As a part of a new series, we wanted to give a special light to Luxury Real Estate markets under the expertise of our Members. The strong experience of our Members all around the world will provide for an interesting point of view on business specificities, and especially the unique parameters of foreign clients to be considered on any international strategy.
The first article of this series is dedicated to the Chinese Luxury market. We interviewed Sebastiano Cavalieri Ducati, CEO of Ducati Case, who shared his proven experience of negotiating with Chinese clients.
With Chinese clients you need to be extra careful and avoid mistakes because they have traditions, methods and a culture that is very different from us
What is the main difference you could notice during a negotiation with a Chinese client, compared to an Italian or European client?
Every client is like a door, you need to find the right key to open it. It is however very difficult for me to analyze the expressions and reactions of Asian clients. Europeans, and especially Mediterranean people, are more open and warm in their expressions, while Asian clients are colder and more far-sighted, but with great skills and a proven determination to reach their objectives.
According to your experience, what are the three keywords to keep in mind during a negotiation with Chinese clients?
Every negotiation is a different story, and that is the beauty of our job! More than keywords, with Chinese clients you need to be extra careful and avoid mistakes because they have traditions, methods and a culture that is very different from us. For example, grabbing a business card with a single hand could prove to be very offensive for a Chinese person and put an end to a negotiation (always accept a business card with both hands).
Is Ducati Case overlooking China? What changes have you implemented in your agency following this experience?
Globalization deals with a fixed product, it is hard to remain still, it is complicated to interpret, but to me it is the future. Especially in a country like Italy, where so many foreigners would like to own a house, it is critical to find the right communication channels in the country of origins of the foreigners. Through real estate business, Ducati Case serves foreign clients, and especially Chinese, and we have decided to try to reach the Chinese market as efficiently as possible by creating a section of the Ducati Case website dedicated to Chinese properties and in Mandarin Chinese. Presence and promotion will however be characterized by an activity directly localized thanks to our strong contacts in China.
I would also appreciate if you could give me a few quick indications about:
My Chinese clientele has a strong international activity in the fashion industry.
International private companies.
Both office/showroom and stores in the main international fashion streets of Milan (« Quadrilatero della Moda »).
Discover luxury real estate properties listed by Ducati Case on the Prestige MLS website
