This is part of the top rules for negotiating in China. Continuing on with the list and starting at number six here are the last top rules that you will need to keep in mind when doing business in China.

1. NEGOTIATING IN CHINA
10 RULES FOR SUCCESS
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As part of any good negotiating knowing the rules is a great place to
start, but with China you need extra support.
With the economic growth that China has seen more and more
companies are negotiating with Chinese businesses it is a good idea to
know the top rules for success.
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1. MANAGE THE EXPECTATIONS
Maintaining a public appearance that everything is harmonious and
going smooth is a key trait of Chinese business culture. Rarely will they
disagree with you or your company in public and look to keep up
appearances independent of how the negotiations are actually playing
out.
When you are treated with a great deal of respect and lavish
compliments you may be tempted to believe that the negotiating will
be easy or that you have an agreement before it is signed.
In China, it is important to understand the difference between the
business pleasantries and the negotiating.
Understanding the true intention behind the words will get you much
further than expecting a cake walk in the board room.
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2. DEVELOP A NEGOTIATING STRATEGY
Working with a Chinese company through a negotiation period can be a
long arduous battle that gets drawn out for much longer than expected.
There is no such thing as phone negotiations and business still runs with
face to face meetings.
As memories can fade or change over time it is important to keep
detailed and accurate meeting notes as you work through your strategy.
The more that you can detail your notes the better you can leverage
them later, especially if you can get the other side to sign off on the
notes as well.
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3. CHINESE BUSINESSES USE A
TEAM OF NEGOTIATORS
As with most meetings and business interactions there is a key decision
maker even if there are five or more people at the negotiating table.
Figuring out which person is the real decision maker can give you a
better idea of how to focus your negotiations.
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4. BUILD A NEGOTIATING TEAM THAT
INCORPORATES CHINESE BUSINESS PEOPLE
AND THE GOVERNMENT
Having these people on your side at the negotiation table can give you
the edge that you need to effectively compete with the Chinese
negotiators across the table.
Leveraging any business relationships that you already have in China,
such as other businesses or governmental agencies can help support
your negotiations.
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5. KEEP IN MIND THE RELATIVITY OF MONEY
Most Chinese business people have a lower cost perspective to money
than people that have grown up in America or Europe.
When you go to China and see a 100 yuan bill you may instinctually
covert that to about $15 USD or 12Ђ, whereas a Chinese person sees a
$100 bill in the same note.
This may cause a negotiating stumbling block, as they have a
fundamentally different cost perspective.
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6. RESPECT GOES A LONG WAY IN CHINA
Making sure that you keep the cultural norms in mind when you are
doing business with the Chinese will keep you from embarrassing
yourself or ruining a deal before you even get into the negotiation
room.
Respect is a big part of the way that business is done in China. By taking
the extra effort to show the utmost respect to your Chinese
counterparts you will be able to get to know them on a more personal
level.
This will translate into a better deal for both parties and make the
whole process more personable. Leaving your ego at the door and just
trying to connect with your potential business partners will help to take
the negotiations to a more amicable place. Just remember to stay
respectful if you end up going out for a session of baijiu drinking.
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7. USE YOUR LISTENING SKILLS AND
SLEEP ON ANY BIG DECISIONS
As previously mentioned the negotiations in China tend to be drawn out
in comparison to the speed of business in the Western world.
Take full advantage of this slower pace by listening and digesting all of
the information that the Chinese negotiation team is willing to present.
Truly listening and then taking an extra night to sleep on any big
decision will help you to make more informed decisions with a clearer
head.
The opportunity to take this extra time is a gift that you should
definitely take advantage of.
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8. KEEP COOL WHEN THEY START
PRESSURING ABOUT ARTIFICIAL
DEADLINES
As the process takes a longer time you may be tempted to get
frustrated and start pushing the process forward. This practice rarely
ends with positive results and may be playing into the Chinese’s
negotiation team’s strategy. It is far more advantageous for you to take
you time and try to cooperate while still sticking to your negotiation
strategies.
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9. TRY TO KEEP THE NEGOTIATIONS
REASONABLE
Again if you are getting frustrated or just want to turn up the fire on the
negotiations this may bring them to a halt without much discussion on
why.
The Chinese negotiation team prefers to talk out and discuss with
reason all of the decisions, but if you jump to an unreasonable stance
without it, the whole process will start to break down.
Take advantage of the extra time for communication and fully
cooperate within your negotiation strategy.
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10. THERE ARE PLENTY OF OTHER
BUSINESSES TO NEGOTIATE WITH
Keeping the option for doing business with a competitor of the
company that you are negotiating with will allow you to stay more
indifferent and less emotional during the negotiations.
Using this in conjunction with your outcome strategy will allow you to
negotiate in a way that can leverage the situation instead of feeling
pressured to agree to disadvantageous terms.
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