Honestly, I have always enjoyed dealing with foreigners, mostly because I love English and think this is a fantastic way to learn about different cultures. I have worked with quite a few international customers in the past as both a freelance business companion and tour guide. Not only do I have vast experience in sales and customer service but also competent in negotiating deals and finding best solutions on your behalf if required. Here is one of my experiences.

Business Companion for Chris from Canada (June 27th-31st, 2015, Shenzhen)
1. I successfully arranged 5 major supplier visits for Chris in 5 days and we had a wonderful time in the hotel, going to different factories and offices, having dinners with managers, and in bars.

2. Chris, co-founder of a Canadian industrial display solutions firm, came to China for the first time to meet his renders and expected to develop new products and orders with them. I helped him visited all of them, had dinner with them, and created orders for new products.

3. Above all, Chris wanted to negotiate with one of the suppliers to see if he can buy in the company as it was both a competitive product designer and producer, also a major competitor in the North American market. I offered to discuss the negotiation strategy for the next day and came up with a plan which led us to a successful initial meeting with the company CEO. As there were much to take into consideration, Chris said he needed to discuss with his board members before the next step.

4. After his business trip, Chris asked if I could help him set up a China office for him to help manage the suppliers and shipping. I accepted and 6 months later his office in Hong Kong was founded (because this could avoid much tax compared to having it in mainland China). It is running pretty well now.

5. I was referred by Laurie, one of Chris's colleagues in Canada. Laurie is a native Canadian who I used to hang out with a lot when I was in Canada. Laurie told me when Chris arrived in his office, he gave a detailed presentation about his trip and said without my help, it would definitely not be so successful.

6. We also attended the 8th Shenzhen International Touch-Screen Technology and Equipment Exhibition (Touch China 2015) in Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center on June 27th. I helped booked the ticket online which saved us much time entering. Although we did not find any potential suppliers but the black beer at the German store nearby was pretty cool.

7. As requested, Chris and I also went to go sightseeing in Shenzhen, and also shopping. We went to swim at Nan’ao Beach and took the sightseeing train setting out from The Window of the World. I took him to buy helicopters for his three kids, Bluetooth mini-speakers for himself, scarves and jewelries for his wife.

8. Through this experience with Chris, I learned a lot about industrial monitors, touch screens, cables, power supplies, as well as how to better support customers in both a professional and pleasant way.