Introduction During training sessions with distributors, I often observe several interesting phenomena: One is that after registering a company, distributors are unsure how to proceed with corporate management. Another is that after implementing corporate management, it is not thorough, essentially a mere formality, with a "shell" but no "heart." There is little change before and after corporatization, and employees remain the same, making corporatization and standardization nominal. So why is it difficult for distributors to implement true standardized corporate management? This article is reprinted from: Frozen Food Copying and Imitating Many distributors, in pursuit of quick results from corporate management, often borrow models from large distributors or even copy their processes and systems outright, resulting in "indigestion." This manifests as:

  1. Processes and systems are "grandiose and empty," with poor operability. Many comprehensive norms cannot be implemented, such as cultural norms, professional ethics, and business etiquette.
  2. Seeing that what works in other companies doesn't apply here, they become disheartened with standardized management and give up halfway. In fact, corporate management for distributors is a long-term endeavor that cannot be achieved overnight. It requires persistence and continuous improvement. We can learn from Huawei: even if copying, first require compliance, then adjust and correct based on the company's actual situation, rather than abandoning it at the first sign of no effect. Of course, standardized management for distributors must be gradual, starting with small aspects such as attendance, meetings, shipping, service, and warehouse management, slowly standardizing, and not trying to bite off more than one can chew. Behavioral change is subtle and requires a process of self-change, self-adaptation, and voluntary compliance. Individual Heroism Many distributors have hired professional managers to run their companies, but management has not improved significantly. Why? Because the boss holds onto power (financial and personnel authority), leaving professional managers with titles but no real power. This is typical "individual heroism." Many distributors built their businesses single-handedly, so they treat the company like their own child, afraid it might melt in their mouth or fall from their hands. They always want to show off in front of employees to make them aware of their "glory" and "greatness," fearing employees might "forget" them. As a result, they always try to "show off" at any time, in any place, and in any matter, to display their extraordinary abilities. This leaves professional managers or department heads with positions but no authority, and employees bypassing levels to report and seek approval becomes the norm, leading to awkward situations for everyone. In fact, for distributors to manage well, they must retreat to the second line at the right time, boldly delegate authority to subordinate managers, and build the authority of managers in front of everyone, praising and commending subordinates more. At the same time, when encountering market issues, they must follow procedures to solve them, rather than taking shortcuts and taking over, leaving subordinate managers at a loss. Only by abandoning "heroism" can distributors truly step onto the track of standardization and institutionalization. The Boss's "Soft Heart" Some distributors have a set of rules and regulations, many posted on walls, but many employees still turn a blind eye to them, sometimes even deliberately challenging company rules to see if they apply to them. Why does this happen? Through communication with many distributor friends, I have found a common issue: they are too soft-hearted when it comes to rules. Many distributor bosses, when employees are late or fail to meet sales targets, according to the assessment system, should fine or deduct 100 or 200 yuan from wages. But because they consider the employee is a relative or friend, the fine is discounted, or they simply turn a blind eye, and the matter is dropped. Under such "benevolent" governance, everyone treats the rules as a "game." Even if they "violate rules," the cost or price they pay is not high. Additionally, some "privileged" individuals are above the rules, causing more dissatisfaction, leading to more employees despising the company's "laws." Thus, defiance, offense, and "testing the law" appear. In fact, the key to management is assessment, and the key to assessment is implementation. Distributors should firmly enforce management, adhering to the principle that everyone is equal before the rules. Not only should they provide more human care to employees, but they should also combine principled, flexible, and humanized management with rigid rules, so that everyone is convinced and truly achieves standardized management. Lack of a True Execution Team Some distributors find it difficult to implement corporate management, possibly due to the lack of a true execution team. After some distributors implement corporate management, they still have the same old team, where both supervisors and employees are "close buddies" with the boss. But as the company grows, once the distributor starts to "tighten the reins," these employees oppose it, even those promoted to supervisors or managers, mostly resisting or "softly resisting." Once distributors reach a certain scale, they must gradually reduce the number of relatives and friends, at least in key positions, and not let a "family and friends group" that is undisciplined and lawless fill them. At the same time, distributors must build a management team with firm resolve, rather than fighting alone. With a team, they can break through the limitations of small groups and small interest circles, and implement management more effectively and sustainably. Low Overall Employee Quality Low overall employee quality is another obstacle distributors encounter in implementing standardized management. Often, because of low overall quality, employees have poor understanding of company rules, leading to misalignment or deviation in execution, making management systems difficult to "land." To solve this problem, distributors should note the following:
  3. Continuously improve the overall educational level of employees. Try to recruit employees with relatively higher education levels and gradually optimize the internal educational structure.
  4. Provide training for existing employees. In addition to internal training and external lecturers, some employees can be rewarded with opportunities for further study or participation in public courses.
  5. The boss should lead in creating a learning organization. Encourage self-study, and distributors can even allocate funds each year for employees to purchase books useful for their department's business, with the company reimbursing them. After employees read them, the books can be collected to establish a corporate library. Distributors should continuously enhance employees' cultural literacy and strengthen their core competitiveness. When employees' horizons are broadened, knowledge expanded, and acceptance increased, management will naturally rise to a new level. In summary, there are many reasons why distributors cannot truly implement standardized corporate management, but overall, when encountering problems, they must get to the root cause and find the deep-seated reasons. Once the problem is identified, the solution will naturally follow. This requires distributors to have perseverance, patience, and unyielding willpower. Editor: Liu Shengrong Excerpted from the March issue of Frozen Food magazine This platform will soon organize distributor friends interested in transitioning to B2B platform e-commerce to visit and learn from some well-performing domestic B2B platforms. If you are willing to join us, please add the editor's WeChat. When adding, please reply with the keyword: 考察 - END- The best FMCG distributor learning platform in China Focusing on providing professional, practical, and applicable tutorials for enterprises and distributors Committed to helping Chinese FMCG distributors grow rapidly The most professional and practical knowledge base in the FMCG industry Reply with the red number below to get the corresponding content Reply with number 1 to view the complete knowledge base | 001 Excellent Article Selection | 002 Distributor Market Operations | 003 Terminal Visit Management | 004 Sales Supervisor Skills | 005 Sales Improvement Techniques | 006 Channel Expansion | 007 Managing Distributors | 008 Distributor Development | 009 Distributor Internal Operations Management | 010 Team Management | 011 Efficient Distribution Techniques | 012 Sales Manager's Skills | 013 KA Operation Methods and Strategies | 014 First Lesson for New Sales | 015 Internet, Brands | [Long press QR code to follow]