As the technological market leader in our field, Tervakoski Film operates globally. We have a long history of working in China, where our products have been present since the 70s. The bridge to our Chinese customers and the Chinese culture is our esteemed sales person Frank Yan, who has worked with Tervakoski Film since 1995.
For almost three decades already, Frank Yan has been Tervakoski Film’s Sales Representative in China. During this time, the Chinese economy has quickly developed along with the Chinese power grid. The demand for dielectric film keeps growing with new technologies, such as ultra-high-voltage electricity transmission lines, flexible HVDC transmission lines, renewable energy sources and electric cars. The competition in China is fierce, but Frank is confident in Tervakoski Film’s ability to serve the Chinese market in the most demanding applications also in the future:
“To keep a close business relationship with our customers in China we have to be both sincere and very professional. We must know what the customers technically need to be able to offer solutions that will help them reach their goals, and we can only promise things that we can deliver. The hardest part in my work is approaching new customers and showing them why they should pay a higher price for our advanced products. Once they have used our products, they quickly realise their benefits, and are happy to continue working with us”, Frank describes.
Honest, professional, equal and efficient
Honesty and professionalism are two nouns that Frank uses to describe Tervakoski Film’s company culture. To these he also adds equality and efficiency. Frank would not characterise the internal culture at Tervakoski Film as particularly Finnish or Slovak, but rather international, based on the collaboration of kindred spirits with the same values, working for a long-term vision to be the industry leader.
“At Tervakoski Film, we are all equal, regardless if you are part of the management, a white-collar or a blue-collar employee. The organisation is very flat and our communication is direct. This enables us to quickly respond to our customers and to changing market needs. Our products are of the highest quality, which is a result of our specialised know-how and attention to detail. The products we are working on are meant for the future, which is why we are always a few steps ahead of our competitors”, Frank explains.
Great people skills are important when you work in international sales. The internal language at Tervakoski Film is English, which Frank highlights as a key enabler to smooth communication and negotiations. Important are also coordination skills, a good fit between the sales person and the company, and general communication skills.
“Communication consists of two parts: listening and speaking. As a sales person, I have to be able to listen to what my customers want, what their opinions are, and understand what they mean when they respond in negotiations. I also have to be able to express the advantages of our products and what we can do for our customers. In Asian culture, we sometimes do not express ourselves as directly as Western people. We use a lot of euphemisms, so I must find the correct and best way to communicate our intentions to our customers without offending anyone”, Frank explains.
Harmony respects diversity
Cultural consciousness is important in international sales. Frank notes that China’s economy has been open to the world for over 40 years, and Chinese customers are very familiar with the different ways of thinking and behaviours of partners from Europe, America or Africa. Part of the Asian culture is, in fact, finding harmony in diversity:
“Western culture focuses on logical analysis and demonstrations, but in Asian culture we rely more on feelings and experiences. We look at the whole instead of its parts, and seek harmony. Harmony does not mean that everything has to be the same. Harmony respects diversity, and if you look at different things in a bigger picture, you see that they are in harmony with one another”, Frank explains.
Frank says that he has learned a lot from communicating with his sales colleagues in other parts of the world. These discussions have given him new perspectives and helped him become a better salesman in his own home country. For Frank, sales people are connectors between different corners of the world:
“No matter what the cultural differences are, our job as sales people is to be the bridge that connects both sides of the river. We don’t only strive for contracts or sales figures; our task is to communicate between two cultures and to introduce, feel, understand and appreciate different cultures”, Frank reflects.