While the political rhetoric between China and Australia remains frosty, there are some proactive things Australian companies can do to avoid losing business.
If you do business in China, you’ll know there is very real tension in the air and many Australian companies are nervous about the potential economic fallout.
But outside of lobbying our politicians is there anything businesses can do?
The answer is YES!
The good news is there are some simple, practical, and effective things Australian businesses can do to minimise the negative impact our pollies are having on future revenue.
These five strategies will ensure your Chinese business relationships remain strong, healthy, and profitable.
- Keep the channel of communication open. Now is not the time to fall silent. If you want to maintain a healthy relationship with businesses in China, you need to increase not decrease your communication. The best channels are Chinese social media, such as WeChat and RED, and email.
- Write tailored messages in Chinese. To help you get started CHIN Communications has created a suite of tailored messages to suit different situations. It’s essential that any message you send has been translated from English into Chinese and that the translation has been carefully assessed to avoid a miscommunication. You can find tailored Chinese messages and translations here.
- Organise a Zoom or phone call. You want to reassure your Chinese business partners of your commitment to them. One the most effective ways to do this is with a call. It’s important to make sure you have a qualified Mandarin telephone interpreter on the line with you to further demonstrate your desire to communicate meaningfully.
- Acknowledge significant cultural events. One way to demonstrate your friendship and understanding of Chinese culture is to acknowledge significant events such as Chinese New Year. These events are deeply important in China and your acknowledgement of their importance will help strengthen your relationship. The next event on the Chinese calendar is the Moon Festival on 10 September 2022. Contact us for ideas or watch our Chinese social media how-to video content.
- You need to talk about more than business. Whenever you are communicating with your Chinese counterpart, make sure you enquire after them and their families. This demonstrates a deeper understanding of Chinese culture and will help reinforce the quality of your relationship and your genuine care for them and not just the business.
If you need help with translation or interpreting or have any questions about safeguarding your Chinese business relationships contact one of the Chin Communication team today on 1300 792 446.