Caterpillar's roadshow: show, not tell: Church of the Customer Blog

When I visited China to sell executive education and learning solutions, the executives in the companies we met with asked for a demonstration of what we could do, they did now want a proposal or anything else. They wanted us to be there and to demonstrate commitment by showing us the product.  So, I read with interest a story about Caterpillar's experience marketing massive construction machinery in China. The article entitled Caterpillar's roadshow was originally noted in the Wall Street Journal and then amplified in Church of the Customer blog In Caterpillar's case they haul 38 ton tractor scrapers all over China to demonstrate their functions and to create a buzz in the construction industry. 

Is there a cultural difference in the way that Chinese executives want to buy services and products?  What is your experience in this market?  I am primarily interested in understanding selling professional services in developing markets.