Scan the QR code in the image to register Since I can't go back to my hometown for the New Year, I'll write about how we Shandong people drink alcohol, which is fitting for the occasion. As a native Shandong person who has worked in sales in Shandong, Lao Miao is often teased by friends: "You got drunk in Shandong again." Getting drunk in Shandong generally happens in a few situations. The first type is those who can drink and love drinking. They've come to the right place. As long as their "character" isn't too bad, plenty of people will make sure they drink. The wine may not be top-shelf, and the food may not be gourmet, but one thing you can be sure of: they'll make sure you "get there" (drink to satisfaction). "Getting there" is the most profound term at Chinese drinking tables, and in Shandong it has even richer meanings. The second type is ordinary people who drink a little, with normal alcohol tolerance. They usually get "led into a ditch" by Shandong's drinking rules. Shandong people may not be the best drinkers in the country, but they definitely have the most drinking etiquette. Once at the table, unfamiliar people don't know the limits, and one cup after another, they soon "get there." Because you initially appear too enthusiastic, the host often thinks you haven't "gotten there" yet, so you "get there" even more. The above two are normal situations. The most magical thing about Shandong drinking tables is that you originally didn't plan to drink, don't like drinking, don't usually drink, and don't intend to ask for favors. You can avoid drinking anywhere else, achieving "drinking freedom" as a friend puts it. But only in Shandong do you "get there." After "getting there," you keep praising Shandong people for their hospitality, warmth, boldness, and etiquette. Let's talk about this strange phenomenon. Every Shandong person is born with the skill of "persuading others to drink." Through historical accumulation and mutual切磋, they've formed a complete system of persuading people to drink, from practice to theory, from The Art of War to the Thirty-Six Stratagems, from philosophy to psychology, encompassing everything. If you master this principle and apply it to business, users will pay you while singing your praises; apply it to work, and bosses will appreciate you, colleagues will value you, and your career will soar; apply it to family, and parents will be kind, children filial, husband and wife harmonious, and the family prosperous; apply it to romance, and you'll be irresistible at picking up girls or guys, making PUA look weak. Making non-drinkers drink and be satisfied is a piece of cake. Next, let's decode this magical method, as a New Year's red envelope for everyone. First, let's clarify a misconception. Many who haven't been to Shandong mistakenly think that Shandong people drink with big bowls and eat big meat in a bold manner, and that persuading to drink is hard-pushing, with threats like "If you don't drink, you're not giving face," or even forcing it down. This is completely wrong. Shandong's drinking tables are the most refined in the country. The persuasion is like gentle rain that soaks everything, and forcing someone to drink is shameful. Here's the real deal. The first key point is "seating." Shandong people's persuasion starts before the wine is even served. If you sit in the wrong position, you can't drink. From the main host to the deputy host, from the third host to the fourth host, from the main guest to the deputy guest, to the third and fourth guests, everyone's position must be clear and cannot be wrong. Don't underestimate the seating matter; it has a strong sense of ritual. Once you strictly follow this seating arrangement, you acknowledge that for the next one or two hours of the meal, the table forms a hierarchy and division of labor that everyone agrees upon. It will put strong pressure on your drinking behavior later, but you're still in the dark at this point. The second key is the "Matchmaker Wang's Rule." You've probably seen "Water Margin." Matchmaker Wang lured little Pan into an affair with Master Ximen, which in the book is called the "Ten-Sided Ambush Plan," and in psychology it's the "foot-in-the-door technique." If you don't go out, that's fine; I'll ask you to do some needlework, right? Since you're doing needlework, come to my house to pick up materials and take measurements, right? Since you're already at my house, just do it here. You've worked so hard, so let me treat you to a simple meal, right? Little Pan stepped onto the pirate ship step by step; it was hard not to fall for it. So Ximen Qing praised Matchmaker Wang's plan: "Though it may not earn a place in the Lingyan Pavilion, it's still a good plan." This Ten-Sided Ambush Plan has been carried forward at Shandong drinking tables. The first side is "It's okay if you don't drink, but let's fill your glass first." Shandong people never force when persuading. As soon as you say "I don't drink," they stop persuading, not even asking why. But there's a small request: take a glass, fill it up, and let you "guard" it, also called "doorstep wine." Most people can't refuse this. Not drinking at a table already makes you feel "in the wrong," and they're considerate, not pushing, but everyone else is drinking, so they symbolically place a glass in front of you. If you firmly refuse, you'd be too ungracious. Once you pass the first threshold, the second is "It's okay if you don't drink, but raise your glass." When the food and wine are served, the host toasts first, which is standard Chinese practice. But Shandong hosts are especially devout and respectful. The first toast is usually done standing, very ceremoniously. Since the host is standing, it's inappropriate for others to sit. Others are holding small wine glasses, and if you're holding a large tea bowl, it's very incongruous. If you're not embarrassed, they'll use looks and hints to make you feel embarrassed. At this point, the host will definitely come to "rescue" you, giving you a "privilege": you don't have to drink, just raise your glass. Drinking is just a way to express feelings, right? As long as you raise your glass, the effect is the same. Isn't that considerate? Won't you cast a grateful look at him, marveling at Shandong people's hospitality, etiquette, and care? But next, you'll see the real skill of Shandong people. The third side is "opening the breach." In Shandong's drinking rules, the host's toasts are not just one; sometimes four, and in formal occasions, six. There's not just one host; at least a deputy host, and for grander occasions, third and fourth hosts. If the main host proposes six, the deputy host proposes four, decreasing in sequence. That adds up to over a dozen. (Note: rules vary by region; some places use small one- or two-liang cups, one per sip; others use large glasses with rules on how many sips per glass. Coastal areas tend to be more intense, with the "321" saying, while inland areas have more toasts but less each time. But the core etiquette is the same.) Shandong people, known for being poor speakers, become Su Qin and Zhang Yi incarnate when they raise their glasses. These dozen or so toasts are each sincere. Since you raised your glass for the first, you have to raise it for the remaining nine. Others drink every drop, so you at least wet your lips. As soon as your wine goes down a bit, the attentive host will promptly refill it. Under group pressure, with each toast from the host, you feel your debt increase. If your will is weak, by the seventh or eighth toast, you've started drinking. For the more resolute, when others drink ten, you just take a sip each time, and you've still consumed a couple of glasses. Don't worry; Shandong drinking has just begun. After the host finishes toasting, it's the free-for-all stage. The main host toasts, the deputy host toasts, the third and fourth hosts follow, each expressing their feelings to you. Since you've already "sipped" some, you can no longer claim to be "teetotal." The person toasting, after a moving speech, says "I'll finish mine, you do as you please," while looking at you with earnest eyes, hoping you'll drink more. The emotional pressure is so great that it's easier to just grit your teeth and down the drink. If you want to drink less, don't talk! Don't talk! Important things need repeating. Because anything you say might win enthusiastic applause, and then everyone will toast you for it. Under the dual effect of flattery and alcohol, you'll unknowingly drink quite a bit. This doesn't even include traditional drinking customs like those involving fish. Spirits, as the first of the six liquids that changed the world, are not just for show. Once you've "sipped" two or three liang, your state changes completely: As the excitement kicks in, your previous inhibitions vanish, and you want to repay the "debt of feelings" you owe. At this point, it's no longer others persuading you to drink; you're seeking out people to drink with. So out-of-town friends feel that they didn't drink before coming to Shandong but got drunk there. What we Shandong people see is: A friend who said he wouldn't drink ends up seeking out people to drink with, and can't be stopped. Isn't that magical? There's a saying online that Shandong people must serve a plate of peanuts to test if guests have "gotten there." That's more of a joke; Shandong people aren't that direct. There are many ways to test if someone has "gotten there," the most typical being that they start expressing feelings along with everyone else, using our words, they start being "considerate" and "proper." At this point, the host's task becomes controlling the guest's drinking. The conservative ones control strictly; the liberal ones let the bullet fly for a while. And so, you, who didn't drink or didn't plan to drink, finally "get there." That's why there's a saying: few leave Shandong drinking tables sober, including Shandong people themselves. But after this whole process, few people resent it. You drink a lot, but you don't feel forced. You can genuinely feel the enthusiasm, etiquette, and respect Shandong people show you at the table. That's how the "Hospitable Shandong" brand is built. From another perspective, isn't this clever marketing? Making someone who doesn't drink drink, and drink more, and be satisfied, is an extremely difficult consumer behavior, and Hospitable Shandong achieved it through a series of slick operations. It uses "environmental rules," "ritual effect," "conformity effect," "appeal to rules," "foot-in-the-door technique," "consistency principle," "reciprocity rule," "broken window theory," and more. It's a modern drinking-table version of the Thirty-Six Stratagems. These behavioral science principles and methods rooted in human nature are the real reason you willingly "get there." Teacher Ye Maozhong said advertising is the art of persuading people to divorce. Then marketing is the art of persuading people to drink. The core product Shandong people provide is enthusiasm, hospitality, respect, and etiquette; wine is just the external expression. If the product is truly good, the scene experience is well done, and brand communication is well done, then whether you originally drank or not, drinking feels like a spring breeze. I think this is the true meaning of drinking, marketing, business, and even life. Source: Lao Miao Tears Marketing (ID: yiheyingxiao) Author: Xiangma Lao Miao