Distributors are essentially different from entrepreneurs; we are accustomed to calling those who own substantial businesses entrepreneurs. No matter how strong a distributor's financial strength, how broad their channels, or how high their sales climb, ultimately the brands belong to manufacturers, and products are supplied by various manufacturers. In this calculation, apart from profits, it seems distributors have nothing left that belongs to them. What confuses and troubles distributors even more is that it seems all the talent has been recruited by manufacturers, big or small, leaving only second-rate or even third-rate talent for distributors. The scarcity of talent makes it increasingly difficult for distributors to compete with upstream manufacturers and downstream retail giants. The author believes that talent is to a company what shoes are to a person; only the wearer knows if they fit, and what fits is the best. Here are some suggestions for distributor friends when selecting talent for enterprise development:
Appoint people on merit, not on kinship Most distributors in the Chinese market started as family businesses, with a few people and a few guns, and began to conquer the world. When the business grows and the enterprise strengthens, distributors realize that to develop further, they must introduce talent to sustain and grow the business they created. In fact, the Chinese market is not lacking in super distributors with annual sales exceeding 100 million yuan, or even several hundred million yuan. But no matter what, they cannot escape the deep-rooted definition of a middleman, because distributors do not have their own product brands; the company name is the brand, and the boss's reputation represents the company's credibility to a certain extent. For this reason, in the organizational structure of Chinese distributors, it has become a special symbol and the most fashionable combination for the male boss to handle external business while the female boss manages internal finances. The family groups and friend groups represented by both sides occupy an absolute proportion in the enterprise and hold power over important departments. Generally, the leadership of departments that spend money and control, such as finance, procurement, and engineering budgeting, is hard to delegate to outsiders. Therefore, blood relations and connections become the chain that maintains the lifeline of the entire distributor enterprise. The couple, relying on their respective family strengths, form a strange circle of mutual restraint and common development within the enterprise. Employees who fought together or have been with the company for a long time are naturally classified into one of the camps. New employees must first spend time understanding these complex relationships before they can work effectively, or they may even perish in this complex web. Even if bosses and their wives realize the seriousness of this problem and hope to introduce talent to complete the circulation of corporate blood, the chronic ills of the enterprise cannot be reversed by the strength of a few individuals. This requires the courage, determination, and execution ability of the helm, as well as the strength and rich experience of the implementers, and even more so, the willingness of employees to face and confront their own shackles and resolutely reshape themselves. Being able to "appoint people on merit" is also an important sign of an enterprise's maturity and its move toward standardization and internationalization. "Recommending relatives without avoiding nepotism" is a great wisdom, but the premise is that the relative must be a talent; otherwise, the enterprise will never escape the strange circle of family-style, workshop-style management. The practice of Ningbo "Fotile Kitchenware" can serve as a reference and is considered a model of "recommending relatives without avoiding nepotism," but how many are like Ningbo Fotile? In fact, professionals who choose to work at distributors are well aware that junior talent seeks a job to support their families, while senior talent wants to support their families and also realize their own value. But they all understand that at a distributor, they may never become general manager or higher, because these positions are the exclusive domain of the bosses. Therefore, while working hard and receiving compensation, they hope the enterprise can provide a peaceful sky and gain full respect, seeking a sense of belonging and feeling like one of the family. Please, distributor friends, think carefully: do you consider employees other than your own family as part of the enterprise, trusting and identifying with them as you would your own family?
The best talent is not necessarily the most suitable The rapid economic development and social progress have allowed humanity to enjoy the fruits of economic and technological development like never before. Humanity has never lived so comfortably, and the world has never been so close. It is we humans who have created all this, and the elite among us, i.e., talent, naturally become hot commodities. Please allow me to use the word "commodity." Commodities are products of natural market circulation; barter or monetary transactions are the essence and premise of commodity circulation. The environment and soil that talent requires possess the attributes of commodities themselves, so calling them commodities is not inappropriate. Since talent is a commodity, it is normal for it to have a price and value. If you fancy a liquid crystal TV and want to take it home from the mall, paying for it is only natural. A 42-inch and a 54-inch will not be the same price; you cannot deny that high quality and high price are to some extent a truth. Therefore, if you want to watch a 54-inch LCD TV, you are destined to pay more money. This is like talent: good talent is always more expensive. On one hand, they have high requirements for themselves and do not allow their value to depreciate; on the other hand, a good educational background, rich work experience, and the ability to create value give them reason to be high-quality and high-priced. Generally, when people purchase goods, they essentially do so to meet a certain need. TV meets people's entertainment needs, and talent meets the development needs of enterprises. But distributor friends, have you ever thought about a question: Is a 10-square-meter room suitable for a large rear-projection TV or a large-screen LCD TV? The starting point is not a problem; everyone wants to enjoy a better life. It is not a question of whether you can afford it or need it, but from a practical standpoint, a 10-square-meter room is simply not suitable. Forcing it would only harm your eyes and make the room appear even smaller; I cannot think of any other benefits. This is the same principle as employing people in an enterprise. Everyone wants to use the best talent, hoping they will rejuvenate the enterprise, bring it back to life, or take it to the next level. But have you considered that talent is not born but shaped and honed by the environment? Their growth carries distinct corporate characteristics and personal traits. Here, I advise distributor friends to remember to tailor the measure to the garment; the most suitable talent is the best. When introducing talent, you must consider the development stage of your enterprise. Do not overspeed. Talent that has achieved remarkable results in other enterprises may not necessarily create the best value for you.
Trust is more important than salary Trusting and being trusted are both joyful things. The ancients said, "A scholar dies for a confidant," which is a spiritual need beyond material limits. In fact, this is exactly the same as the sense of belonging and identity emphasized by modern enterprises. While employees work for the enterprise and receive compensation, they hope to gain respect, recognition, and belonging. All of this stems from trust: the enterprise believes in the loyalty and creativity of employees, and employees believe in the development prospects of the enterprise. Distributors have weathered market storms and bloody battles, and their success is hard-won. Therefore, they do not allow their victory fruits to be stolen. Guarded management naturally becomes the management method adopted by many distributor enterprises. In fact, they find it difficult to establish true trust in anyone in the enterprise, and even more so in new employees. In contrast, foreign enterprises believe that employees who pass interviews are good employees. Sound corporate systems allow them to delegate authority and fully mobilize employees' initiative, allowing them to maximize value. Once employees leave, foreign enterprises will proactively review whether they have any shortcomings that led to poor performance or departure. This concept is true trust and a concrete manifestation of institutionalization, standardization, and process orientation. Distributor enterprises often arbitrarily judge employees' work enthusiasm and ability by whether they voluntarily work overtime or take no rest. In fact, this is definitely a misunderstanding. Rest is first of all a right that workers should enjoy. Moreover, can frequent overtime be interpreted as low effective work efficiency during the day? If we judge employees' effort by the amount of overtime and lack of rest, then wouldn't all employees who have low work efficiency and need to work overtime to complete normal tasks be considered good employees? In essence, this is the thought of distrust at work. Due to distrust of employees, they are afraid that employees will not work hard, that they will take their money and not work well, and they wish employees would work all day, preferably doing more work for less pay. There are not a few distributors with such thoughts. But if you are a distributor with an annual turnover of over 20 million yuan, please do not think in this way anymore. You must first establish trust in your employees. This stems from your establishment of the enterprise's mission: do you want to make more money, or do you want to make money while also making your enterprise evergreen? This determines how big your enterprise can become, what kind of manufacturers you can cooperate with, and whether you can transform from a distributor into an entrepreneur with a physical entity in the future. In fact, many enterprises do not offer the highest salaries in the industry, but they have a group of employees who have followed them for many years. This stems from mutual trust between the boss and employees. Please share this sentence with distributor friends: It is scary when your opponent poaches your talent with double the salary, but if it is less than that, give your employees a bit more trust.
"Killing the goose that lays the golden eggs" also requires timing In ancient times, there was a man who liked to eat eggs, so he raised a chicken. The chicken laid one egg a day, but the man felt it was not enough. He thought the chicken was too slow, so he killed it hoping to get more eggs. To his disappointment, there were only a few unformed eggs in the chicken's belly. Many times, haste makes waste. Enterprises often impatiently introduce talent they believe can quickly turn things around, then impatiently wait for the talent to create miracles. When they become impatient, they part ways and continue the next round of talent hunting. According to statistics, the honeymoon period between talent and enterprise is six months. In other words, if the expected results are not achieved within six months, it is time for the talent and the enterprise to clash and possibly part ways. Distributor enterprises make a mistake here. First, they overestimate the role of talent. Talent is indispensable for enterprise development, but they are not omnipotent. Supermen who save the world are not everywhere, and even Superman needs a soil to survive. Second, the enterprise is not clear about what kind of talent it really needs, or is not clear about its development prospects. When they feel the need for talent, they go to recruit and poach, but after the enthusiasm fades, they find they have taken a detour. Third, the enterprise recruits talent but does not give them the rights, growth space, and soil they deserve. The sense of urgency and guarded management make new employees feel suffocatingly oppressed. Under such circumstances, the strategies and tactics produced inevitably have short-term effects, and the psychology of quick success and instant benefits occupies a large part.
Performance is important, but rules are more important One of the most important rules for distributors is profit maximization, and a large part of profit comes from increasing sales. Manufacturers impose increasing sales targets on distributors every year, so completing sales targets and obtaining higher rebates becomes the goal of distributors, and it also becomes a powerful tool for manufacturers' regional personnel to manage distributors. There are many distributors with sales of over ten million yuan but zero institutional regulations. At the end of each year, distributors have to check IOUs and count cash to know whether they have made a profit or loss for the year. The talent introduced almost always creates a set of management systems and processes, but in the end, very few are actually implemented. Years of experience dealing with distributors tell me that the growth and development of an enterprise is not achieved overnight. Every successful enterprise must undergo painful rebirth. We see too many distributors who are still fighting alone as a couple after many years; too many distributors who have reached annual sales of over ten million but are still a lone commander, and then stagnate for years, barely maintaining existing sales and finding it difficult to grow again; we even see too many distributors who were once brilliant but flashed by like meteors in their regions, surpassed by many latecomers. If distributors want to become bigger and stronger in their region, they must pay attention to a certain "Tao" in both talent management and market operations. The Tao of heaven, the Tao of humanity, and the Tao of business are indispensable, and this is also a rule. Your vision has already determined your future. "Take a long-term view." Distributor friends, broaden your horizons, widen your hearts, and refine your management! Finally, share a sentence with you: Service is the beginning of management and marketing, not the end.
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