Lao Wang is truly a veteran in the FMCG industry, having joined right after graduation and now with 16 years of experience. "Lao Wang, your performance is lagging. What's going on? Can you still do this?" Just exiled to a remote market, Lao Wang was publicly questioned by his leader at the monthly meeting for poor performance. "I don't want your excuses; I want results. If you don't catch up next month, you can leave on your own," the leader said impatiently. This is a common tactic in the FMCG industry to force old employees to resign voluntarily: assigning you to remote markets, markets without customers, markets where predecessors dug big pits... Lao Wang recalls his journey in sales with mixed feelings of love and hate. As a song goes: "In the sea of bitterness, love and hate surge; in this world, it's hard to escape fate. " Old hands also had their youth When you first joined the FMCG industry, the leader patted your shoulder and said, "Young man, work hard. You young people are the company's key training targets." You took the leader's encouraging words to heart and secretly vowed to achieve great things. Under the scorching sun, you walked the streets and alleys, visiting stores, your skin tanned dark, and you joked that your complexion represented your performance. Many young salespeople can't stick with this industry mainly because being a salesperson isn't easy and isn't well-regarded. Veteran salesperson Lao Zhang recalled, "When I was assigned to a blank market, I smiled and introduced our products to the store owner, but the owner coldly replied, 'Don't want, don't want.'" Lao Zhang continued, "At that time, I was still a bit green, and I was even chased away by store owners several times: 'Go, go, don't take photos in my store. I don't sell your products.' I could only force a smile and swallow my tears of grievance. That period was the hardest, but later I gradually learned to accept this state, and my heart became stronger." At that time, you were tired but happy. Fortunately, you had a group of colleagues of similar age, brothers who fought together, sharing and supporting each other, sweating and growing together. Day after day, rain or shine, with your unyielding efforts, the market gradually improved. Then you were transferred to another market to continue expanding territory. Whose youth isn't passionate? You were full of hope that your efforts would be rewarded... Just a tool From chasing dreams to obeying arrangements, eventually driven by a series of management tools, hardworking people become tools. An old salesperson recalled that at first he was diligent and really wanted to do things well, and his performance was good, but every promotion passed him by. Each time, the leader would comfort him, "You're still young; there are plenty of opportunities." "At first, I believed the leader's words, thinking I lacked seniority and experience. So I worked even harder and resolutely obeyed the leader's arrangements." Among the old salespeople who stayed, many became the company's "firefighters," sent wherever performance was poor to put out fires. To survive, they traveled around, spending most of their time away from home, unable to balance work and family. "It's the peak season for beverages now. I haven't rested for two months and haven't had time to go home to see my wife and kids," a beverage salesperson said bitterly. With your efforts, performance soared, and eventually, you became a stepping stone for your leader's promotion and salary increase. Through repeated disappointments, you gradually realized that your original dream seemed to be drifting further away. In the past, doing sales didn't involve so many miscellaneous tasks; if you achieved your performance, you got paid. Now that the company is bigger, there are more requirements, and achieving performance has become the most basic condition. To force everyone to complete performance, the company set various KPI indicators. Not meeting visit quotas results in fines, not completing key products results in deductions, not meeting distribution rate results in deductions, and generating near-expiry products also results in fines... It's increasingly overwhelming, and the former dream has become a compromise. An old salesperson complained, "Especially the daily photo check-ins. Sometimes, to complete the number of check-ins, I have to fake it. Although it goes against my original intention, there's no other way. The leader's harsh words last time left a deep impression: 'If you can't even complete store visits, what else can you do?'" He sighed and added, "Now the higher-ups just collect data, do various analyses, and then issue various unrealistic or even detached plans. We've completely become photo-taking tools and data-collection tools." Under endless internal friction, many old salespeople began to flee the FMCG industry. An old salesperson who worked for over 10 years has now changed careers: "I now deliver food. Compared to being a salesperson, the hard work is the same, but at least there's no leader scolding, no one urging you on performance, and no endless meetings." More and more meaningless tasks consume salespeople's time and energy without solving actual market problems, instead becoming a drag on performance. Youthful workforce In recent years, companies have been promoting a younger sales force, trying to gradually "replace" old salespeople. An old salesperson from a big company lamented, "The former 'Xiao Wang' has become 'Lao Wang,' and the brothers of similar age who fought together have also 'left' one by one." More and more young people are joining the FMCG sales force, squeezing the living space of old salespeople. The current FMCG industry is gradually losing the tradition of "old teaching new," as old salespeople fear that teaching apprentices will starve the master. "I won't teach newcomers; it's better if they leave," is a common mentality among old salespeople. Companies believe young people are "blank slates" that can be "cultivated" according to company requirements and rules. Even if they lack ability or experience, it doesn't matter; as long as they're young. Moreover, leaders are also getting younger. This completely cuts off the promotion hopes of old salespeople. Salesperson Lao Li, 37, has been in sales for 12 years. He wants to develop but is increasingly anxious: "The new leader is younger than me. I know I have no hope of promotion in this company." "I don't know how long I can hold on. I looked at job opportunities online before, and almost every company's recruitment information clearly states 'age requirement under 35.'" Whenever Lao Li sees age requirements, he panics. Old salespeople are like a worn-out broom, casually discarded in a corner, with no one remembering their past contributions. Traditional experience advantage weakened The FMCG industry changes rapidly. The previous "three axes"—distribution, display, and merchandising—have now been replaced by data insights, user operations, channel empowerment... high-sounding terms. Although old salespeople have rich experience, in the eyes of young leaders, they are treated as decorations, and experience becomes a shackle. At a business analysis meeting, the leader said impatiently, "Lao Wang, your concepts are outdated." Lao Wang wanted to explain, but before he could finish, the leader interrupted, "Just do as I say. You only need to execute; don't think too much." Lao Wang remained silent because he knew that contradicting the leader in front of everyone would be seen as provocation. Just look at those "old comrades" who liked to argue with leaders—they were all optimized out. Young leaders may have good or even novel ideas, but they may not suit the actual conditions of certain markets. They sound reasonable but are actually big, correct nonsense. Traditional experience may not apply to today's market environment, but wisdom from market practice can never be replaced. In the past, old employees were symbols of seniority and experience, embodiments of loyalty to the company. Now, they are treated as old antiques, even being instructed by new young staff in the office on how to use various systems, shoot videos, write PPTs... Additionally, the rapid development of new channels such as instant retail, online platforms, and snack systems has diverted traditional business, making it increasingly difficult. "I've been in sales for over 20 years, and it's never been as hard as today. I hope the company can unify prices across new channels; otherwise, it's really tough for us," an old employee responsible for traditional business appealed to company leaders. Facing the decline of traditional business, old salespeople are powerless because these are not things they can change. Old salespeople know well: no matter how the environment changes, good products, good service, and stable prices are the core of doing the market well. Making sure everyone makes money is the real principle. Gradually abandoned In recent years, many companies have made youthfulness a talent strategy, with age as a hard indicator, accelerating the elimination of old salespeople. New leaders deliberately transfer old salespeople to more remote markets, leaving them to fend for themselves, and even verbally attack them from time to time. Thus, the scene at the beginning of the article appears. Old salespeople who stay have recognized reality: "Where is there any dream? It's good enough to have a job now. Be obedient and hardworking, and they'll still give me a meal. Those who don't obey have already been forced to leave." After countless blows and seeing reality, old salespeople go from being proactive to silent, from talkative to speechless. It's not that they have no ideas, but that they have no opportunities. Today's old salespeople may be tomorrow's new salespeople. The market is deteriorating, and layoffs in major FMCG companies have become routine, exacerbating the anxiety of old salespeople. A post-80s salesperson from a big company said, "When the market was good, I dedicated my youth to the company. Now the environment is bad, and my age is not an advantage. I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place, and I could be laid off at any time. I feel pathetic." Now, old salespeople have lost their youth, extinguished their dreams, and even a bit of happiness is ruthlessly taken away. Many old salespeople, seeing it increasingly difficult in the FMCG industry, think about changing careers. As the saying goes, "Different trades are like different mountains." Changing careers means starting from scratch, with difficulty starting, difficulty persisting, and frequent job changes due to environmental adaptation issues. Some even fall into deep self-doubt. "Since being laid off by XX company, I've changed four jobs in the past two years. Now I don't know what I can do at all. I feel like I'm good for nothing," a former old salesperson complained. Old salespeople dedicated their best years to the company, and when they are under the most pressure and helplessness—with elderly parents and young children—they are ruthlessly abandoned by the company. This is indeed a tragedy of the FMCG industry. You came, but no one remembers; you left, leaving behind a heart full of loss. Final words: A grain of sand in the era, when it falls on an individual, becomes a mountain. Now, only a few old salespeople still fight on the front lines. They don't know how much longer they can work, how much longer they can hold on, or what else they can do besides being a salesperson. FMCG sales is a bowl of youth rice. When youth is gone, your value to the company is like an old pair of shoes that can be thrown away at will. The external environment is bad, but it's both a challenge and an opportunity. We often hear, "The only constant in this world is change." Everything will eventually pass, and everything will come again. What deserves vigilance is: only by keeping up with the times, planning ahead, continuously learning new skills, and accumulating diverse resources can we cope with changes that come at any time. Watching salesperson Lao Wang light a cigarette, squatting at the supermarket entrance, his eyes confused, seemingly pondering the future direction...