Francis R Carroll, president of the little business administration agency inc. (SBSB) in Worcester , Massachusetts, believes that the Chinese find it easier to work with small firms because “decision are made faster and paperwork doesn't get lost in the shuffle of large company bureaucracies.” To back up this claim, he points out that at the conclusion of a trade mission to china in September 1985, the nineteen member SBSB delegation returned home with seven signed letters of intent , three purchase orders, and two joint-venture agreements.
One of the members of the mission, Michael Andreottola, president of American Ink jet corp., has found particular success in the people’s Republic. A month after being laid of from his job in January 1984, he started his own company, which markets ink-jet printers and related parts and supplies. By the end of this first year of operation, sales to china accounted for 20 per cent of his $600,000 in total sales. His predictions for the 1987 fiscal year place the figure at 25 per cent to 33 per cent of total sales.
Part of American ink-jets unusual success has to do with simply being in the right place at the right time. Ink-jet printers are used to interpret seismic data in oil and gas exploration, and natural resources development is currently booming in china. The company’s small size has also been a distinct advantage. With only four full-time and six-part-time employees, the company has been able to respond quickly and flexibly to customers, needs.
But equally important is the personal touch that Andreottola has been able to bring to the job. Representing himself, his company, and his country to an extent that large companies often do not find possible, he has helped to clear up some of the misconceptions that many Chinese have about Americans. They “have a perception of what the American---always looking far war, and that sort of things,”he says. “We demonstrated to the individuals that we are not care for that-that we are amicable and we need to help them.