Despite sharing in the current powering down of the global economy, the allure and luster of China’s consumer spending potential continues its magnetic pull on American businesses. Helen Zhu, Chief China Equity Strategist, Global Investment Research, Goldman Sachs, likely speaks for the majority in a recent observation: “China’s mass market consumers, approximately 400-500 million people in number, are crucial to the government’s goal of increasing domestic consumption. This group has vast untapped spending potential…China needs to focus on improving support for private enterprises and on phasing out the dominance of state-owned enterprises (SOE’s).” And according to how-to-do-business with China guru, Stanley Chao, it will ultimately be the thousands of foreign, especially American, small-and-medium-sized businesses (SMB’s), who are nimble and innovative, who pick up the slack. His new book, “Selling to China” provides an in-depth introduction to SMB owners and top managers on all the tools needed to produce a successful venture in China. The book clearly demonstrates Chao’s savvy and understanding of the subject and does it in an engaging fashion that will have readers chomping at the bit to get in the race.
For sure Chao knows his China. He learned the culture from his grandmother. He acquired his strategic skills from top American university business schools and over fifteen years of work experience in Japan, China, and Singapore. He puts equal weight on what his grandmother taught him and what he learned at universities and on the job. Chao front loads the book by debunking many of the preconceived notions that most small to medium size business owners would typically hold about Chinese culture and how to do business with their Chinese counterparts and government officials. But falsehoods aside, the author makes it clear that cultural and language differences probably are still the two most difficult barriers to success that SMB’s must overcome. Like the book overall, Chao offers logical and reasonable strategies and approaches to obstacles that make the process seem less formidable than most readers probably would have thought.
The content of “Selling to China” is substantive and presented in an easy-to-follow manner. Each of the book’s eleven chapters states what the reader will learn at the outset of the chapter and concludes with a succinct summary of the chapter’s key points. Chao’s writing style is informal and occasionally humorous with no academic tone or manner. He sprinkles the book with engaging stories and case study vignettes that successfully held my interest throughout. While Stanley Chao is President of All In Consulting, which specializes in working with small to medium size businesses in the $5M to $250M sales revenue range, I never detected any content that read as self-serving or self-promoting. Chao is plain and simple, a very good non-fiction writer who knows his subject.
“Selling to China” by Stanley Chao is a timely, relevant read for SMB owner’s who thinks they’re ready to take on China. And Stanley Chao is a thinker and strategist whose book might be able to help you predict your chances.
Selling to China
Stanley Chao
iUniverse (2012)
ISBN 9781475911787
Reviewed by Joseph Yurt for Reader Views (7/12)
For sure Chao knows his China. He learned the culture from his grandmother. He acquired his strategic skills from top American university business schools and over fifteen years of work experience in Japan, China, and Singapore. He puts equal weight on what his grandmother taught him and what he learned at universities and on the job. Chao front loads the book by debunking many of the preconceived notions that most small to medium size business owners would typically hold about Chinese culture and how to do business with their Chinese counterparts and government officials. But falsehoods aside, the author makes it clear that cultural and language differences probably are still the two most difficult barriers to success that SMB’s must overcome. Like the book overall, Chao offers logical and reasonable strategies and approaches to obstacles that make the process seem less formidable than most readers probably would have thought.
The content of “Selling to China” is substantive and presented in an easy-to-follow manner. Each of the book’s eleven chapters states what the reader will learn at the outset of the chapter and concludes with a succinct summary of the chapter’s key points. Chao’s writing style is informal and occasionally humorous with no academic tone or manner. He sprinkles the book with engaging stories and case study vignettes that successfully held my interest throughout. While Stanley Chao is President of All In Consulting, which specializes in working with small to medium size businesses in the $5M to $250M sales revenue range, I never detected any content that read as self-serving or self-promoting. Chao is plain and simple, a very good non-fiction writer who knows his subject.
“Selling to China” by Stanley Chao is a timely, relevant read for SMB owner’s who thinks they’re ready to take on China. And Stanley Chao is a thinker and strategist whose book might be able to help you predict your chances.
Selling to China
Stanley Chao
iUniverse (2012)
ISBN 9781475911787
Reviewed by Joseph Yurt for Reader Views (7/12)
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