Ways to find out some qualified distributors in China..
China is a huge market but you cannot sell all the items in person. A qualified distributor can greatly help you grab
the market share within a short period. Here are some ways for you to market and look for a qualified distributor in
China:
I. Internet Marketing
Internet Marketing is the most cost-effective and popular way in China at present. Before you market online, you have
to prepare following work first:
i. Construct a very professional website with attractive product details, business cooperation terms, distributor
development favorable policies, client testimonials and after-sale services etc.
ii. Prepare enough catalogues, posters, brochures and other advertising booklets regarding your company profile
and the product details.
iii. Get your products certified or registered at some government organs before marketing ( market access ). You
cannot sell without certification sometimes.
iv.Organize a team of salesmen or marketing staff, getting ready to source, verify and manage of the distributors.
How and where will you do some marketing online? Internet covers almost every field in your life now, in China,
most of the foreign brands choose following channels to find out qualified distributors through a qualified marketing
assistant or agent like STIN (www.chinabizservices.com):
i. Baidu Search Engine (SEM on Baidu)
Baidu, Google’s competitor, is the largest search engine in China and billions of users using Baidu Search Engine
every day. You can contact Baidu directly for any advertising or marketing campaigns, here is the link:
http://e.baidu.com/?refer=51479
However, when foreign companies try to place their ads on the Baidu Search Engine and Display Network, they
often get stuck with bureaucratic, language and payment barriers. This is why lot of our clients use STIN marketing
support service to solve those problems. We can act as an agent between you and Baidu. You can ask us to provide
only access to Baidu, or to manage the Search Engine Marketing campaign for you, in which case we will also pick
the right keywords and set all the parameters of the Control Panel according to meet your objectives.
ii. B2B platforms and Yellow Page
You can search some distributors on B2B websites in China as well, some famous B2B platforms are: Alibaba,
Made-in-China, Gongchang etc. Here is a list of TOP 100 B2B websites in China:
http://chinabusinessservices.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-top-100-b2b-websites-in-china.html
iii. Industry Association
Every industry or sector has a national association in China, most of the association members are experienced
manufacturers, distributors or insitutes etc. So from the professional industry associations you can also find out
some qualified distributors in China, here is a list of Top 100 industry associations in China:
http://chinabusinessservices.blogspot.com/2013/06/some-top-and-well-known-industry.html
iv. Professional Expo or Trade Fairs
Some big distributors normally seek business opportunities at some professional trade fairs in China as well. You
can go and meet some qualified distributors for your products at some professional trade fairs. Here is a list of Top
200 Professional Trade Fairs in China:
http://chinabusinessservices.blogspot.com/2013/06/some-top-and-well-known-trade-fairs-or.html
v. Professional Wholesale Market
There more than 100 professional wholesale markets in China and most of the wholesale markets have their own
online market (e-market) now, say, if you looking for silk product distributor, you can go to Hangzhou Silk Market:
www.hzsichou.cn
Here is a list of some TOP wholesale markets in China:
http://chinabusinessservices.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-best-professional-markets-in-china.html
vi. Social Media
Marketing on Weichat is very popular now, there are lot of famous social platforms like: Renren, Weichat, Kaixin,
Weibo, Tudou, Youku, Baidu Post Bar, Tianya Forum, Alibaba Business Forum, FOB etc
II.Advertising
Advertising is a very effective but costly way to develop distributors in China. Normally you can advertise in following
ways:
i. TV and Radio
ii. Newspaper
iii. Professional Magazines
iv. Outdoor Billboards
v. National matches or important events
Above campaigns are catered for large companies and big brands as the cost is very high in China.
III.Professional Wholesale Market and Trade Fairs
As we discussed it before, professional trade fairs and wholesale markets are very important venues for any brand
to source and develop qualified distributors in China. You can meet and discuss the details with some qualified
distributors there in person.
IV. Headhunting
Headhunting here refers to the action that using a local agent to do a small market survey and specially search qualified
distributors nationwide, esp develop the distributors from their competitors. Normally you have to work with a
professional business service company like STIN (
www.chinabizservices.com ) to headhunt in China.