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Introduction: Everyone says marketing is hard, but in reality, it's about not trying hard enough or being attentive enough. Marketing is actually simple. Having served as a marketing director for ten years, I've summarized my marketing experience into the following 119 simple sayings, hoping to help those struggling in the marketing industry.

In the blink of an eye, I transitioned from a professional manager to a business partner and marketing consultant. Over a decade as a professional manager brought both successes and failures. I dedicate this article to commemorate my bittersweet marketing career. Whether right or wrong, here it is for reference:

  1. In a company, some things can be said but not done (e.g., "employee interests first"); some things can be done but not said (e.g., layoffs and pay cuts). Understanding this can save you detours.
  2. Promotion, wealth, learning, and growth are the most genuine dreams of every marketer.
  3. The best system is one tied to money.
  4. Choice matters more than effort; I've seen countless mediocre people rise quickly and talented people suffer misfortune, feeling that fate plays tricks.
  5. If your dream is to be a professional manager, big companies are better—they offer big platforms and resources to achieve great things.
  6. Political struggles in big companies can be intense; be prepared.
  7. Internal strife is sometimes tolerated or even encouraged by the boss.
  8. Knowledge of professional managers in big companies tends to be "narrow and deep," while in small companies it's "broad and shallow."
  9. Believing effort alone guarantees success, or that success comes without effort, are both signs of immaturity. As Zeng Guofan said, self-cultivation is up to oneself, but success depends on heaven.
  10. If you think you can, you can; if you think you can't, you definitely can't.
  11. The crying child gets the milk.
  12. Having connections in high places makes things easier.
  13. The downside of good companies is that they often make incompetent people in high positions think too highly of themselves. The upside of bad companies is that they force grassroots marketers to rely on themselves, eventually honing strong skills.
  14. If you have a strong desire to get rich, entrepreneurship is the only way. Marketers can hardly get rich on normal salaries, unless through gray income.
  15. Few marketers can resist the temptation of gray income, just as few can resist the temptation of beauty.
  16. Marketing has patterns but no fixed rules.
  17. Marketing is a one-way road; becoming a marketing director is the end of a career. The final destination is either entrepreneurship or manager shareholding. Entrepreneurship is something to look forward to; manager shareholding is desirable but not always attainable.
  18. A colleague asked me how to interpret the boss's words, "Work hard, and I won't treat you badly." I said, if you're still young, maybe give it a try.
  19. Marketing is a young person's game; some things can't wait. Money is recognition of one's value and ability; incentives without money are the least effective.
  20. Books often teach us to work for ideals, not money. I'm puzzled: working for ideals is natural, but why can't we work for money?
  21. Stick to one industry, one company, and one profession, and you'll eventually succeed. If necessary, change companies; if still necessary, change industries; but never change professions lightly.
  22. Men should be tough on themselves (in career) and kind to themselves (in hobbies).
  23. Marketing matters often lie outside marketing itself, such as your knowledge and learning.
  24. In a company, everyone is both a chess player and a chess piece.
  25. Heaven rewards the diligent; that's not false.
  26. At the annual meeting, I pondered when the boss talked about the hardships of entrepreneurship; I became wary when employees raised hands to pledge loyalty; I laughed when someone "wept bitterly."
  27. No one can defeat you except yourself.
  28. I truly wish good deeds were rewarded and evil punished.
  29. Endure a word and the wind is calm; step back and the sea and sky are wide.
  30. What you can't figure out is only because you lack perspective.
  31. In the marketing community, those with great ambitions and pursuit of success are often surrounded by rabble.
  32. Thank those who helped me; they are my benefactors. Thank those who framed or looked down on me; they are also my benefactors—they motivated me to achieve.
  33. Benefactors are those who inspire you to strive and fight harder.
  34. Political struggles in companies are purely dung beetles fighting over dung.
  35. Power tactics are a double-edged sword; they harm others first, then yourself.
  36. Marketing is essentially three things: speaking well, writing well, and doing well. "Speaking well" means communication and presentation skills; "writing well" means writing summaries and reports; "doing well" means execution.
  37. The best motivation is self-motivation, which is essentially a habit of correct thinking and action.
  38. The best motivation for team management is four words: promotion and wealth.
  39. Managing teams and distributors boils down to sixteen characters: reason with them, move them emotionally, entice them with benefits, and restrain them with consequences.
  40. "Read classics, watch news." In today's information flood, calming down to read a few classics will benefit you immensely.
  41. Marketers often have worldly images, like "eating, drinking, whoring, gambling" or "glib tongues." But these are just packaged images; real marketers are those with ideals, pursuits, firmness, and insight—those who are "learned, thoughtful, questioning, discerning, and diligent."
  42. In this materialistic and deceitful society, a marketer without firm beliefs and persistent pursuits can easily lose themselves and drift with the tide.
  43. Management is nothing more than setting people, time, quantity, goals, standards, and rewards/punishments.
  44. If there's a chance to be lazy, people will be lazy; if there's a chance to be corrupt, people will be corrupt.
  45. Marketers only do what is rewarded or punished, not what is expected.
  46. Paratroopers (external hires) have the highest casualty rate because they are often appointed during crises.
  47. If you love someone, let them do marketing; if you hate someone, let them do marketing.
  48. How to allocate sales targets? It's usually "GDP + growth rate + completion rate + others (market level, competition, gut feeling)." This isn't entirely scientific. My method: allocate based on the above indicators, keep 5-10% flexible, then adjust regionally later based on process indicators (key tasks, channel development, terminals) and result indicators.
  49. Branding is simple, so simple that everyone understands it. It's also complex, so complex that some "brand experts" make a living from it.
  50. Better to violate heavenly rules than to offend the masses.
  51. There is only disclosure, no truth.
  52. Packaging matters more than substance. Marketing resumes often have water; maybe a manager worth a million to bosses was only earning 200-300k before.
  53. The root of conflict between manufacturers and distributors is unfair profit distribution. Since the final consumer price can't be infinitely increased and is governed by market laws, both sides in the distribution chain want to squeeze more profit from each other.
  54. One of the greatest qualities of a salesperson is not playing by the rules.
  55. The front line is always the source of innovation.
  56. Beware of smooth-talking, flashy marketers.
  57. Obsequious and fawning marketers are pitiful, pathetic, and lamentable!
  58. Data can reveal the truth or conceal it.
  59. Marketers sometimes need a bit of dominance, boldness, and a "who else but me" spirit, even if thousands oppose.
  60. Without responsibility (job duties), how can there be a sense of responsibility?
  61. Laissez-faire management harms some and helps others: it harms those without direction and helps those who are proactive.
  62. Use tables, data, formulas, or models in reports; it will benefit you greatly.
  63. Even if it's fake, data is better than pure text narration.
  64. The clever accomplish things; the simple-minded, who stick to ideals, accomplish great things.
  65. Undeniably, flattery is a good communication tool.
  66. Be a gentleman, but manage the petty.
  67. Negative incentives for process indicators, positive incentives for result indicators.
  68. In a company, you don't necessarily have to start from the bottom.
  69. To see if a company is worth joining, check if its toilets are clean and if its employees look sunny.
  70. When you don't need favors, you're equal to anyone; when resigning, you're on par with the boss.
  71. Being humble before the boss means you either need something from him, admire him, or both.
  72. The essence of management was already stated by the ancients: "If you can win hearts, dissent will disappear; from ancient times, those who know war are not warlike. If you don't assess the situation, leniency or strictness will both be wrong; later rulers of Shu should think deeply."
  73. If you thoroughly understand how religions manage believers and how governments manage people, you'll be the wisest management expert.
  74. Try a top-down management approach a few times: go to the front line and work as a salesperson or promoter.
  75. Bamboo shoots become bamboo only after falling to the ground; fish become dragons only after swimming.
  76. Undeniably, pretending does work; pretend long enough, and you become the real deal.
  77. Some companies or people do unreasonable things under the banner of reasonableness.
  78. Companies and employees benefit greatly from putting themselves in each other's shoes.
  79. We are all mortals controlled by invisible powerful forces; either join them or conform to them.
  80. The scene of decline is within fullness; the mechanism of growth is within decay. Therefore, a gentleman in peace should prepare for danger, and in adversity should endure to achieve.
  81. Civilize the spirit, barbarize the body.
  82. In this materialistic, deceitful, and complex society, reading a few books quietly will benefit you immensely.
  83. Far from home, food and sex are human nature, but don't forget time management.
  84. Those who wait long fly high; those who bloom early wither early.
  85. Most marketing trainers have never done sales; it's an industry where outsiders train insiders.
  86. Training is like cooking—the highest level is achieving both color, aroma, taste, and nutrition. But in reality, most marketers value color, aroma, and taste; lively atmosphere matters more than knowledge.
  87. In some industries, the main role of a regional manager is to be the operator for distributors and the marketing consultant for small accounts.
  88. Great wealth depends on fate; small wealth depends on diligence.
  89. Learn to be grateful.
  90. Warm heart, cold eyes; proud bones, humble mind.
  91. The Way is in your heart; don't seek it outside.
  92. Excellent performance requires full effort and heavy pressure.
  93. Don't be afraid, don't regret, don't torment yourself, don't cry over spilt milk.
  94. Paranoids either succeed or die.
  95. Speak only three-tenths of what you know; don't reveal your whole heart.
  96. Drink to slight intoxication, view flowers half-open; excess is as bad as deficiency. Getting drunk hurts both body and heart.
  97. "Alcohol capacity reflects sales, alcohol character reflects personality" is pure nonsense.
  98. Corporate culture is figuring out the boss's mind.
  99. Report level by level; complain over levels.
  100. As long as your thinking doesn't slide, methods are always more than difficulties.
  101. If there's work, do it; if there's no work, find work.
  102. Work with focus during work hours; think about work outside work hours.
  103. Goal—Plan—Action—Review—Feedback—Improvement.
  104. Think carefully—act quickly—communicate frequently.
  105. Action is the key to success.
  106. Those who waste time waiting for perfect cooperation accomplish nothing.
  107. There are at least three ways to achieve anything.
  108. Effectiveness matters more than being right.
  109. With heart (full effort) and brain (scientific methods), nothing fails.
  110. Not knowing what to do is the beginning of being fired.
  111. Excellent performance requires full effort and heavy pressure.
  112. Improvement is endless.
  113. Find problems, analyze problems, solve problems.
  114. If I'm told to do it, nothing gets done; if I want to do it, nothing fails.
  115. The meaning of communication is to achieve your goals by any means.
  116. Details determine success or failure.
  117. Be loyal to the company and to your leaders.
  118. Plan weekly, arrange daily.
  119. All behaviors at work affect and determine your personality, and personality determines destiny.

These are the 119 simple sayings summarizing the marketing industry from a decade-long marketing director. But how many marketers can truly achieve them? In marketing, there's no "fit" or "not fit," only whether you're attentive and hardworking. I hope everyone can savor these 119 truths and take every step well to become a great marketer!

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