sometimes a distributor will make the first approach. They may be responding to your website (“We’re looking for distributors”), or have seen an ad you placed through some 3rd party service. They may even walk right up to your stand

2018 - China's official holidays

Selling capital equipment to China – some rules of engagement

Oct 3, 2017
3 min

Selling capital equipment to China – some rules of engagement

If you've ever sold large capital equipment to a customer in China, the chances are you will have found it a challenging experience. And if you talk with anyone else who has done it, it's likely that they will reel of a similar list of challenges to the ones you had to deal with. The stories often seem to follow a similar pattern. That's because your customers' normal plan of engagement is affected by their shared "worldview". Worldview means a way of seeing the world whi

Understanding China's Home-Improvements Culture

Feb 2, 2016
3 min

Understanding China's Home-Improvements Culture

Successful market entry depends on getting the right information in advance, but what information do you need and how do you access this for overseas markets? When bringing a new product or service to our home (UK) market, we may not be aware of all the knowledge we are drawing on – not just from formal market research – the who, what, where and when information, but also what we inherently understand about our own culture. We ‘know’ for instance that in the UK consumers r

What might the new "Golden Era" mean for SME exports? A view from China

Nov 5, 2015
2 min

What might the new "Golden Era" mean for SME exports? A view from China

This week and next I'm visiting businesses in four major China cities – Chengdu, Shanghai, Ningbo and Zhengzhou. Chengdu and Zhengzhou are both cities I've lived in previously, and it's great to be back again. One thing I am keen to observe is how ordinary Chinese people see Sino-British relations right now, especially in the light of President Xi's recent trip to the UK. Well, it's only two days into this trip but I've already noticed people using that term "a Golden Era" (

The sound of a balloon deflating (in China)

Aug 19, 2015
5 min

The sound of a balloon deflating (in China)

An experienced SME manager sets up a successful production facility in China, but there are still things he wishes he'd known in advance… Lots of Western businesses have set out to establish production in China (and other countries too, of course) – some successfully, others less so. Each story is unique, and we should beware of elevating specific instances to become generalizations, but they can at least help us to think. I heard a fascinating story of this type from Rob N

SME Spotlight #7 - LNP China

Jul 13, 2015
4 min

SME Spotlight #7 - LNP China

"Business in China can be easy" – that's what Andy Clayton, CEO of LNP China says, and he's staking everything on that assertion. Having experienced the ups and downs of working in an office in China for more than ten years, I'm keen to know more. The first time we met I was struck by his enthusiasm, so I start out by asking what it is that excites and inspires him about the work of LNP China? "That is such a great question! I have been involved in business in China, and pa

SME Spotlight #5 - DWA Architects

Jun 16, 2015
7 min

SME Spotlight #5 - DWA Architects

Q. What challenges do you face doing business in China? A. Language and feng shui The first answer came as no surprise, but feng shui? Really? DWA Architects is a chartered architectural practice with offices in York, Warrington and London. Over 26 years it has built up an international reputation for excellence in the field of post-hospital care – from childcare to elderly care, delivering tailored accommodation for dementia sufferers, for example. Mel Fairbourn-Varley, D

Grandage Consulting interviewed by KnowledgePower

Chinese Business Relationships - Are We Strangers or friends?

May 21, 2015
1 min

Chinese Business Relationships - Are We Strangers or friends?

My new keynote article Chinese Business Relationships - Are We Strangers or Friends? just went on line (click title to read). It's written with British SMEs in mind, as they try to understand the nature of their relationships with Chinese partners and customers. I've given it a dedicated page on this website because it contains such fundemental know-how - do make sure you read it! It's the kind of content that I can offer at training events too. #culture #export #supplych

SME Spotlight #3 - Plasma Quest Ltd

May 21, 2015
4 min

SME Spotlight #3 - Plasma Quest Ltd

Building bridges to China through scientific research A few weeks ago I stumbled across the story of a small Hampshire-based high-tech materials company who won a £400k order from Zhengzhou University (where my wife and I were students back in 1999-2000). This deal got them quite a bit of attention; last year they were even "favourited" by Prime Minister David Cameron on Twitter! This was all too good to resist, so I phoned them up and asked if I could pay a visit. Plasma Q

SME Spotlight #1- Arthur Jackson & Co Ltd

Apr 22, 2015
3 min

SME Spotlight #1- Arthur Jackson & Co Ltd

No secret, just good business practice... and patience Our first ever SME Spotlight features a small, family-owned engineering manufacturer from my home town in West Yorkshire - Arthur Jackson & Co Ltd. Jacksons was founded more than 60 years ago, and they make high precision patterns, dies and other types of tooling in metal, resin and wood. Custom made for some of the world's biggest brands, these are used to produce items as diverse as high-speed turbos for diesel engine

West Midlands keeps driving exports to China

Mar 8, 2015
2 min

West Midlands keeps driving exports to China

Just wanted to write about something that caught my eye earlier today which may not be news to you, but is to me - and it made me feel quite proud! I came across this interesting article by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders[1] announcing that British car exports to China have risen a staggering 900% in 6 years since 2009, and that China is now the second largest market for British cars after the UK itself. Once I'd recovered from the intial shock and stopped for