Most of the representatives of foreign companies are especially concerned about finding in their view the right Chinese partner. During the negotiations, such is the line of reasoning, one will sooner or later find out what the partner really wants and what are his main objectives.
During this process one might at times lose sight of one's own interests and those of the negotiating partner as well. Nevertheless, the interests of both parties always play an important role when looking at a successful co-operation.
Therefore, it is indispensable to analyse and identify the interests of your company and naturally those of your partner too. Only by doing so it is possible to come to a set of common objectives that will lead to a deal or a long-term form of co-operation.
To put it differently: you just have to know what you want and what your partner exactly wants or what kind of plans he or she has in mind.
Conflicting or not completely running parallel, converging interests may cripple your China adventure.
It is possible to overcome a conflict of interest with a set of common objectives. The common interests of partners are then identified. Both partners bear this in mind each time they want something from the other partner. The emphasis should be put on how a certain action or measure would make both partners win. "It is in your interest to..." and: "We both want to achieve this or that objective, so..."
The moment that one of the parties feels that its interests should prevail over those of the other is usually the beginning of the end of the co-operation. Should it come that far? What do you think is to the benefit of you and your partner? Try to defuse conflicting positions into a common stand, both parties will eventually get what they want and will continue their co-operation in the future.
A recommendation from a Chinese government organisation regarding a potential partner could be of help in selecting one, but also in bringing the different interests and objectives closer together. In this case, you have together with the partner at least the support of the local government and there is the fact that the two last mentioned will both do everything from their side to make the co-operation a success. Obviously, one cannot profit from a situation in which the government and the partner have more an eye for carrying out plans under their own terms than those of the foreign partner.
Yujie Services comes each month with a premise that focuses upon a certain aspect of the Chinese business culture where things may go wrong.
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