62 | MARKETING TO CHINA WORDS | Ernie Diaz
OPP DIGITAL
www.opp.org.uk | DECEMBER 2011
Detail makes the sale
Last month, OPP’s online and digital marketing columnist Ernie Diaz wrote about the basics of creating an online presence in China, the world’s fastest-growing overseas property market. So, having taken a look at “Selling to the Chinese Online 101,” this month Ernie presents a “301” article that takes into account the real estate professional, and how best to tap into the mindset of a prospective Chinese real estate buyer.
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efore we dive into the detail of this month’s feature, I would like to introduce a few last “101” caveats please. Chinese society is not as monolithic as western media might have you believe.
Diversity is universal, and once you have learned Mandarin you realise that the Chinese, including Chinese customers, have all the same characters you know from your home markets – the gabby know-it-all, the nervous Nelly, the softy trying to act stern, et al. People are the same wherever you are. That being said, putting oneself in the shoes of a Chinese person ready to live, or at least buy, abroad reveals a distinct set of needs, fears, and desires, which if addressed correctly, can take a real estate professional 90% of the
way to closing a sale. We could split the two types of Chinese foreign property buyers into two groups: investors and emigrants, but we won’t. Yes, it’s true that many Chinese are buying abroad increasingly because new government regulations limit opportunities for asset diversifi cation at home. However, even these high-level
investors see their overseas property acquisitions as a foothold in a new land, a chance at a new life, if not for them, then for members of their family: a cousin who will open a business, a daughter going to university, and the like. So it’s crucial to keep the emigrant mentality in mind when marketing to the Chinese. If you do, it should be
evident that your prospect is buying into not just a home but a new lifestyle, one she has heard much about, yet has little fi rst-hand, reliable, unbiased information to work with. Topmost in her mind is the choice
“We use ‘she’ rather than ‘he’ because the one making a buying decision will usually be a woman”
of quality schools nearby to send her children, as educational opportunities are listed among the chief reasons to move West.
She’ll want to know the special features of the neighbourhoods she’s looking at – parks, theatres, and
museums. And she’ll want to know the price of everything in her new locale; the Chinese are OCD about comparing prices, much as we stand by our claims of diversity.
Please note that we use “she” rather than “he” not just out of a sense of political correctness, but also as a nod to the fact that the one making a buying decision will usually be a woman. Even if the husband is the one with the money, much more often than not it is the wife who will be living in the new residence, while hubby visits once in a while, when he’s not too busy. If that sounds glib, the takeaway is that the lion’s share of your sales to Chinese will be decided by a woman. We’re web marketers, not
Cosmopolitan, so we’ll leave it to your
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