Introduction:

Your boss is a very subjective and emotional person. He always has his own views about your market, which differ greatly from yours. Many of your plans for operating the market often hit a wall with him. How should you guide him?

Actually, this section is not about how to "deal with" the boss's problems, but rather about how to stand on the same side as the boss to jointly achieve a goal. There is never a conflict between boss and employee regarding the market, but because the big goals and small goals may not always be aligned, communication and exchange are needed.

Many times, we may feel that the boss doesn't understand the market. Due to his position, he often acts unobjectively, and from our employee perspective, he seems irrational. We feel that the boss only relies on his authority to pressure us, and doesn't realize that we are more professional and skilled in marketing than he is. So, when employees communicate market issues with the boss, although they have to submit to the boss, they are not convinced in their hearts.

Is that really the case? Not necessarily. In fact, the boss may also feel that we don't consider issues comprehensively and that there are many problems. Of course, the boss may have too many daily affairs to truly understand the market as much as we do, nor can he analyze a market issue as thoroughly as we can. In this situation, there exists the key issue we discuss in this section: When there is a discrepancy in views between us and the boss, how should we guide the boss to accept our correct opinions?

"Xiao Wang, your plan is not bad. Not only does it analyze the reality thoroughly, but it also presents your own views, and the budget is within limits. It's commendable, and I hope you continue. However, are we only considering the competitor's promotion issue? Should we also consider that during the peak season, it's the time to sell more goods and earn profits? In the off-season, we can't even think about it. So, I think doing promotions in the peak season is unwise and very dangerous. If we miss the peak season, we'll have to invest more in promotions later, leading to a vicious cycle, and we might not be able to do it next year! You should go back and discuss with your team to see if there's a better way, then come back to me."

This is a good boss; he can analyze with you in detail and explain his reasoning, making you convinced. If some bosses, they would just say, "Promotions again? Can you think of something else? Do you use your brain?" Of course, here we do have problems. But if our plan is indeed good, how should we communicate with the boss?

1. First accept the boss's guidance, then find common ground

No matter what, remember not to stand against the boss just because he disagrees with your plan. After hitting a wall in the boss's office and retreating, first think about which parts of the plan the boss might have accepted. That way, you won't make mistakes in the next step. For example, if the boss agrees to do promotions, then it's just a matter of the promotion format. If the boss agrees to increase distributor discounts, then it's a matter of adjusting the discount and how to return it. If the boss agrees to launch new products, then you need to communicate with the marketing department about which new products to launch. By grasping these common points, when you approach the boss next time, you won't be scolded again, and because you've thought carefully, he will take your plan seriously again.

"The boss is always right" is a joke about how grassroots supervisors must unconditionally follow the boss's ideas. In fact, it also shows that the boss always wants you to agree with some of his views. If you don't digest some of his thoughts and incorporate some (note: not necessarily all) into your plan, your plan will never be approved by the leader. If you encounter a boss who is emotional and subjective as mentioned above, then there is no hope at all!

With this, you and the boss stand on the same side.

2. Put yourself in the boss's shoes and try to find the boss's concerns

The boss may not make a decision because he doesn't understand the situation, or he may have concerns in some areas, such as the profit issue in the above case, rather than the sales volume that employees care most about. In fact, the boss has already pointed out his concerns, and we should consider these aspects more; that is the main area for improvement. In any case, the boss acts from the perspective of business operations, and from this point, there is no contradiction between you and the boss.

If the boss is more emotional, then we should include more charts in the report to let the boss clearly see changes such as curves and ratio changes. If he is more subjective, then listen more and talk less when the boss comments on the plan, and then find the problems that may arise from his subjectivity, and use some numbers or examples in reality to implicitly confirm that the boss might be wrong.

If because the boss is in a high position and we are in a low position, sometimes we can't find the feeling of empathy, or we can't identify the boss's concerns, then we need to observe and think carefully. This also tests the personal ability of a grassroots supervisor. If it really doesn't work, remember that the boss's main concerns are: profit, market share (not necessarily the coverage rate that the business department cares most about), vicious competition cycles, the interests of some old distributors (who have good personal relationships with the boss), conflicts with other regions, cost levels (input-output ratio), etc.

3. Hold a seminar, invite the boss, and find the best opportunity to let the boss accept your views

If you can hold one or two seminars on the plan or problem, lay out the issues, let everyone broaden their thinking, and then re-formulate the plan, this is a very wise method. And if at this time, you can invite the boss to come, not just to listen, but to hope that he can handle matters on the spot. In this situation, it often changes the boss's original view of the plan. Even if it doesn't change, the boss will clearly state his thoughts in front of everyone at this time.

At this time, the boss cannot beat everyone down, so making the issue public and in a discussion atmosphere, the boss often changes his mind: Everyone thinks this way, could I be wrong? With a slight hesitation, the plan may be approved!

Undoubtedly, this is a high-level trick for employees to persuade the boss. But it must be planned well, and don't let the boss feel it's a trap! If he feels trapped this time, it will be difficult to get his approval next time. So, you must use facts or the results of group discussion to convince him.

4. Take the boss to the market to enhance perceptual awareness

If the boss still doesn't accept your plan and you really have no other way, you can find an opportunity to have him run the market with you. The market reality will make up for the boss's lack of understanding of the market, which prevents him from making decisions and approving plans. If at this time, you can have distributors speak up for you based on the actual situation, it will be even more effective.

Taking the boss to the market to see and hear the market's reactions firsthand is one of the best ways to deal with an emotional boss. Enhance perceptual awareness! This is a good way to suit the remedy to the case.

5. Use multiple forces to subtly influence the boss's thinking

At this point, there should be a conclusion on whether the boss accepts your plan. If the boss still doesn't accept it, and you are not willing to give up, you can only rely on some special facts or aspects to help you. For example, other regions have achieved success using the same approach, and they followed our ideas, etc.

If it still doesn't work, you can only go through other channels to see if you can influence the boss's superior—the big boss (if pushed to the limit, and the situation can't be delayed, reporting above your immediate supervisor is not impossible, but if not handled well, it may involve risks). At this point, you are no longer guiding the boss, but threatening him!

Of course, there are many other methods, such as finding some weaknesses of your boss, finding some interests of your boss, finding some communication points of your boss, all of which are ways to guide the boss to first accept you and also accept your market operation philosophy. Persuading the boss is itself a process of selling your own ideas. As long as everyone pays attention to the methods in the sales process, you will definitely succeed!