Best Budee
Published: ASIA
Budee has established itself as one of Greater China’s leading distributors since taking on Tannoy more than a decade ago. Caroline Moss takes a closer look...
Beijing Pacific Budee Technology Development Co began life in 2002, when Mr Mao Yanjun secured an exclusive distribution deal for Tannoy in Northern China. Mr Mao had previously been East China sales manager at Hong Kong Wanbao Tech, a major distributor for Behringer, and later a shareholder and sales director at Melody Co, distributing EV, Beyerdynamic, Tannoy, and Behringer. His goal was to start his own organisation that felt like a family. Fittingly, the company name derives from the English word ‘buddy’.
‘It was Mr Mao’s vision to create a team of deeply dedicated audio professionals who were also friends,’ explains marketing director Eric Boyer. ‘Harmony is very important in Chinese culture and Budee’s core values of respect, professionalism and perseverance reflect that ethos. When we are friends, we will always treat each other with respect – even if we don’t always agree – and we will always act in each other’s best interests. Mr Mao believes this is the best way to do business and he has always injected that belief into Budee’s culture.’
This ethos has gained the confidence of numerous leading audio brands. Budee’s portfolio currently encompasses Tannoy, TC Electronic, Lab.gruppen, Lake Processing, Avid, Martin Audio, Bosch, Sennheiser, Blue Microphones, Clear-Com, Crestron, Electro Voice, König & Meyer, Lectrosonics, Neets, PreSonus, Summit Audio and T-Rex. At Music China 2013, Budee announced the acquisition of two more major brands, Akai and Alesis.
Along the way, several regional offices have opened throughout China, with the first – a branch office and service centre – in Shenzhen in 2007. By 2010 another office and service centre opened in Shanghai, and a branch office in Hangzhou followed a year later. Budee’s 10th anniversary year in 2012 marked the largest expansion plan in company history, with offices Chengdu, Jinan, and Nanjing and the appointment of Mr Boyer as the first full-time foreign employee.
Two subsidiaries, Unicover and DingDee, for the MI and A/V markets respectively, also operate under the Budee umbrella. The company maintains three factory-authorised service centres. Budee’s 147 employees look after all aspects of the business from its seven offices including import, government compliance, certification, sales and marketing, technical support, logistics, customer service, consulting and repair. Undoubtedly in recognition of this, Budee has been repeatedly recognised as distributor of the year by Avid, Electro-Voice and Bosch.
A large part of Budee’s success is down to the team of key players that Mr Mao has assembled. Vice general manager and COO Mr Cheng Zhongjun is also an acoustician and author. Mr Li Feng, vice president of the touring division, is a respected live sound engineer who regularly tours with Chinese artist Cui Jian; CTO Mr Wu Zheng is another live engineer who has mixed over 6,000 performances. Mr Liu Zilin, Budee’s chief engineer, has 20 years’ experience as audio director at the National Central Oriental Song and Dance Troupe while Mr Lu Zhiyang, technical director of DingDee, has another 20 years of design and application experience in A/V and stage management. Also on the staff is studio recording engineer Mr Qu Ran; together they work to deliver a high level of service and technical expertise.
The team is now augmented by Mr Boyer, an American. ‘The challenge of having to work in two languages certainly keeps things interesting!’ he says of his new role, and grasp of Mandarin. ‘My other less tangible role is cultural ambassador; at times part diplomat, part interpreter, part student and part teacher. There is still a lot of misunderstanding between our two very different cultures, and as the visitor, of course, it’s my job to adapt. But in business, I believe that’s a two-way street. We have to meet somewhere in the middle and the one thing I’ve done at Budee about which I’m most proud is helping Mr Mao and my colleagues better understand the West, and the expectations of Western businesspeople.’
As Budee’s portfolio of Western brands increases, this role is not to be underestimated. ‘Having sat on both sides of the table, the manufacturer usually has unrealistic expectations—due primarily to a lack of understanding of the local market and his products’ potential in a given locale,’ says Mr Boyer. ‘Meanwhile the distributor usually overstates that potential in order to gain the manufacturer’s business, invariably making matters worse when he fails to meet the objective. We unequivocally do not do this. Integrity and trust are the two most important things we bring to the table and genuine, enduring traction in a marketplace is a long-term proposition. You cannot build a brand overnight, nor can you expect instant gratification. Shortcuts and the temptation of short-term gains are no substitute for genuine partnership, and this applies to the good times as well as the bad. We share in success and taste the pain of hard times together. A great example of this is Tannoy with whom we’ve enjoyed a very productive relationship for over 10 years. Are there difficulties? Of course there are – but as with any relationship that is based on trust and friendship, you work together for each other’s benefit and you figure it out.
‘This is why our business model always takes the long view and we are committed to a long-term relationship with all our manufacturers. You’d be surprised at how many times we have to say “no” to a line that’s pitching their business to us because we just don’t feel the vibe — we don’t feel that they’re after genuine partnership, but rather short-term gains. And that’s fine, it’s just not for us!’
Mr Boyer also believes that presenting Budee’s business partners with the truth, no matter how difficult it might be, is invaluable to progress in China. ‘Many of the problems we encounter boil down to cultural misunderstandings, and here is where “east vs west” really comes into play,’ he says. ‘This is the most interesting part of my job as I am constantly learning to adjust my approach to ensure I’m doing right by my partners across two oceans.’
Looking to the future, Budee is keen to expand its territory – the company currently covers Hong Kong and Macau as well as mainland China – as well as its business. At the same time there is an emphasis on keeping growth focused and managed. ‘We’re not going to bite off more than we can chew,’ muses Mr Boyer. ‘We’re very sensitive to diluting our brand, and we’re very selective about the manufacturers we engage. We’re very aware of our strengths as well as our limitations, and we feel we have a lot to offer the right kind of customer.’
Looking at the long and mutually beneficial relationships that Budee has built up with numerous prime pro audio brands, this philosophy would seem to be a winning one.