Sam Michael | Pollution and Air Purification in China, & How to Nurture Strong Business Relationships in Asia

In this episode of The Negotiation, I speak with Sam Michael, Executive Director for the China market at AtmosAir Solutions, a leading air purification technology brand from the United States. Sam made his foray into China in 2008 working in real estate, both with Asia's largest industrial developer and one of Europe's most successful luxury outlet developers. He was then brought onboard AtmosAir Solutions’ Shanghai office as Executive Director of Sales and Operations in 2015. We discuss Air quality and pollution in China; key mistakes Western organizations make when they take on projects in China; how to manage relationships with Chinese government officials; why it’s important to be on the ground in the country when doing business with China, and how AtmosAir Solutions’ sales funnels differ in China vs in the US. And oh, fun fact, we perhaps for the first time on this podcast that is called The Negotiation, actually talk about what it's like to negotiate deals in China! Enjoy!

Show Notes

Topics Discussed and Key Points:

●      Recent and potential developments in the Chinese business world

●      Air quality and pollution in China

●      Key mistakes that Western organizations make when they take on projects in China

●      How foreigners can nurture strong business relationships in China

●      How businesses in China can manage their relationship with the government

●      Why it is important to be on the ground in the country when doing business in China

●      AtmosAir Solutions’ target customer

●      How AtmosAir Solutions’ sales funnel in China differs from that of America

●      How negotiations take place between two parties in China

 

Episode Summary:

Today on The Negotiation, we speak with Sam Michael, Executive Director for the China market at AtmosAir Solutions, a leading air purification technology brand from the United States. Sam made his foray into China in 2008 working in real estate, both with Asia's largest industrial developer and one of Europe's most successful luxury outlet developers. He was brought onboard AtmosAir Solutions’ Shanghai office as Executive Director of Sales and Operations in 2015.

Since arriving in China a little over a decade ago, Sam has watched the world of commerce change drastically. In response to the explosion of eCommerce solutions, malls and physical retail stores have put more focus on creating experiences for consumers. Hence the rise of F&B in and around retail establishments in China.

Alongside this, there has also been increasing interest in the health and wellness space, including air quality—most especially for ex-pats. Sam does not see this trend slowing down in a post-pandemic world, especially since even China’s industrial sector has finally begun to prioritize air quality.

For Western companies seeking to do business in China, the number one consideration is localization, which can be done by finding a reliable local partner, or even a Western China expert like Sam himself, who can work alongside the organization on their strategy. By extension—and as it always has been—it helps to forge strong business partnerships, the old-fashioned, face-to-face way, in the China market.

 

Key Quotes:

“If I want the thing, then I’ll just buy the thing online. But people need a place to spend their time. [...] So, it’s nice to have these retail centers where the focus of their tenants has been less and less about the products that you’re going to buy and more about the experiences that you’re going to have with them.”

What is The Negotiation?

Despite being the world’s most potent economic area, Asia can be one of the most challenging regions to navigate and manage well for foreign brands. However, plenty of positive stories exist and more are emerging every day as brands start to see success in engaging and deploying appropriate market growth strategies – with the help of specialists.

The Negotiation is an interview show that showcases those hard-to-find success stories and chats with the incredible leaders behind them, teasing out the nuances and digging into the details that can make market growth in APAC a winning proposition.