Partner sourcing
Most China partner failures begin before the partner is chosen
Shaeps finds the right distributors in China by matching your commercial requirements with our network. Shaeps then verifies each candidate on the ground and test their commercial intent before you sign anything.
Most failures occur because the company looks for a partner before it has settled what the distributor or partner is for. The relationship is then asked to do work nobody ever specified.
No spec, no control
Partner sourcing means finding, checking and engaging the distributors or other companies you enter and operate through. In China there is no shortage of interested counterparts for a good product. The problem is matching.
Who's actually available
How do we find a distributor in China
Write the requirement
Channel, region, customer type, service obligation, volume. On paper before a single name is collected. A distributor built for Guangdong e-commerce is the wrong company for industrial sales in Shanxi.
Match with our network
Trade registries, investors, governments and agencies, and other companies.
Verify the company
Business licence, registered capital, scope of business, shareholder structure, litigation record and other essentials checked.
Verify the commercial claim
Which brands do they actually carry, and will two of those brands confirm it. Sales headcount. Warehousing, and cold chain where the product needs it.
Test intent
A distributor who intends to invest asks about margin, exclusivity terms and marketing support. One who does not asks only for a price list.
Why apparently strong partners underperform
Most failed China distributor or partner relationships involve partners who were, by reasonable assessment, well-qualified at the point of selection.
What must be true before you choose
Three things need to be clear first. Without them you do not choose a distributor or other type of partner. You settle for one, then talk yourself into it.
The commercial model
Tested against real criteria, not assumed.
Your business model says what you sell, to whom, through which channel, at what price, and where. Those five are what you judge a partner against. Without them there is no judgement. There is only preference.
How much you will commit to a distributor
Decided before you start looking, not during the negotiation.
This sets who you can even talk to. A partner who has to invest in your brand may want exclusivity and time. If you are not willing to give that, do not waste their meeting. Decide the limits first: how long, how exclusive, and how you get out.
What position you need to hold
The distributor you pick will either hold your position or damage it.
So you need to know your position in China. Not the one you carry from home. And not the one the distributor proposes, based on the channels they already sell into.
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