As economic reforms reshape the world’s most populous consumer market, China sales are turbocharged with opportunity. Both homegrown firms and international brands drive fierce demand for tenured sales leaders who can ride this lucrative wave.
While navigating cultural intricacies, expat sales managers leverage tactics from their global track records to ignite commercial success across fast-paced regions in China spanning tier 1 to tier 4 cities.
Core Responsibilities
– Developing sales plans, targets, and policies
– Leading and training an inside/field sales group
– Designing incentive programs to optimize staff motivation
– Identifying emerging customer and market trends
– Building beneficial relationships with distributors
– Generating sales reports for executive planning
Required Qualities & Experience
– 5-8 years professional business sales leadership
– Evidence growing teams, revenue and profit
– Willingness to frequently travel in region
– Emotional intelligence and cultural flexibility
– University degree; MBA is prime asset
Industries Offering Expat Sales Jobs
Consumer sectors dominate the scene with surging disposable incomes, especially:
– Food & beverage
– Healthcare & pharmaceuticals
– Information technology
– Auto, transport & machinery
– Real estate and financial services also present robust opportunities
Securing Legal Work Status
Main options to clear China work permits:
– Intra-company transfer setups
– Equity/investment visas
– High talent designation
Factor at least 8-12 weeks lead time to activate an employment license. Hiring a visa attorney speeds the bureaucratic process.
Effectively Hunting for Executive Sales Roles
– Pitch transferable skills from international postings
– Attain Chinese fluency equal to sales situations
– Search LinkedIn for executive headhunters and HR
– Get referred by someone in targeted industry circle
– Remember salaries/commissions are steeply rising
Balancing Intense Pressure and Reward
If you thrive on volatility and cross-regional complexity, the mantle of China sales leadership promises immense risk and reward. The pace is frenetic, targets hair-raising, though fruits of victory sky high. Sufficient localization enables resilience on this rollercoaster ride.