Shortlist
3 to 5 namesBriefed in detail and ready to meet. For brands moving fast, with a decision pencilled in for the next month or two.
How we use it
A serious starting point, in weeks rather than months.
You brief us. We work the database and come back quickly with a shortlist or longlist of partners worth meeting. Names that fit your category, your stage and what you're really trying to do in China.
We can't promise any partnership works out. No partner search really can. What we can promise is that you'll start from a far stronger list than most brands ever assemble on their own.
How the engagement works
From first call to shortlist
Three steps. Two or three weeks. One document and a working session at the end.
0
weeks, brief to deliveryMost projects ship in two to three weeks. Quicker when the brief is tight, a little longer when the scope is broad.
- Phase 01
The brief
A video call to kick things off, half an hour to an hour. We ask about your category, your stage, your channel priorities, your timeline and the constraints you're already working around. - Phase 02
The database
We pull the names that match the brief, then check each one against where the partner actually is right now. A profile written eighteen months ago can already be out of date. Things move quickly here. - Phase 03
The delivery
A document covering the partner list, the profiles and our read on each one. Plus a working session to walk through it together, page by page.
Shortlist, longlist or both
Depending on where you are
Longlist
15 to 20 namesA wider view across categories, channels or regions, with a structured side-by-side. For brands earlier in the process, still working out what distribution should actually look like.
A few brands want both. The brief is what decides.
What you get
A document, a conversation and warm introductions if you want them
A profile per partner
Real categories, channels, footprint, commercial terms, brands they've worked with and our view on each. Enough to walk into a meeting knowing exactly what to ask and what to watch for.
A working session
We sit down with you and talk through the whole thing. Why this name. Why not that one. Where we'd push in negotiation. The list doesn't count for much if you don't trust the thinking behind it.
Warm introductions
If you want them, we make them. Most of these partners already know us, so you tend to get the A-team in the room rather than the pitch team.
What we can and can't tell you
Honest about the limits
Tell you who fits, based on what we've actually seen and worked on ourselves. Make sure the names on your list have earned their place there.
How the partnership will look two years in. That depends on the deal you negotiate, the team they put on your account and a lot of other things that happen after the contract is signed.
Most China entries that go sideways go sideways at the choice of partner, not at the execution.
Engagement and cost
One project, one fee
Single project. No retainer. The fee depends on the scope, and both scope and price are pinned down before any work starts.
Scope
- Shortlist only
- Longlist only
- Both, with market mapping
The first call is really about fit. By the end of it you'll know whether this is the right kind of help for you, and we'll know whether we can actually move the needle.
When to come to us
Earlier is better
Pre-launch
Before you've signed anything. The cleanest case of all. The database has room to earn its keep.
Replacing a partner
A distributor sitting on inventory. A TP that can't shift the category. We know who fits and who doesn't.
After a wrong signing
Some brands only come to us later. Same shortlist work, sharper urgency, far less room to maneuver.
Not sure which one is you? The first call will sort that out.
Ready to talk?
Book a 30-minute call.
No obligation. By the end of it you'll know whether it fits.