---
title: "Speed or Perfection: Which Matters More? – A Discussion on Marketing Strategy and Execution"
description: "A fable about two hunters who argue over how to cook a wild goose while it flies away illustrates that opportunities are fleeting and perfectionism can lead to missed chances. This article explores the balance between marketing strategy perfection and execution speed, using case studies and a personal experience to argue that the key lies in the marketing team's work ethic and capabilities."
author: "孙斌"
publisher: "New Distribution"
email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com"
telephone: "+8615854817671"
published: "2015-04-19"
language: "en"
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# Speed or Perfection: Which Matters More? – A Discussion on Marketing Strategy and Execution

> A fable about two hunters who argue over how to cook a wild goose while it flies away illustrates that opportunities are fleeting and perfectionism can lead to missed chances. This article explores the balance between marketing strategy perfection and execution speed, using case studies and a personal experience to argue that the key lies in the marketing team's work ethic and capabilities.

There is a fable: Once upon a time, two hunters went hunting together in the wild. A wild goose flew toward them. "I'll shoot it down and boil it," said one hunter, drawing his bow and aiming at the goose. "Geese are boiled, but wild geese are better roasted," said the other. "Boiled." "Roasted." They argued endlessly. Finally, a farmer came by, and they asked him to settle the dispute. The farmer suggested: split the goose in half, boil one half and roast the other. The two hunters thought it reasonable and decided to shoot the goose down, but by then it had already flown away.

The lesson from this fable is: we must prioritize and act swiftly, for opportunities are fleeting. If we spend too much time seeking a perfect solution or striving for consensus, by the time we have a perfect plan or unified understanding, the opportunity has already passed.

Typically, a company's marketing department is responsible for formulating marketing strategies and plans, while the sales department implements them. Often, a marketing plan considered classic fails to achieve its expected results due to slow sales execution. This raises a new marketing question: Which is more important, the perfection of the marketing plan or the speed of execution? Some say perfection is more important, as only a perfect plan can ensure effective implementation. Others argue that execution speed is more critical, as even the best plan is just a piece of paper if not executed properly.

I have experienced two companies: Company A, a former state-owned enterprise, took nearly a year from market research to product launch. Market research, product positioning, new product development planning, technical design, and equipment debugging took only two and a half months, but discussion and refinement of the plan took a full eight months. Unfortunately, the product launch did not bring the expected results because competitors had launched half a year earlier and already captured a dominant market share. Company B, on the other hand, expanded through low-cost operations by leasing factories and equipment. Its subsidiaries typically completed all activities—from leasing factory space, rearranging facilities, installing and debugging equipment, sourcing raw materials, recruiting staff, conducting market research, positioning products, developing products, packaging, production, to launch—in just two months.

In reality, plan perfection and execution speed are not contradictory. If a company's marketing activities are "relay-style," where the marketing department creates a perfect plan and the sales department implements it step by step, perfection and speed often appear to conflict. If marketing activities are "olive-shaped," where the marketing department begins formulating the plan while the sales department starts executing its intent, and after a period they meet to discuss and finalize the plan, then the sales department executes according to the plan, then discusses, refines, and executes again, they can achieve the effect of "sales execution perfecting the marketing plan, and the marketing plan guiding sales execution."

When I first became the marketing manager at C Feed Group, I discovered through market research three fundamental problems in C Group's market:

Problem 1: Subsidiaries' first-tier distributors completely controlled the market.
1. First-tier distributors often threatened to stop carrying the company's products, demanding concessions, promotions, price cuts, increased working capital, etc. If the company did not meet their demands, monthly sales could suffer significantly. The distributors led the company by the nose.
2. When the company wanted to adjust the market or develop new customers, first-tier distributors obstructed in every way, making market adjustments impossible.
3. First-tier distributors were fickle, always chasing higher profits, and would carry whichever brand offered the highest margin. The company's market network was like thin ice, at constant risk of total collapse.

Problem 2: Subsidiaries had too many product varieties, lacking a flagship product.
1. In distributors' stores, the company's products were messy: chicken, duck, pig, fish products; high, medium, and low-end; A-brand, B-brand, C-brand—everything. Distributors could not accurately introduce product selling points to users, and users found it hard to choose. The company's products struggled to occupy a strong psychological position in end users' minds.
2. With many varied products, formulas were hard to optimize, and small batch sizes made production control difficult, compromising product quality stability. Small batches meant frequent equipment adjustments, lower efficiency, and higher production costs. Quality instability and inability to reduce costs further hurt market sales.

Problem 3: Sales personnel had poor performance, lacking passion and combat effectiveness.
1. No clear job responsibilities or work requirements for salespeople, leading to disorderly work.
2. Performance assessments were too simplistic, result-oriented, with most salespeople relying on luck.
3. Most salespeople's work stayed at the surface level with first-tier distributors, not "sinking to the bottom and doing the job thoroughly."
4. Salespeople lacked product and technical knowledge, had poor market operation skills, and struggled to handle various market issues effectively.

If C Feed Group did not solve these three fundamental problems, within two years the following would occur:
1. The existing market network could be shattered by competitors.
2. Product varieties would increase, production and cost pressures would grow, product quality would become more unstable, and customer complaints would become more frequent.
3. The sales team would lose cohesion and combat effectiveness, becoming ineffective.

To fundamentally solve these problems, we took the following steps and methods:
1. We reported the manifestations, consequences, and our recommendations and plans for the three problems in writing to the group president and vice president in charge, and communicated with them personally. They recognized the severity and strongly supported our major adjustment plan.
2. We convened the general managers and marketing vice presidents of each subsidiary, with the president presiding, to discuss the current state of these problems, potential harms, and adjustment strategies and measures. Each subsidiary's GM and marketing VP shared views from their own company's reality, reaching a consensus that if these problems were not solved, within two years the market would no longer be under the company's control.
3. Next, together with the vice president in charge, we visited each subsidiary and held seminars with technical managers, procurement managers, production managers, sales managers, and key sales staff. First, we reached consensus, then we identified projects and plans. The project plans included:
(1) Product variety reduction plan and new product application plan;
(2) Science and technology demonstration plan;
(3) Science and technology lecture plan;
(4) Distributor classification and time allocation plan;
(5) Sales incentive plan;
(6) Sales personnel training plan;
(7) Three-level service system plan;
(8) Sales personnel responsibility positioning and job description plan.
At the meeting, it was decided that the marketing department would be responsible for formulating the plans, and subsidiaries would begin implementing them.
4. One month later, we brought the completed plans and, with the vice president in charge, went to each subsidiary to discuss the previous month's arrangements. First, subsidiaries reported on implementation progress and problems encountered, then our marketing department presented the plans. Finally, based on actual operations, we proposed modifications.
5. A week later, we issued the revised plans, along with implementation schedules, requirements, inspection methods, assessment methods, and evaluation methods, as official documents to all subsidiaries.
6. At each subsidiary's monthly sales meeting, progress on these projects and existing problems had to be reported. At the bimonthly general managers' meeting, each GM also reported project progress and problems to headquarters. Our marketing department, when commenting on subsidiaries' sales work, would announce the inspection-based project progress rankings and provide comments and suggestions on common and individual problems during implementation.

Through repeated execution, discussion, planning, re-execution, re-discussion, re-planning, re-execution... countless cycles, after one year, the company's product varieties per subsidiary dropped from no fewer than 400 to just over 100, yet sales volumes not only did not decline but increased significantly. The number of exclusive first-tier distributors per subsidiary rose from fewer than 10 to at least 60. Previously, salespeople talked mostly about price and promotions; finally, they talked about how to develop networks and do terminal work... The company's product structure, network control, and sales team all improved greatly.

From this hands-on case, my biggest takeaway is: marketing plan perfection and execution speed are not contradictory. The key lies in the work style of your marketing team. If your team is one that passes the buck and lacks ambition, then no matter how perfect or easy the plan, your salespeople won't execute it. If your team is collaborative, passionate, combat-ready, and eager to learn, even without a plan, your salespeople will try. Therefore, the most critical factor affecting marketing execution is people—the sales team. Whether every team member is willing to work, capable of working, and persistently works over the long term—that is what matters most.

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