In today's workplace, the post-90s generation has almost become the main force. However, the various problems of post-90s employees are giving managers headaches. Can these "unweaned" post-90s really take on major responsibilities? When will the post-90s be able to "wean" themselves?
Scene 1: "I'm Just Experiencing Life" Xiao He from Jiangsu is a salesperson at a trading company. He is very capable, and Manager Li thinks highly of him, planning to promote him when the opportunity arises. However, after observing for a while, Manager Li finds that Xiao He remains at the level of just completing tasks without any progress. After repeated talks, Xiao He finally responds: "I'm just experiencing life, why take it so seriously?" It turns out that Xiao He's family is well-off, and his parents had already arranged his "future" before he graduated. This job is just a stepping stone for him; once he has experienced enough and "played" enough, he will return to the path his parents have arranged. Therefore, he doesn't care about performance or promotion. Manager Li is at a loss whether to laugh or cry, not knowing what to do.
Scene 2: "My Parents Told Me to Go Back" Xiao Song, a post-90s employee who has been working for nearly two months, recently resigned, which worries Manager Sun. It's not that Xiao Song is exceptionally excellent, but that too many young employees like Xiao Song have resigned recently, and Manager Sun has to take it seriously. These young employees all have a similar reason for resigning: "My parents told me to go back." Manager Sun is astonished; what kind of reason is that? To understand the specific reasons, Manager Sun began talking with the company's young employees and finally concluded that their resignations are indeed "caused by their parents." Since most post-90s are only children, the apple of their parents' eyes, many parents can't bear to see their children suffer. Sales work is stressful and not easy, and when parents hear their children's complaints and grumbles, they blindly persuade them to quit and go home. Thus, Manager Sun's salespeople are "poached" by their parents, leaving him frustrated and helpless.
Scene 3: "We Don't Lack Money Anyway" Manager Zheng of a trading company is currently struggling with how to motivate post-90s employees. He feels he has tried all methods, but they still lack motivation. Take Zhang Xue, a post-90s salesperson, as an example. She has been with the company for nearly half a year. Her performance fluctuates; when it's good, she meets her targets, but when it's bad, she not only fails to meet them but also gets fined. However, she doesn't care at all, eating, drinking, and having fun as usual. She wears and uses expensive things. Manager Zheng wonders where she gets the money. Does she have a side job? Or is her family well-off, and she's just here to idle away her time?
So, how to "wean" immature post-90s salespeople?
- Gentle "Weaning" – Gradually Add "Complementary Food" Weaning post-90s salespeople is different from weaning a baby. During the "weaning" period, any misstep could cause post-90s salespeople to "fight back" or even resign. As managers, you should not take drastic measures; instead, you can appropriately add some "complementary food" to reduce their dependence on the "milk source."
From the material level, this is mainly reflected in salary design. Generally, bosses set up a "base salary + commission + bonus" structure with various combinations, such as "high base + low commission" or "low base + high commission." To "wean" post-90s salespeople, you need to design flexible and varied combinations.
First, the base salary should not be too high or too low. Too high can lead to laziness, and too low can dampen enthusiasm. It is recommended to adopt a flexible base salary system, such as higher base salary levels with better performance, giving them a sense of achievement and satisfaction. Second, the commission design should not be rigid; you can set several thresholds, and each time they pass a threshold, the commission increases accordingly. This gives them motivation to move forward and makes them realize they can support themselves.
From the spiritual level, it can be divided into internal and external factors. Internal factors mainly include self-awareness and affirmation, a sense of achievement, and career ambition. Many post-90s employees are only children, growing up under their parents' wings, lacking self-awareness. They desire to break through but are afraid to do so. Work is actually the best platform for them to fly out of their parents' embrace. But if the platform is not good enough or not suitable, it can easily "push" them back into their original embrace.
Therefore, when adding "complementary food" to post-90s salespeople, managers should first communicate with them to understand their true thoughts, then provide a suitable platform, help them see themselves correctly, enhance their confidence, and enable them to break through from the inside out. When they achieve success, encourage them timely so they can have greater ambitions.
External factors mainly involve creating a company atmosphere. Environment influences and changes people. Work is not just about making money; it can also be fun. You can start with the company's cultural atmosphere, making all employees integrate into the team and feel a sense of "home." Additionally, set up role models within the company, using their influence to show that they can carve out their own path.
- Cruel "Weaning" – To "Wean" Them, You Must First Cut Off Their Retreat Many people believe that "weaning" is something that requires decisive action; if you procrastinate, it will only bring more trouble. So, you should "wean" cruelly, either by directly cutting off their retreat or by choosing post-90s salespeople who have no retreat.
It is difficult to actively cut off the "retreat" of post-90s salespeople, as family matters are not easy to interfere with. Therefore, many bosses choose to recruit salespeople without a retreat. A company in Hangzhou, when recruiting post-90s employees, did not choose those from good backgrounds but instead selected salespeople from ordinary families or rural areas who can endure hardship, and then trained them. Sometimes, salespeople without a "retreat" will value the conditions the company provides more, work harder, and be more willing to grow with the company.
It is worth noting that after choosing salespeople without a "milk source," you must establish a sound company system and rules so that their work has guidelines and they are not left to develop loosely.
In fact, "weaning" post-90s salespeople is not only the responsibility of company managers, but also of the post-90s salespeople themselves, their parents, and society as a whole. For society, it should change the current situation of "living off parents" and establish a new social atmosphere. For parents, they should not blindly indulge their children, becoming like the old "household contractors," but should cultivate more independence in their children. For post-90s salespeople, they should bravely "wean" themselves and grow together with the company.
-END-
China's best FMCG distributor learning platform Focusing on providing professional, practical, and applicable tutorials for enterprises and distributors Committed to helping Chinese FMCG distributors grow rapidly The most professional and practical knowledge base in the FMCG industry Reply with the red number below to get the corresponding content Reply with number 1 to view the complete knowledge base | 001 Excellent article selection | 002 Distributor market operations | 003 Terminal visit management | 004 Sales supervisor skills | 005 Sales improvement techniques | 006 Channel expansion | 007 Managing distributors | 008 Distributor development | 009 Distributor internal operations management | 010 Team management | 011 Efficient distribution techniques | 012 Sales manager's eighteen skills | 013 KA operation methods and strategies | 014 First lesson for new salespeople | 015 Internet, brands | 016 Distributor B2B transformation | [Long press QR code to follow]