The Essential Guide for Buying from China's Manufacturers: The 10 Steps to Success [Paperback]

James Vincent Lord (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 16, 2007

The Essential Guide for Buying from China's Manufacturers is packed with practical information, advice, insights and tips for purchasing managers and buyers wanting to work successfully with Chinese companies. This book contains secrets that few people know about Chinese companies and business practices, information that will give the reader a crucial advantage over competitors. This book will save time and money, and is guaranteed to dramatically improve results in China. It includes the sources of quality problems and why quality control is crucial to success; how to successfully negotiate with the Chinese; identifying and selecting quality factories and suppliers; understanding the importance of relationships and their relevance to business in China; avoiding problems by following the fundamental rules of communication; preventing loss of 'face' while doing business in China; protecting intellectual property rights in China. Wave goodbye to problems in China forever!

Editorial Reviews

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Working in China can feel like being on a different planet, where the rules and conditions that one grew up with and has taken for granted no longer seem to apply. It is a country where "no problem" can mean things are just about to go horribly wrong; where "meeting specifications or standards" is sometimes translated as using the cheapest quality materials available and hoping buyers don't notice; where "exclusive design" could mean one copied from the previous customer who just left the office ...

... The fact that things often don't go as smoothly as we would like or expect should lead to the conclusion that there are other factors at work, factors which are elusive and that the visitor typically doesn't get the chance to see ...

... This is a book that will better prepare someone for doing business in China and in particular to prepare buyers, purchasing managers, and executives to better perform their purchasing roles in relation to the thousands of small and medium sized Chinese factories and businesses ...

The first place to start in developing the correct mindset for China is to take the phrase "I am sure everything will turn out well" and delete it from your vocabulary! This is hope, which has no place in Chinese business. The business person must get used to the idea that he cannot sit back and wait for things to happen in China; the business person in China must make things happen, or supervise things until they turn out well...

Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: BookSurge Publishing (May 16, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1419628461
• ISBN-13: 978-1419628467
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #787,242 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good insights into the chinese business mindset, April 5, 2008

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Amazon fan (Texas) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Essential Guide for Buying from China's Manufacturers: The 10 Steps to Success (Paperback)

This book is chock-full of information about the cultural differences that can give rise to friction or business losses. Enlightening introduction to eastern thought and how it WILL affect your business dealings. The book gives concrete suggestions to forestall, avoid, or mitigate problems that commonly arise when these two cultures (western and eastern) interact. Targeted at any size business, from very large to small. Four stars instead of five because the book would have benefitted from tighter editing (repetition, long blocks of text unbroken by subject headers) and it lacks an index. Overall, this book's purchase price is small compared to the advice and insights contained within.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A value adding book!!!, July 6, 2007

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Michael Kauker "Michael Kauker" (München, Bayern) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Essential Guide for Buying from China's Manufacturers: The 10 Steps to Success (Paperback)

I have been looking for a source of information for a long time to help me understand the Chinese and how to deal with them. And I have finally found it. This book has opened my eyes to what the game is all about. It is not full of vague theory, you get page after page of specific information and strategies how to win in China. There is a great chapter on how to negotiate in China, and others that clearly explain the importance of relationships and "face". The chapter on "behind the scenes at a Chinese manufacturer" is a real eye-opener! All in all, I always considered doing business with China difficult. Now things are much clearer. If you are buying from China, it really is a MUST read.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential reading, July 14, 2007

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Rosemary Ros (Raleigh, NC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Essential Guide for Buying from China's Manufacturers: The 10 Steps to Success (Paperback)

This book really lifts the lid on Chinese business practices; having this information significantly enhances your ability to anticipate and prevent problems in China. Without this information you can blunder along with Chinese companies for years and not even realise the mistakes that you are making. While so many books about China focus on China's economic success or the enormous potential of the consumer market, this book gives you down to earth, practical advice that makes a difference when working with China. It will definitely change the way you do business in China!