BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

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BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Business Development

The signing of a contract with a Chinese partner is in most cases not the end, but only the start of the project. Many Western companies underestimate the need for relationship building and follow-up on the Chinese side. Lack of China knowledge and resources bring about challenges, especially in the first 2 to 3 years of the project. Most SMEs are not willing to set up a legal entity right away or recruit a dedicated sales team in China from the start.

Therefore, many of Horsten’s customers ask us to be involved in the operational stage of the project as well. In the past years Horsten has set up several successful cooperations with its customers. Horsten can take up one or more of the following 3 functions:

Representation

A Chinese-speaking Horsten project manager in China is appointed to represent the customer in China on a part-time basis. In this way the European SME has a dedicated representative in China, without the hassle of having to employ a full-time employee in China and set up its own Chinese affiliate. This cost-effective and risk-free approach enables the SME to grow steadily without burning cash from the beginning, but nevertheless keeping a certain level of control over their starting business in China.

Liaison

The management of Horsten in Belgium functions as the liaison between the Horsten China team on one side and the customer’s headquarter in Europe on the other side. Representatives of Horsten Belgium often travel to China and follow-up the project. In this way the European SME doesn’t experience the typical communication problems when working with a Chinese team or partner.

Watchdog

Thanks to Horsten’s decades of experience in doing business in China, Horsten watches over the shoulder of the European SME and makes sure that no needless mistakes are made or nothing happens to the products or business in China behind the customer’s back. The entire Horsten team in Belgium and China works as a back-office for any logistic, operational, legal, HR, regulatory, marketing or other support services which may be required during the project.