As I’m sure all of you have realized by now, there are more and more instances in which you end up negotiating with someone from China. There’s lots and lots of money in China these days (to better understand this, be sure to check out some china fund articles) and therefore, from a business perspective, it makes perfect sense to be prepared to negotiate with those from China.

Today, I will be sharing a few practical tips.

First of all, and this is especially important if you come from a culture which values of being direct in negotiations, don’t get right to the point. In China, getting straight to the point when negotiating with someone is frowned upon. If possible, start with a little bit of polite casual talk and gradually get to the point. I realize that this seems counter-intuitive to a lot of people who have been used to getting right down to business but I assure you, it is an effective strategy when negotiating with someone from China.

Secondly, understand that people from China rarely say no. Saying no is considered somewhat impolite in Chinese culture and therefore, it is quite real to come across someone who will simply say no during the negotiation. They will try to refuse you in a polite manner by saying something along the lines of “I will think about it”. You have to understand that, in most cases, a phrase such as “I will think about it” actually means no.

Next, you need to also understand that certain numbers are not popular in China. For example, the letter 4 means death and therefore, it is not exactly popular among Chinese individuals. Therefore, when negotiating or putting together a proposal, I would strongly recommend avoiding the use of the letter for whenever possible. Prices that contain the letter for or anything containing the letter in question should be avoided.

And, finally, I would like to share a tip for those of you who will end up negotiating with people from China in person. Perhaps at a conference, perhaps at another event, it doesn’t matter. When negotiating with someone from China in person, don’t get too close physically to the person in question because people from China tend to be more in favor of not having their personal space invaded than someone from the west. You might think you’re being friendly by standing close to the person you’re talking to but in fact, it is very likely that if the person in question is from China, he will perceive it as being impolite.

I will limit myself to sharing these four tips because if I share too many, you’ll probably end up not remembering all that much from this post. These four tips alone can make the difference between a failed negotiation and success story. These are tips I wish I knew in the past because personally, especially when it comes to the tip which involves the word no, I have made quite a few mistakes when negotiating with individuals from China. Do your research properly and you will end up being better prepared than I was.