---
title: "Being an Obedient Distributor"
description: "Zhu Yuanzhang was a historically ruthless emperor who killed many founding heroes, yet his fellow townsman and friend Tang He managed to survive by being obedient and knowing when to retreat. For distributors, being obedient to manufacturers is a wise strategy that ensures survival and success, as it aligns with the interests of both parties and fosters a harmonious relationship."
author: "崔自三"
publisher: "New Distribution"
email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com"
telephone: "+8615854817671"
published: "2015-06-13"
language: "en"
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---

# Being an Obedient Distributor

> Zhu Yuanzhang was a historically ruthless emperor who killed many founding heroes, yet his fellow townsman and friend Tang He managed to survive by being obedient and knowing when to retreat. For distributors, being obedient to manufacturers is a wise strategy that ensures survival and success, as it aligns with the interests of both parties and fosters a harmonious relationship.

Zhu Yuanzhang was a historically ruthless emperor who killed many people. In order to build the "century-long Ming Dynasty," he "burned the bridge after crossing the river," fabricating charges and killing many founding heroes, including Liao Yongzhong and Li Shanchang. However, despite being such a "killing demon," his fellow townsman and friend Tang He managed to escape disaster. Not only was he highly praised by Zhu as a model of merit, but he also retired successfully and was posthumously conferred the title of King of Dong'ou with the posthumous name Xiangwu.
Serving a monarch is like living with a tiger. How did Tang He protect himself from being slaughtered? In fact, it was not complicated: he simply became an "obedient" minister. But Tang He also learned from his mistakes. When he was guarding Changzhou, he once expressed dissatisfaction at a banquet about Zhu only granting him the title of "Marquis of Zhongshan." Later, when Zhu learned of this, he severely reprimanded Tang He in front of all the civil and military officials. From then on, Tang He understood Zhu's temper, especially after witnessing the killing of many meritorious officials. He changed his ways and became a different person: he reported everything, regularly submitted work reports, and let Zhu know that he was always diligent for the Ming Dynasty. At the same time, he knew how to "turn around gracefully," that is, to withdraw in time, protecting himself and his family, which became a marvel in Ming history. Therefore, what is wrong with being an obedient minister or subordinate?
Distributors are an extension of the manufacturer's sales department. For distributors, since they do not produce products themselves and only play the role of an "intermediary," in the game between manufacturers and distributors, distributors are generally at a disadvantage due to the imbalance in status. Manufacturers are relatively scarce, while the distributor group is much more replaceable. If you don't do it, someone else will. From this perspective, being an obedient distributor is actually a wise choice and a great wisdom. Sometimes, strategic retreat is also a circuitous strategy and a better form of attack. During the Cultural Revolution, many founding elders were persecuted and even died unjustly, but Zhou Enlai managed to protect himself. This is attributed to Zhou's ability to understand Mao's mind, first being an "obedient" person, always centering on the supreme leader Mao, thereby protecting himself while better handling crises and making greater contributions to the country.
What can "obedience" and "disobedience" bring to distributors? Let's analyze:
"The obedient child gets candy." Everyone, no matter how great, has an instinctive resistance or rejection to those who are "not in harmony" with them. Under such psychological conditions, if you encounter a "wise ruler" like Wei Zheng with Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, you can coexist peacefully, but if you encounter someone like Zhu Yuanzhang, you are in big trouble. But how many wise rulers like Li Shimin are there? They are like a drop in the ocean. Therefore, being a well-behaved and obedient distributor is the greatest protection for yourself. Which manufacturer would be willing to cut off a distributor who is in step with the company and strictly implements its policies? Even if the distributor's ability is slightly weaker, sales are temporarily smaller, and even if more time is needed for training and improvement. On the contrary, those distributors who think they are exceptionally capable and occupy a large share of the company's sales, but constantly oppose the company, may not be touched temporarily, but one day you might become the meat on the manufacturer's chopping block. Doesn't P&G's "kill the big accounts" campaign illustrate this? Compared to ability and loyalty, I think more manufacturers tend to favor loyalty, especially small and medium-sized enterprises.
"Obedience" is the prerequisite for building a harmonious manufacturer-distributor relationship. The country has always advocated harmonious social relations, and the same applies to manufacturer-distributor relations. I do not fully agree that the relationship between manufacturers and distributors is a game of confrontation, because their positions are not contradictory, nor are they irreconcilable or hostile. Instead, they are in a cooperative and win-win relationship, a strategic partnership based on interests, where they are closely related and cannot do without each other. At the same time, manufacturers face much higher competitive pressure than distributors. In terms of marketing reform and forward-looking marketing, they are generally superior to distributors. Therefore, from this perspective, distributors should understand the overall situation, consider the big picture, and understand the strategic plans and market requirements introduced by manufacturers, cooperating with them in channel reform, after-sales service, customer relations, and other aspects, rather than "being in the same bed but dreaming different dreams," where you say your thing and I do mine, eventually forcing the manufacturer to take up the "cleaver," leading to a lose-lose situation.
After being "obedient," you must also learn to "respond." Being an "obedient" distributor does not mean being a "goody-goody" who follows the rules. In addition to being law-abiding, doing your duty, and doing what a distributor should do, you can also raise objections to the practicality and applicability of the manufacturer's policies in your market. But the premise is to execute first, and while executing, put forward your views or better suggestions. Distributors should offer more suggestions and fewer complaints, and should not easily negate the plans or policies formulated by the manufacturer's planning or marketing departments. Nor should they become a "complaining wife" type of distributor who only talks but does nothing, only complains but offers no good methods or suggestions. Only by actively resolving conflicts and problems on a constructive basis, rather than blaming and complaining about each other, can a harmonious manufacturer-distributor relationship be truly built, and both parties can go to the market together and benefit each other.
In short, being an "obedient" distributor is a strategy and a survival wisdom. Only by being "obedient" rather than confrontational, and by being compliant but not "blindly obedient" (by offering more suggestions), can distributors become more valuable, carry more weight in the eyes of manufacturers, protect themselves, and thus grow stronger and bigger.
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