Historically the China business journey has been on a physical Silk Road.
More recently, government agencies have promoted hopping on a plane and booking hotels. This has high cost and is very slow.
Imagine that instead of hopping on a plane, you are now hopping on a digital app whenever it suits you to. This is game-changing and makes China accessible even to small home businesses.
Know how, can do.
Taking your organisation along a Digital Pathway, simply means that you are optimising your business use of China technology by learning how to properly implement a Digital Toolkit, supporting your personnel with training to efficiently and effectively use the tools.
If you are here at RCN Base Camp, then it is clear that you are an adventurer who is seeking to reach the Pinnacle of Business on the Mountain of Opportunity with China.
Preparation is nine tenths of success.
The reason that we use the mountain climbing analogy is that the principles of how you prepare to successfully climb the highest peaks, like K2 and Everest, correlate beautifully with the kind of collaboration and teamwork across the preparation which is required to reach the Pinnacle of Business with China, and then get back down again safely.
"How do people navigate their way up Mount Everest? By counting the number of dead bodies, they know their location. The aim of a good business Sherpa is to make sure that nobody falls off the Mountain of Opportunity to their business death. This is achieved by making sure that organisations prepare their business development people by giving them the right tools and the training to climb the Mountain of Opportunity with China."
Simon Young 杨瑾鸿 | Global Expeditionary Leader
Red Circle Network (Global Director Operations)
Digital Toolkit | use to scale.
A successful adventurer in China commerce prepares by learning how to use a digital climbing kit that they will use to scale up their sales with China.
Imagine this is like being a mechanic who has a workshop, and who has invested in a set of tools to work on cars. An even better analogy is to think about a builder's apprentice who is not allowed on the building site unless they have their builders' tools. In the same way, you would not be allowed to climb a mountain under the guidance of a Sherpa (who is responsible for your life) without having the right kit. On a mountain, most people die due to either lack of oxygen, hypothermia, poor communication and timing. In the same way, businesses that fall to their death on the Mountain of Opportunity with China usually do so due to poor business process, communication and timing.
This is why we go to such great lengths to ensure that a business understands the entire digital pathway before they make the business journey with China, so that the organisation can prepare people according to the goal.
Therefore, the very first step for an adventurer is the pre-immersion activity of preparing to have effective business-to-business and business-to-consumer communication skills with the Chinese equivalent of LinkedIn, which is WeChat.
Learn more here.
Simon Young 杨瑾鸿
The analogy given here "mountain climbing" is so very apt, in that one would not seriously attempt to make a major mountain climb without first preparing well for the journey. This would include educating yourself /seeking out fact based knowledge, physical preparation / strength & endurance training, acquiring the right equipment / the right kit for the task, engaging an experienced guide such as a Sherpa / possibly even joining an experienced team and go along with them.
The mountain of opportunity with China is very real, and still it is not one easily captured, primarily because it requires diligent preparation, planning and execution to reach the great heights. This is not a journey for the faint hearted, not for those who, on a whim and a prayer are embarking on a leisurely excursion.
Today, with the benefit of a Digital Pathway, making your attempt at the mountain of opportunity with China means that you are optimising your business use of China technology. Oh what I would have given to have such a digital tool kit in 1997 when I came to China.