How Dr. Steve Hines Became a Driving Force Behind Mannatech’s China Efforts and How You Can Too
Known for helping build and create the Happy Team, Dr. Steve Hines is a Silver Presidential Director in the U.S. who has found big success by working closely with the Chinese population. As Mannatech continues to expand and bring health and wellness solutions to families across the globe,* Dr. Hines shares his insights into how he immersed himself into the Chinese culture to help build the Happy Team and how you can leverage Mannatech’s international expansion to build your business.
Getting Started
Prior to the formation of the Happy Team, Dr. Hines first built his relationship with now Platinum Presidential Director Julia Zhu. When Dr. Hines first met Julia, he quickly became aware of her background. Julia was a Canadian who emigrated from China in an effort to help her son receive a better education.
Dr. Hines learned that before many emigrants leave their country, many have wonderful professions such as doctors, teachers or other occupations, but they often cannot transfer that knowledge or license to a new country. This leaves them out of work in a new land where many do not know the language.
Julia was in that same situation. She was now residing in Canada but had to take entry level jobs, and she had difficulty learning the English language. Julia’s husband, Tony, stayed in China and was able to help support her and her son.
“I knew right away that Mannatech was the perfect opportunity for Julia,” said Dr. Hines. “I realized that she and her peers were very open to learning new skills and a new language, they were very entrepreneurial, hardworking and they were ready to do something new.”
Teaching, Learning and Building
Once Dr. Hines and Julia decided to start their business partnership, things began to take off. But it didn’t happen overnight – it took patience and learning from both leaders to help each other. Dr. Hines began to help Julia build her own team through consistent meetings, which he says was one key to success.
Dr. Hines and Julia started hosting meetings out of a garage, until that meeting space became too small for such a large group. They then started holding meetings in a slightly larger space that would accommodate their growing group of about 50 people. Most of the new business builders did not speak English but they had a great desire to learn together as a group. Dr. Hines would teach about the products, and Julia, who by this time had learned the language, would translate the product information to the team.
“The Chinese business builders were constantly taking notes and loved learning new things, which helped propel the business very quickly,” said Dr. Hines. “They became eager to share their incredible product experiences with their peers and began to gain confidence in building a Mannatech business.”*
Overcoming Obstacles and Learning the Culture
Dr. Hines says the biggest obstacle to overcome was the language and culture barrier. As a newcomer to the Chinese culture, he wanted the team to feel that they could trust him. He showed his dedication to them by putting in as much effort into learning about them and their culture as they did learning his. He would drive more than two hours every week for the team meetings, he would stay after midnight to answer questions and he gave up extra time and personal interests to help them succeed.
In addition to going the extra mile, he made it his mission to learn their culture. Though he was often the only non-Chinese person at the team meetings, Dr. Hines found that the Chinese people enjoy being with people like themselves – people who work hard, are willing to make sacrifices for the team and show respect.
“To break into a new culture, you have to learn it,” Dr. Hines said. “To build an international business, you must go where different cultures spend their time. Go where they are – restaurants, businesses, social clubs. Find neighbors and friends of different cultures or become friends with someone who has immigrated to a new country. Show them that you respect where they came from and who they are as a people.”
Go Big
Just like Dr. Hines, all Mannatech Associates can expand their business by learning a new culture. You can do it! Don’t feel that you are too far away. You can expand your business from your own backyard. You have Mannatech, its products, science and people behind you. With operations in more than 25 countries, a new culture is out there waiting to be embraced by you!
In the coming months, Mannatech will open its cross-border e-commerce business^ in Mainland China. The e-commerce business model will enable customers in China to create an account, enter a referral code and place their e-commerce order through the e-commerce website.
^Mannatech’s cross-border e-commerce model in China is a different opportunity from Mannatech’s MLM business in other markets. Our cross-border ecommerce model in China is not an MLM or direct selling business.
