Hey, have you ever experienced one of those moments when you meet with a client and feel like everything is different? On January 8th, I had a visit from a Korean client. It was a short three-hour meeting, but it was very rewarding because we learnt some important features of Korean Market.
At first, I didn’t expect this meeting to be so special. However, when the client exclaimed, “We are like a family,” on the way to the high-speed train station, I really felt how special this meeting was. The relaxed, vibrant and harmonious atmosphere was really comforting. I couldn’t help but wonder what it was that made us feel this way about each other.
Quality control
Later I realized that it was the result of three years of cooperation in which we never had any quality problems, mutual trust and pleasant cooperation. When we asked about the customer complaint situation of the cooperative products in the meeting, the customer said that we had not received any customer complaints. This really surprised me, after all, 100% satisfaction is very difficult to achieve. As the old Chinese saying goes, “It’s hard to get everyone’s mouths to agree”, in today’s market, there are very few businesses that can achieve more than 90% satisfaction, let alone 100%.
People in the industry know that the quality requirements of the Japanese and Korean markets are high, sometimes higher than the European standards, and it is really something we should be proud of that our products have received such a high evaluation in Korea.
During the meeting, we demonstrated how we control quality and cost, as well as how we design products. This gave the client a better understanding of our expertise.
Product development
At the same time, we also discussed the issue of new product development canvas. The previous canvas was designed according to our own situation, but this time we learn that it needs to be changed appropriately when applied to different products and countries. For example, for us, new product trial is the key, and research is not the most important. But for Korean customers, research is the key, because they are brands, the threshold of new product trial sale is very high, KC testing is the first condition, only get the KC certification of the product can be introduced to the market, even if it is a trial sale. The cost of KC testing is very high, about $3,000 for one product. This leads them to make decisions very carefully.
The meeting also emphasized the concept of customization, which helps avoid too much competition as well as protect our customers. Avoiding too much competition and protecting our customers will take us far.
I really learned a lot from this visit of Korean customer. I also look forward to more cooperation in the future as we create a better future together. What do you think are the benefits of working with Korean customers? Feel free to leave a message in the comment section to share! Like, retweet and let more people see our story.
