Know-How Exchange : Strategy

Where are you located, hutieuno?

Are you aware of a current market for learning conversational Mandarin?

Where did you get the idea to begin teaching and opening a language center? Why?

Please take a few minutes to answer so that we may better assist you.

Thanks,

Marketing-Riot

Travel agents
Book stores
Chinese restaurants

Corporations who are doing business in China (work with HR dept heads)
International University Clubs (you can reach these direct via e-mail)

Take a look at www.travlang.com They do a word of the day newsletter.

Michael

Hello,
I agree with Michael on both points above - specifically reaching out to corporations doing business in China, as they have an immediate need for qualified representatives that can speak the language.

We are currently working with an international university that is focused in Asian regions, and many of the opportunities we discussed with them included going after the "low-hanging fruit" so to speak.

Corporations currently working in China can be found recruiting business online, and a targeted online media strategy could work wonders for you. As well, if you haven't optimized your website for the search engines, or developed a well-rounded pay-per-click campaign, these would be fantastic ways to develop leads as well.

Beyond that, you could blog about the work you're doing, offer a few free introductory classes to the language to generate some interest, start an email campaign and ask your existing client/prospect base to forward messages or promotional offers/trials to anyone they know that may be interested, etc.

Hope this helps, and if you'd like more help in putting an action plan together, feel free to contact me.

Only speaking and listening means that this course will eventually benefit only expats planning to stay for a limited time - up to 12 months - in China. To be sincere I hardly see how you can teach a language without writing but I am sure you know better. Consider this as normal obstacle and argument against your services.

I would propose following strategic points:

1. build a website targeting your auditorium
2. promote the website - this helps for this type of services
3. announce in universities and colleges - dashboards, libraries
4. HR departments for persons working with China


I do not think Chinese restaurants will work unless the owners assist.

I'm in 100% the reverse situation. I run a private school in China that teaches English to people who are going to move or work abroad. Although at the opposing direction, it basically the same business and I would think the same marketing methods would apply.

There are 4 main customer sectors that I have identified for my business.

1. Students who want to study for exams (both school and university)

2. People going to work abroad. This can be subdivided into: A. People going on short business trips. B. People going for extended trips paid by there current company. C. People going to find new work for a foreign company.

3. People looking for a partner, husband or wife, so as to go abroad.

4. Leisure. Board housewives looking for some interesting hobby in the afternoon.

Lets look at each sector and get and how you market to them. It's important to remember that you probably don't have the resources to cover every sector of the market. Try to identify which sector is the ripest in your area.

1. Students. The hardest to get probably. They will already be getting classes form their school and also have little money to spend. Here in China we cream off only the most wealthy, upper and middle class, students whose parents can afford to pay for private classes. Your marketing should target, not the students, but rather their parents - who are the ones that will pay the bills and make the decision. We found that our students parents (mothers) frequented the beauty salons and hairdressers nearby and created friendships with them and thereby got customers. Try to think of what other business nearby target your customer base.

2.A. Probably the least likely to actually take your course. They may however be interested in hiring you to do some translation work prior to your trip.

2.B. In disagreement with the views in posts above, companies that already have established dealings with China will already have translators or courses in place. It can be quite difficult to get them to change their current plans. Instead I have found that companies starting new contacts with China are much more receptive. However, working with large business can be time consuming and frustrating as they make decisions at glacial speeds.

2.C. People looking for work abroad usually use an agent to find the new job and to arrange visas. Team up with these agents and you will have a steady supply of students. If you have the means to be the agent then so much the better. You can then advertise the job in the foreign country and make your language course compulsory for anyone wanting to apply for the job.

3. There's quite a large amount of business here. Only a few people actually go and get married, but lots live in the hope that they will some day be able to. So they learn the language just in case they get lucky. Again agents match up people. Team up with a dating agent and they will be able to supply customers to you.

4. There's not really much money to be had here and I wouldn't try to advertise to this group but be aware that they are there and they may make purchases.

As to spoken only or include writing and reading.

Our school in China does oral English. Most Chinese can already read the Latin alphabet so there is no need for us to teach that. Reading and writing exercises can be done at home and need to consume class time. So we only focus on speaking and listening.

However, is the same true for the western student coming to China. Probably not. Your students will have no ability to read or write Chinese hanzi. They will be able to learn pinyin quite quickly but this is of limited use in China. Not being able to read Chinese is a distinct disadvantage when spending more than a few weeks in the country. You can't read shop signs or street signs. You can't use machines to charge your cellphone or pay bills. Using computers in Chinese is neigh on impossible. Even a simple thing like going to a restaurant and choosing form food becomes out of reach.

You don't have to give your students a high level of reading skill but I think it's essential to cover some basics. Enough that they could read a restaurant menu for example. Like my school, you can probably set much of the reading exercises as homework.