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Ten Essentials for Learning

In our training circle, there is a theory called the funnel theory: the teacher teaches 100%, you hear only 80%, remember only 60%, can apply only 40%, and only 20% translates into productivity that helps you earn money. Today, I will first talk about a few key points that can help you amplify the value of listening to the lecture.

First, maintain an empty cup mindset. What does an empty cup mindset mean? Let me tell a short story. An enlightened monk led two young monks to a beach. The old monk took out a porridge bucket and said, “Go fill it.” The young monk said, “That’s too easy,” and immediately picked up some stones, which quickly filled the bucket. “Master, I’ve filled it.” The old monk, with eyes closed, said, “You can still fill it.” The young monk thought for a moment, then grabbed some sand, which filled the gaps between the stones. “Master, I’ve filled it.” The old monk, still with eyes closed, said, “You can still fill it!” The young monk shook it, unable to fit more, but the other young monk saw water and poured some in, which filled the remaining gaps. The two young monks shook it and truly couldn’t fit more. “Master, we’ve really filled it.” The old monk, still with eyes closed, said, “You can still fill it!” Ladies and gentlemen, if you were in their shoes, how would you fill it? Add some salt? Very creative! Suppose I am the old monk, and you are the young monks. How do you fill the bucket? The old monk picked up the bucket and emptied it. After emptying, can it be filled? This story teaches us a lesson: When you want to accept new ideas, methods, and concepts, you need to temporarily discard old ones. The human brain is like a computer with limited memory. If you keep storing old things, new things cannot fit.

Second, maintain an appreciative mindset. Have you noticed that we all see problems in others? When I chat with distributors and say, “That distributor is doing quite well,” they often point out what that boss is doing poorly. I intended for you to learn from his strengths, but you only focus on his weaknesses. This is a common mistake. If you come to this lecture with a mindset of competing, arm-wrestling, sparring, gate-crashing, or fault-finding, you will gain nothing from sitting here for an hour. This is called learning with an appreciative mindset.

Third, be present. Where the mind is, everything is; where the mind is directed, everything is achieved.

Fourth, use your eyes to see.

Fifth, use your ears to listen.

Sixth, speak and respond. Responding is a form of courtesy. Have you ever experienced this? During a meeting, you ask a question, and then employees lower their heads. Are they unable to answer, or unwilling? A large portion can answer but choose not to, thinking, “I won’t do it, just to frustrate you.” Then they watch the boss’s reaction. So, respond.

Seventh, use your hands. First, take notes. Many distributors come to lectures with just their heads, no pen or paper. If you don’t write down, you only remember a point, not the system, and you can’t learn. Second, learn to applaud, because those who applaud are those who support others, and those who support others have many friends. Those with many friends are either successful or on the path to success. Third, learn to shake hands. When you come here, don’t just listen to the teacher. The teacher’s content is limited; experts are among the people. The person next to you might be an expert, like the sweeping monk in “Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils.” You might be sitting next to an enlightened monk. After you leave, besides listening to the teacher, you must get to know a few fellow distributors. If you come alone and leave without adding a contact to your phone, you’ve basically wasted this trip. You all do business; what you can’t solve, they might. So, you must get to know each other and shake hands with those around you.

Eighth, believe. As a distributor boss, the more employees believe in you, the more successful your business will be. Do you agree? When you go back, focus on this: think about how to make all your employees believe in you. If your employees believe in you, they will go all out and work hard for you. Your business will inevitably grow. Success starts with belief. Believing in others is a capability, and being believed by others is also a capability.

Ninth, transform. No matter how well the teacher speaks, it’s the teacher’s material. Everyone’s cultivation, experience, and realm are different. The teacher’s words are not yours. Think about how to combine the teacher’s content with your own problems for absorption and transformation. This is crucial.

Tenth, absorb. You must learn to absorb. If you listen well and take detailed notes, but don’t transform or absorb when you return, it’s still others’ knowledge, not yours. Convert the teacher’s language into your own, and the methods into your own, and it will be effective.

These are the ten essentials. You can also use them in your own meetings.

The world is changing too fast. As distributors, your business growth speed depends on your learning speed and change speed. We have collaborated with Sugar & Tobacco Weekly to launch distributor courses, collectively called “Management and Control,” covering how to manage and control the market, products, and people.

Products are divided into three modules. The first is the product module. One: “Finding gold in old products,” two: “Selecting new products,” three: “Promoting new products.” The second is the market module. The market module discusses how distributors can play the market in the current environment. What is the current situation? You face two very severe challenges. First, information flow and logistics are highly developed, and many consumers no longer need intermediaries; many people buy online. In the past, you bore the functions of logistics and information flow, but now that’s completely overturned. This is your first crisis. The second crisis is the brand crisis. There are two factors here. You have grown because of big brands, but you are also heading toward crisis because of big brands. Why? Big brands helped you grow, but working with them is stressful, with strict controls and many requirements. Cooperation with big brands is becoming increasingly difficult—that’s the first factor. The second factor: In the past, big brands only went to county towns and couldn’t distribute further down because distribution costs were too high. But this year, have you noticed that big brands like Mengniu, Yili, and Coca-Cola are starting to buy end caps, displays, and stack displays in village shops? In the future, second- and third-tier brands will face increasing pressure.

Under these two crises, how do we respond? We have three concepts. First: operate with internet thinking. What is internet thinking? You must play one of these three: internet direct sales, human network direct sales, or community network direct sales. The first is internet direct sales, which is online shopping. The second is human network direct sales. Your business size depends on two things: the employees in your company and the number of loyal outlets you have. The more loyal secondary distributors you have, the higher your sales.

Besides the market module, we will also discuss a team module. In fact, many distributors don’t lack products, good products, or distinctive products. What they lack is a good team. A team is a system. First, the boss must cultivate himself; the speed of the boss’s cultivation determines the speed of the company’s development. Second, the attraction of senior executives—how to attract capable people to work for you. Third, the selection of middle management. Fourth, the training of frontline employees; less than 20% of salespeople truly create value for you. Fifth, how to increase employee loyalty. Sixth, how to improve employee execution. Seventh, how to enhance combat effectiveness.

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