Ep 100: Building a B2B sales network all over China

China Paradigms

Matthieu David interviews Liang Sun, CEO at Generate and Board Member at Benelux Chamber in Shanghai. Selling anything on the Chinese market as a foreigner isn’t an easy endeavor since the language and cultural barriers make it difficult to understand how your product fits on that market. Luckily for European companies, the solution to this problem is Generate. But how does Generate help their clients sell their products on the Chinese market? How hard is it to recruit experienced Sales Associates and how does Generate define a successful business relationship? Let’s find out in this new China Paradigm podcast. 0:15 Guest introduction 1:43 Company size and the services Generate provides 5:39 The key is to be flexible - Generate's a business model 7:17 Sales Navigation - Generate's incentive for new clients 9:18 The 3-month plan to generate success 12:28 Exhibitions - are they efficient? 17:02 Sales Associates - recruiting and dealing with conflict of interests 20:32 How does Generate make money? 25:06 Success is when the clients leave 26:53 Why Generate usually outsources digital marketing with the exception of Wechat marketing 29:54 What skills does a good Sales Associate need to have? 31:43 What made Liang Sun want to start the business? 37:08 Trusting results vs knowing the process 39:36 When can Generate deliver the first results to their clients? 41:10 How has the coronavirus outbreak impacted Generate and their clients? 43:38 Is China back in business? 45:04 Liang Sun's conclusions on Made in China 2025 46:25 How does Generate handle the proposition of a Chinese clientele? 47:34 What books have inspired Liang Sun in his entrepreneurial journey? 49:01 How has built a business affected Liang Sun's personal life? 50:20 What does Liang Sun read to stay up to date with China? 51:58 What book about China would Liang Sun recommend for foreigners to read? 53:00 What productivity tool does Liang Sun like to use for his daily work? 58:21 What unexpected success and unexpected failure has Liang Sun witnessed in China? 1:00:16 Outro Learn more about Generate: https://www.generatebvba.be/ The related interview: Why using WeChat for B2B sales is a game changer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMXFBCFCbcI Listen & Subscribe: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/china-paradigms/id1450916630 YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6ixpQB1WIs6GMdUeoq4g?view_as=subscriber Website: http://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms.