1. Ignoring local culture and business etiquette
China’s B2B market is a highly competitive and complex environment. Neglecting local culture and business etiquette will make it difficult to establish and maintain positive relationships with B2B clients in China. Although it is challenging to entirely change a company’s style or culture, it is essential to show a positive attitude towards learning Chinese culture. In addition, parent companies need to understand the intricacies of the Chinese market and adopt more flexible business strategies in China.
1. 忽视当地文化和商业礼仪
中国的 B2B 市场竞争激烈，环境复杂。忽视当地文化和商业礼仪将很难与中国 B2B 客户建立和维持良好的关系。虽然彻底改变公司的风格或文化具有挑战性，但表现出学习中国文化的积极态度至关重要。此外，母公司需要了解中国市场的复杂性，并在中国采取更灵活的商业策略。
2. Being professional is not enough
Only being professional is not enough, for it is entirely possible that foreign companies lack the flexibility to customize their products to a specific business challenge. Therefore, foreign enterprises, regardless of industry, may benefit from adjusting their products and services to match the needs of the Chinese market. Otherwise, B2B clients in China may view these international firms as mere suppliers rather than actual partners or long-term solution providers, and inability to go beyond sales could hinder the development of deeper relationships with B2B customers.
2. 光专业还不够
仅仅专业是不够的，因为外国公司完全有可能缺乏针对特定业务挑战定制产品的灵活性。因此，无论哪个行业的外国企业，调整产品和服务以适应中国市场的需求都可能受益匪浅。否则，中国的 B2B 客户可能会将这些国际公司视为单纯的供应商，而不是真正的合作伙伴或长期解决方案提供商，而无法超越销售可能会阻碍与 B2B 客户建立更深层次的关系。
3. Targeting China as one large, unified market
China is the world’s third-largest country by area, with 685 cities and 33 provinces. The factors including economic status, culture, population, vary from region to region. Therefore, adopting a one-size-fits-all strategy for the Chinese B2B market is not a wise decision. Starting on a modest scale, gaining experience, and then adjusting to the market is an option for foreign firms. This approach can be more effective than rushing into the market without fully understanding its diversity.
3. 将中国视为一个统一的大型市场
中国是世界第三大国，有 685 个城市 和 33 个省。各个地区的经济状况、文化、人口等因素各不相同。因此，对中国 B2B 市场采用一刀切的策略并不是明智的决定。对于外资企业来说，可以选择从小规模开始，积累经验，然后再适应市场。这种方法比在没有充分了解市场多样性的情况下贸然进入市场更有效。
4. Email marketing is not so popular in China
Due to unique Internet-cultural developments, people prefer to communicate through instant messaging apps than email – even for business communication.
Chinese consumers have not cultivated the habit to use emails regularly in their daily life and this is the main reason why email marketing is less effective in China. As Allison further highlights, “Email marketing often leads to a brand’s disappointment as the majority of Chinese do not routinely check their personal emails (if they even have one) and would expect the brands they care about to meet them in their natural digital habitat”.
As a result, email marketing in China can be a challenging and frustrating process, sincere there is a high possibility that B2B clients in China will not check their emails and ignore any advertising.
4. 电子邮件营销在中国不太流行
由于独特的互联网文化发展，人们更喜欢通过即时通讯应用程序而不是电子邮件进行交流——即使是商业交流也是如此。
中国消费者在日常生活中没有经常使用电子邮件的习惯，这是电子邮件营销在中国效果不佳的主要原因。正如 Allison 进一步强调的那样，“电子邮件营销往往会导致品牌失望，因为大多数中国人不会定期查看个人电子邮件（如果他们有的话），并希望他们关心的品牌在他们的自然数字环境中与他们见面”。
因此， 在中国进行电子邮件营销 可能是一个充满挑战且令人沮丧的过程，因为中国的 B2B 客户很可能不会查看电子邮件并忽略任何广告。
Author作者 | Penny