#34: Understanding China's Sourcing Culture

w/ Francois Jaffres

About This Episode

Today’s episode features Francois Jaffres, Director of Business Development at Noviland Inc. During the talk we dive into why it is important to understand Chinese culture while sourcing your products. We also talk about what you should be expecting during Chinese New Year, Black Friday and Prime Day.

This podcast is filled with a ton of great tips for online sellers who are looking to find suppliers overseas!

About The Guest

Francois Jaffres is the Director of Business Development at Noviland, Inc. He studied Industrial Engineering at West Virginia University while working at Coca-Cola, before joining the Noviland team in 2016. He splits his time between Atlanta and Pittsburgh and when he’s not guest speaking on podcasts, he’s onboarding new users and working alongside marketing and sales to grow the Noviland brand.

Date: September 10, 2020

Episode: 34

Title: Norman Farrar Introduces Francois Jaffres, Director of Business Development at Noviland, Inc. He Studied Industrial Engineering at West Virginia University while Working at Coca-Cola, before Joining the Noviland Team in 2016.

Subtitle: First impressions always matter. Make partnership not just a transaction.

Final Show Link: https://lunchwithnorm.com/episodes/episode-34-understanding-chinas-sourcing-culture-w-francois-jaffres/

In this episode of Lunch With Norm…, Norman Farrar introduces Francois Jaffres, Director of Business Development at Noviland, Inc. He studied Industrial Engineering at West Virginia University while working at Coca-Cola, before joining the Noviland team in 2016.

Norman and Francois dive into why it is important to understand Chinese culture while sourcing your products. They also talk about what you should be expecting during Chinese New Year, Black Friday and Prime Day. It is filled with a ton of great tips for online sellers who are looking to find suppliers overseas!

If you are a new listener to Lunch With Norm… we would love to hear from you. Please visit our Facebook Page and join in on episode discussion or simply let us know what you think of the episode!

In this episode, we discuss:

    • 03:43 : Norman introduces Francios Jaffres
    • 05:18 : How Francios started Noviland and his life before that
    • 06:56 : Shifting of manufacturers from China to Vietnam
    • 07:37 : First impression always matters. Start a new friendship or relationship
    • 09:41 : Start to negotiate as partners, rather than customer and supplier relations
    • 11:21 : A story of Chinese culture in Taiwan
    • 14:07 : Visit a factory and build that relationship
    • 17:04 : Wanting the best quality at the best price
    • 17:52 : Building a brand or microbrand
    • 26:20 : Main benefits working with sourcing agents
    • 31:03 : The cost of shipping
    • 32:03 : Prime Day and Black Friday Inventory
    • 34:38 : The craziness of Chinese New Years
    • 36:20 : Chinese air obviously is the biggest travel time in the entire world
    • 42:09 : The most ideal way to negotiate with current suppliers
    • 48:13 : Avoiding the red flag factories or suppliers

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