Sweet Serendipity! – Building extraordinary customer relationships in Datong, China

John traveled to Datong, China, leading a team of consultants from Pepperdine University’s MSOD program to present a one-day facilitated workshop to a sales team for Xincheng New Materials (XCG). The sales team was challenged by the cultural differences and communication preferences of their Chinese, American, and German clients. The workshop focused on strategies to help the sales team identify more effective sales practices and improve customer experiences. 

A fun twist on this assignment, when one talks about expecting the unexpected and remaining agile, it’s always a good idea to come prepared with a song. Prior to the engagement, John had actually learned to sing the popular Chinese song, “Pengyou” (“Friends”). As it turned out, he found himself in need of an icebreaker on the second day. He engaged the group to sing and clap the song together with him as can be seen in the video below. It was much to the group’s surprise that their American colleague could pull this off. Sweet serendipity! What a fun way to break the ice, make an impression and bond with the client group!