---
title: "Revelation: The Epidemic Is a Mirror Reflecting Many Internal Problems of Enterprises..."
description: "The epidemic acts as a mirror, revealing internal problems in many enterprises, causing some complacent leading brands to stop smiling, some top managers leveraging corporate platforms to scratch their heads, and some large distributors to be mired in difficulties. From another perspective, Chinese culture emphasizes the balance of yin and yang, and this epidemic can be seen as the mutual transformation of 'yin' and 'yang', 'crisis' and 'opportunity'. Some excellent enterprises, though unable to fully recover losses, operate their systems orderly, while others are in a fluster, like firefighters missing tools, unable to do what they want."
author: "海游"
publisher: "New Distribution"
email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com"
telephone: "+8615854817671"
published: "2020-02-21"
categories: "Brand Marketing, Dealer Operations, Management & Methods"
language: "en"
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original_source: "https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/wW8zKRVBEMbVwI7W65LBkQ"
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citation: "海游. “Revelation: The Epidemic Is a Mirror Reflecting Many Internal Problems of Enterprises....” New Distribution, 2020-02-21. https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/revelation-the-epidemic-is-a-mirror-reflecting-many-internal-problems-of-2472cc6d/"
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# Revelation: The Epidemic Is a Mirror Reflecting Many Internal Problems of Enterprises...

> The epidemic acts as a mirror, revealing internal problems in many enterprises, causing some complacent leading brands to stop smiling, some top managers leveraging corporate platforms to scratch their heads, and some large distributors to be mired in difficulties. From another perspective, Chinese culture emphasizes the balance of yin and yang, and this epidemic can be seen as the mutual transformation of 'yin' and 'yang', 'crisis' and 'opportunity'. Some excellent enterprises, though unable to fully recover losses, operate their systems orderly, while others are in a fluster, like firefighters missing tools, unable to do what they want.

The epidemic acts like a mirror, reflecting many internal problems in enterprises, causing some complacent leading brands to stop smiling, some top managers leveraging corporate platforms to scratch their heads, and some large distributors to be mired in difficulties.
From another perspective, Chinese culture of five thousand years emphasizes the harmony of yin and yang. This epidemic can also be seen as the mutual transformation of 'yin' and 'yang', 'crisis' and 'opportunity'.
Some excellent enterprises, though unable to fully recover losses, have their entire system operating in an orderly manner. Some enterprises are in a fluster, like firefighters missing fire extinguishing tools, having the will but not the means. Many enterprises are 'sick' under the epidemic, and 'seriously ill', needing treatment.

**-01- Establish an integrated internal training mechanism from brand owners to distributors to improve the organizational capability of manufacturers and distributors during crisis**

As Mr. Liu Chunxiong said: **'Chinese brand owners performed poorly overall during the epidemic. First, their response speed was not fast enough; second, they did not organize the entire channel.'**
Brand owners should realize that most Chinese distributors lack independent marketing capabilities and can only follow brand owners. We have heard of a brand making many distributors successful, but rarely of many distributors making a brand successful. Moreover, distributors can rely on brand owners but should not depend on them; this is a 'weaning' process.
**
The above requires brand owners to take the lead in organically combining internal training with distributor training.
During the outbreak, it coincided with the Spring Festival holiday for brand owners. Most distributors lacked guidance, either in chaos or waiting passively.
Recall that around the fifth day of the first lunar month (the panic-buying period, with massive hoarding of fruits, vegetables, rice, flour, oil, water, instant noodles, etc.), most areas had not yet closed roads or warehouses, and it was the first window for replenishment. However, most distributors missed the opportunity due to lack of guidance from brand owners. This was also one of the main causes of later warehouse overflow.
In daily operations, brand owners are accustomed to commanding distributors to operate the market. Often, the brand owner's expectations do not match the distributor's capabilities, failing to resonate at the same frequency, leading to significant gaps between goals and initial plans. Therefore, it is urgent for brand owners to establish internal distributor training institutions.
Everyone knows the growth speed of Mengniu, but few study the improvement speed of Mengniu's distributor comprehensive capabilities. **Mengniu has an internal distributor training plan called: 'Mengma Project'.** Brand owners can study it.

**-02- Lack of values and leadership among senior management of brand owners**

The core of management is to manage anomalies under correct values, not to manage normalcy.
A few days ago, I learned from a distributor: In a prefecture-level city with a population of one million, there were only 6 confirmed cases. On the 12th day of the first lunar month, inventory was full, and channel return calls were endless. They wanted the regional manager to come (salespeople and supervisors had already arrived at the market by high-speed rail) to discuss solutions.
The response was: They made excuses repeatedly, saying, 'I'm just an employee; I won't risk my life for this salary.' Such a response left the distributor helpless (if inventory is not handled, business cannot continue, and dozens of people depend on it for a living).
It seems reasonable, but in fact, it reflects the lack of cultivation of correct values among middle and senior management. It is suggested to learn from our Party: Hubei had the most severe epidemic, but with just a call, medical staff unconditionally rushed to Hubei in thousands.
**Without correct values among middle and senior management, enterprises will be scattered like loose sand in crisis, each going their own way.**
Secondly, many middle and senior managers are 'old slickers' riding on the platform, working habitually, following workplace routines: not speaking at big meetings, not allowing different opinions at small meetings. When crisis comes, they show no organizational leadership, and even become obstacles to the work of grassroots staff and distributors.
They seem to follow principles and never make mistakes, but in reality, they lack combat effectiveness. This is a defect in internal organizational management, causing these managers to only care about their authority, whether their management meets command requirements and process regulations. Their belief is: seek no merit, but avoid fault; not strive for first, not be last—the doctrine of the mean.
During the epidemic, their conditioned reflex was how to reduce task indicators for themselves and distributors? They observe each other among peers, rarely or never exploring opportunities.
In 'Bright Sword', there is a scene: Under the encirclement of the Japanese army, Li Yunlong led a battalion, without intelligence or support, to wipe out a senior Japanese observation group, seeking 'opportunity' in 'crisis', and reaping rich rewards.
**What enterprises truly need is not dogmatic managers, but to create fertile soil to cultivate leaders with self-awareness, who can organize teams, lead teams, and inspire teams to seek opportunities in difficulties and achieve greater success when facing emergencies and uncertainties.**

**-03- Lack of data-driven interaction capability between manufacturers and distributors**

Some time ago, I wrote an article about handling Spring Festival gift boxes, mentioning that the premise for handling gifts is to inventory channel stock and predict terminal store sales capability based on historical sales data. I received many reader feedbacks, summarized as follows:
**1. Brand owners' sales databases generally only go down to the distributor or sub-distributor level;**
**2. Distributors' terminal store databases are either nonexistent or of no value;**
**3. Brand owners rarely analyze market capacity, market inventory, and data-derived opportunity points with distributors in a data-driven way;**
**4. The results for brand owners' direct-operated regions and non-direct-operated regions are completely opposite in the face of the epidemic;**
**5. Consumer information databases are almost nonexistent.**

During the first month of the lunar calendar, the whole country was unified, with large-scale warehouse, district, and road closures. Traditional offline channels were paralyzed, and pathways were cut off, preventing the supply and demand sides from forming a chain. At this time, all manufacturers and distributors turned their attention to online sales and community group buying.
Overnight, community group leaders became the key targets of all brand owners. Companies with online channels, such as supply chain management companies, had booming business to the point of having no goods to deliver.
Brand owners without online channels but with data-driven operational capabilities could quickly connect with supply chain platforms. Those without online channels and without data-driven capabilities could only ask employees to post on WeChat Moments and seek community partners, which is like clutching at straws, and the results are predictable.
**Through the epidemic, brand owners should realize the importance of data-driven operations. Establishing their own databases, helping subordinate distributors establish databases, and building data-driven communication and operational bridges between manufacturers and distributors are urgent matters.**

**-04- Manufacturers and distributors should quickly accept and embrace new marketing models**

I have been in FMCG for fifteen years and understand the tediousness of FMCG work. If brand owners do not systematically learn new marketing models, their subordinates generally will not delve into them. Recently, my WeChat Moments have been flooded with recruitment notices for community group leaders, and major first-tier companies are also participating. Although I have not studied community group buying deeply, based on my understanding, it is difficult for brand owners to succeed with this attitude of 'consulting a doctor when critically ill'.

1. Introduction to some new marketing models:
2. Product attributes of community group buying:
> **1) Daily necessities; 2) High-frequency use products; 3) Low-value products; 4) Planned purchase products; 5) Products that individuals can decide on.**
3. Conditions for brand owners to operate community group buying:
> 1) Community group buying itself is only a part of the retail channel; 2) Products must involve multiple brands to attract group members, and while attracting with low prices, they must not affect the market price system; 3) If you do it, be prepared for large investments; 4) Have an independent operation team; 5) Product attributes should fit family scenarios; 6) Mainstream products are not recommended for community group buying; tactical exclusive products can attract with low prices; 7) Pay attention to accounts receivable and the frequency of hot product schedules.

The above three points can be said to be **introductory knowledge of community group buying**, but how many brand owner teams have started without understanding the basics? The results are predictable.
For example: Beer competition is a competition of hard power, and the important sales channels compete on fee buyouts. A few years ago, Tsingtao Beer made a micro-transformation, establishing an internal B2B operation department, achieving excellent results online.
The outbreak of the epidemic has made more brand owners shift their attention to new marketing models. Therefore, brand owners should reset their structures, establish learning organizations for new marketing models, and match new models that suit their development based on their current situation.

**-05- The comprehensive capabilities of brand owners' human resources departments need further improvement**

I want to point out that enterprise HR departments still lack sensitivity and foresight in the face of emergencies. The plain, routine work has constrained HR's thinking. I raise several questions:
**1. How should HR resolve the contradiction between the sudden epidemic and the resumption of work?**
**2. How should HR pay special epidemic-related compensation based on the enterprise's current situation, with basis, standards, legality, reasonableness, and fairness? At the same time, how to further improve the enterprise's wage system?**
**3. How should HR cooperate with department heads to educate and guide employees to build confidence in winning the epidemic and the enterprise?**
**4. For many enterprises, the epidemic is a disaster. In the face of disaster, employees' true colors are revealed. In the future, besides education and experience, what new standards should HR add to talent recruitment?**

I believe many HRs have rarely encountered these problems in their past work, but now they involve the interests of employees and enterprises, genuinely affecting the daily work efficiency of both. So I hope this epidemic will make enterprise HR departments stronger.

**Finally:**

According to the current progress, the full control and end of the epidemic is just around the corner. 'The Art of War' says: 'Just as water retains no constant shape, so in warfare there are no constant conditions. He who can modify his tactics in relation to his opponent and thereby succeed may be called a heaven-born captain.' This means: **Change is the norm. Those who can adjust in time according to external changes can be called gods.**
In the long process of nature's evolution, the lives that survive are neither the strongest nor the most intelligent, but those most adaptable to environmental changes.
For enterprises, the epidemic will inevitably accelerate the process of elimination and upgrading. Enterprises with strong immunity will be upgraded faster, while others will be eliminated faster. After the epidemic, besides leaving scars, I hope it brings a comprehensive improvement in enterprise immunity and adaptability.

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## Citation metadata

- Publisher: New Distribution
- Author: 海游
- Published: 2020-02-21
- Canonical: https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/revelation-the-epidemic-is-a-mirror-reflecting-many-internal-problems-of-2472cc6d/
- Original source: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/wW8zKRVBEMbVwI7W65LBkQ

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