o China isn’t a single market. It’s a collection of hundreds or thousands of different markets. But part of China marketing is developing the skills and strategies to sell your Chinese-made products to international markets. The Chinese market — and the rules of marketing in China — have changed so quickly that even experienced China pros can barely keep up. If you are going to try to manage a Chinese marketing or sales department, you have hit the ground running.

o China market research — In the China market, bad data is worse than no data. Unfortunately, most of what you have read about China isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on. Make getting good data your top market priority.

o If you build it, they may not buy it. You need to develop the right products, both for the multitude of local markets, and for the international market. Not only are they moving targets, but China’s reputation as a low-cost production center is constantly being challenged and tested.

o If international sales are part of your strategy, you are going to need a team that can sell to an international market. That means sales training, sales management and an integrated international marketing program. Most sales representatives in China have never been out of the country. Skills training is an absolute necessity.

o Master the basics of motivating and compensating a Chinese sales team. It’s a whole different ball-game here, but you don’t have much time to get it right. Good Chinese marketers and sales pros know their own value, and they expect to get compensated. (That’s ONE thing that’s similar to markets back home.