****Recognize Reality, Abandon Illusions, and Prepare for Battle The COVID-19 pandemic has entered its third year of recurrence, seemingly endless. After the consumption 'mini-spring' in January and February, almost everyone believed that the virus had left China. However, in mid-March, a new wave of multi-point outbreaks began. In less than two months, the faster-spreading and more cunning Omicron variant swept from Hong Kong to Shenzhen and Guangzhou, to Jilin and Shanghai, and now to Beijing and Zhengzhou, affecting almost all our economically developed regions. On May 5, the national news broadcast used a five-minute segment to once again clearly reaffirm the Party Central Committee's general policy of 'dynamic zero-COVID'. On May 6, several major events this year, including the Asian Games and the Universiade, announced postponements. Facing such changes at a moment when victory seemed near is naturally frustrating and annoying. But today, China has only one option: abandon illusions and prepare for battle. We know that many FMCG brands' 2022 annual plans are relatively aggressive, even adopting an offensive market posture. 2022 is destined to be an abnormal year. Do our market plans need to be reset? Do our expectations need adjustment? Do our offensive postures need to shift to defensive ones? Every corporate decision-maker is facing an extremely difficult moment. We know and understand that some companies have already begun to adopt a defensive stance; after all, survival is the biggest task. But we also know that many corporate decision-makers have not yet made the final decision on whether to give up on 2022. Because history tells us that behind every crisis lies an opportunity for rise. This temptation is significant enough to make decision-makers hesitate. Chinese companies have rich experience in surviving crises, so this article will not discuss that. For marketers, their duty is to solve problems with insufficient conditions. Therefore, today we focus only on the topic: 'How can we achieve market victory in the current situation?' ****How Can Decision-Makers Maintain Strategic Focus? If a decision is important enough to potentially determine a company's fate, we can understand the challenges and pressures decision-makers face, and it is hardest to maintain strategic focus at such times. In today's environment, making a 'sentimentally pessimistic' judgment is easy and aligns with human nature; but making a 'rationally optimistic' one is difficult and easily challenged internally. Strategic focus stems from correct and clear strategic judgment. Famous marketing expert Mr. Liu Chunxiong recently proposed an important judgment: 'All corporate decision-makers and managers should form a consensus: the current abnormal state is the greatest normal state.' This is crucial. Recognizing this consensus prevents unrealistic illusions, such as 'the pandemic will soon pass' or 'prevention measures will be relaxed.' With clear understanding and judgment, decision-makers can regain strategic focus. Whether the final decision is offensive or defensive, it must be based on realistic conditions. We suggest that if decision-makers intend to maintain an offensive market posture, they need affirmative answers to the following questions:

  1. Is our cash flow still relatively healthy, at least not at a life-or-death moment?
  2. Are the morale of the team and channel partners usable, is the desire for victory strong, and is execution powerful?
  3. Is our market foundation still intact, and is the market operation system still functioning normally? If the answers to the above three questions are affirmative or basically affirmative, decision-makers can have enough confidence to make a decision: even in today's pandemic-normalized environment, we still have the opportunity to grow and win market victories. ****Finding Methods and Methodologies for Growth Amid the Pandemic 1) Determine the Correct Business Strategy for the Current Situation Since the 'abnormal state' is the greatest 'normal state', determining the correct business strategy under this 'normal state' becomes our primary issue. What is this business strategy? In 'tight times', do 'key things' and accomplish them! Win battles in 'tight times'! Living in 'tight times' does not mean lying flat; it means being more proactive, focusing resource use more sharply, and improving efficiency under special circumstances. In 'tight times', doing 'key things' means maximizing resource concentration on 'important and urgent' matters, while other matters can be postponed, reduced, or even skipped this year. What are the most important things this year? Things directly or closely related to maintaining business growth and business quality are key. What matters are related? Unifying team understanding, new organizational forms and functions under the pandemic, new frontline tactics, excellent frontline cadres, new sales channels, channel capability improvement, etc. 2) How to Find and Summarize Pandemic Growth Methods from the Frontline? Under the pandemic, the best methods and wisdom are generated at the frontline. Therefore, regional marketing organizations should move closer to the front, even rushing to the front of the front. When marketing managers go deep into the frontline, their experience and insight will discover opportunities, summarize effective methods, and improve our market conditions. What does the rear do? Quickly and accurately collect methods discovered by frontline organizations, analyze, refine, and summarize them into replicable methodologies, and promote them nationwide. Let the effective experience and successful tactics of the frontline be quickly used by the national market. In recent market research, 'New Distribution' found that some companies have quickly discovered methods during the pandemic and applied and promoted them nationwide, achieving growth. For example, changes in meeting formats. To avoid potential sudden outbreaks and team 'wipeouts', try not to hold offline meetings, only online meetings; do not hold large meetings, only small ones. For example, rapid changes in sales organization form and functions. Originally, regional markets fought 'positional warfare', but now they need to fight mobile warfare and maneuver warfare. Usually, they engage in street battles offline, but when the pandemic hits, they switch to community group buying on the spot. These tactics and resource preparations for community group buying are learned and prepared in advance. These methods and experiences come from other regions that have experienced the pandemic. For example, one brand believes that anyone who is not firm in will or does not strive in methods cannot command the current frontline market competition, let alone achieve results. Therefore, this brand selects excellent or potential frontline cadres and distributors nationwide, and through training, quickly equips them with a set of special tactics under the pandemic, achieving remarkable market results. For example, a provincial sales manager found that it is not easy to improve in advantageous markets, but in the short term, focusing team and resources on low-lying markets and launching blitzkrieg, tough battles, and quick battles works well. For example, adjusting channel strategies and market promotion strategies. Under the pandemic, consumer purchasing gradually shifts to stockpiling. Increase channel inventory, including terminal inventory, while launching promotional activities for whole-piece and multi-piece purchases to maximize sales opportunities. For example, actively liaise and communicate with relevant departments, support community anti-pandemic work, prepare transportation capacity and commodity resources, and actively apply to join the 'list of guaranteed supply enterprises'. For example, make good use of systems and data tools, find terminals with sales explosions under the pandemic from data, distribute precisely, actively seize sales opportunities, expand results, and gain growth points.