---
title: "Thinking of Changing Industries at Year-End? Changing Industries Is Like Climbing a Mountain—Calculate Before You Leap"
description: "Men fear entering the wrong industry, and even more so, changing to the wrong one. When marketing professionals face the dilemma of switching industries, they must make rational analyses and conduct their own 'market planning.' The 'Shuai-Shi-Tian' analysis method, based on industry concentration and company size, provides a basic index for evaluating job changes, guiding marketers to move toward industries with lower concentration and companies of certain scale."
author: "New Distribution"
publisher: "New Distribution"
email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com"
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published: "2014-12-23"
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# Thinking of Changing Industries at Year-End? Changing Industries Is Like Climbing a Mountain—Calculate Before You Leap

> Men fear entering the wrong industry, and even more so, changing to the wrong one. When marketing professionals face the dilemma of switching industries, they must make rational analyses and conduct their own 'market planning.' The 'Shuai-Shi-Tian' analysis method, based on industry concentration and company size, provides a basic index for evaluating job changes, guiding marketers to move toward industries with lower concentration and companies of certain scale.

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Men fear entering the wrong industry, and even more so, changing to the wrong one. When marketing professionals face the dilemma of switching industries, they must make rational analyses and conduct their own "market planning." The "Shuai-Shi-Tian" analysis method provides a basic index to guide direction.

I have a group of friends in the instant noodle industry. After achieving excellent performance at one company, they only switched jobs within the instant noodle industry, moving from one company to another. Apart from "outputting" and becoming familiar with more industry players, they did not achieve a "leap" in personal capability. When I asked why they didn't consider switching industries, they always replied with confusion and lack of confidence: "Changing industries is like climbing a mountain; I only know how to sell instant noodles!"

But I also have friends in the instant noodle industry who chose to switch industries. For example: Mr. Zhao switched from instant noodles to the feed industry and became the sales director of a branch of a well-known company; Mr. Yang switched from instant noodles to the ice cream industry and became the general manager of a branch of a famous company; Mr. Mao switched from instant noodles to the biscuit industry and became the general manager of the national county-level market division of a well-known company; Mr. Dong switched from instant noodles to the frozen food industry and became the vice president of marketing for a company with substantial investment. These friends all succeeded in their industry switches, quickly achieving excellent performance in their new industries and enhancing their personal skills and career development.

Combining successful and failed cases of industry switching, we have summarized a basic analytical tool—the "Shuai-Shi-Tian" analysis method. The name is derived from the "Shuai" (General) and "Shi" (Advisor) in Chinese chess, which can only move within a "Tian" (field) shape.

The two key indicators for industry-switch analysis are: first, changes in industry concentration; second, changes in the size of the employing company. Using these two indicators, we can classify the types of industry switches and construct the "Shuai-Shi-Tian" in chess.

As shown in the figure:

The "Shuai-Shi-Tian" analysis method divides industry switches into 16 types, with basic indices as follows:
1. B-TO-D: Basic index ★★★★★
2. A-TO-D: Basic index ★★★★
3. C-TO-D: Basic index ★★★
4. D-TO-D: Basic index ★★★
5. B-TO-B: Basic index ★★★
6. B-TO-C: Basic index ★★★
7. C-TO-B: Basic index ★★★
8. D-TO-B: Basic index ★★
9. A-TO-B: Basic index ★★
10. D-TO-C: Basic index ★★
11. A-TO-C: Basic index ★★
12. A-TO-A: Basic index ★★
13. C-TO-C: Basic index ★★
14. C-TO-A: Basic index ★
15. D-TO-A: Basic index ★
16. B-TO-A: Basic index ★

Generally, we believe that the basic index for an industry switch should be three stars or above (inclusive); industries and companies with three stars or below should not be considered. That is, according to the "Shuai-Shi-Tian" analysis, the direction of industry switches should focus on the first seven types, especially moving to industries with lower concentration and companies of a certain scale, i.e., B-TO-D, A-TO-D, C-TO-D, and D-TO-D—the four most important types.

Taking successful cases in the instant noodle industry as an example, they basically fall into the first seven types. Currently, the top seven companies in the instant noodle industry account for about 70% of the industry's total share, and the industry has entered a period of oligopoly. It is difficult for production companies with a scale below 300 million yuan to achieve significant market breakthroughs. For marketing professionals who have accumulated extensive advanced experience in the instant noodle industry, quickly switching to industries with lower concentration and companies of a certain scale meets the demand for excellent marketing talent in such industries. For those in high-concentration industries, switching to low-concentration industries can provide a larger career platform and better opportunities to utilize their skills.

Varies by person and situation; comprehensive index determines direction.

The "Shuai-Shi-Tian" provides a basic index for industry switching, but each person's current and target industries, companies, compensation, personal abilities, and needs differ. Therefore, the direction of an industry switch must be determined by adding the personal "tendency index" to the basic index, resulting in a comprehensive index. That is: Comprehensive Index = Basic Index + Tendency Index. The tendency index ranges from one to five stars.

The tendency index is a subjective judgment made by the individual, but it must be based on objective conditions. Marketing professionals should analyze and judge based on the following objective conditions and determine the tendency index.

1. The boss's thinking and management style.
"One bad apple spoils the whole barrel." Finding a boss with a grand vision, development strategy and ideas, and a tenacious and persistent personality means having a successful starting point for an industry switch. An ideal boss can grasp the company's strategy, speed, and goals while delegating all implementation and operational tasks to the management team. A good boss is shrewd and pragmatic, hands-on, but has the ability to control the company and the discernment and corrective power to accept the management team's correct proposals, being open to good advice. The third type of boss is the hardest to work with: they handle every matter personally, inquire into every detail, and stick to their own opinions, making it difficult to shake their experience and orders. It is best to "keep a distance" from such a boss!

If you choose a boss you are satisfied with, give 1 star.

2. Relevant department collaboration team.
Marketing has passed the era of individual heroes; without a heroic team, there can be no outstanding performance. Many marketing professionals achieve excellent results with the help of their original team and believe that they created these results themselves, and that they can replicate them in a new environment. However, after switching industries, they find that without the support platform of the original team, they struggle immensely, either hitting walls everywhere or feeling like they are punching cotton in a "Tai Chi" situation. Therefore, it is necessary to judge the relevant collaborative departments. If the existing collaborative team is good, the personal tendency index can be given 1 star; if the existing collaborative team is average or poor but the company is adjusting and improving, the personal tendency index can also be given 1 star.

3. Match between personal abilities, marketing resources, and goals.
For a marketing professional who successfully switches industries and secures a management position, the new company will have high expectations and assign heavier missions and marketing goals. At this point, the marketer should assess the achievability of the goals based on their own abilities and integrable resources. If the goal achievability rate is above 70%, the tendency index can be given 1 star; if the goal achievement rate is below 70%, the tendency index is 0 stars.

4. Alignment between personal growth space and career planning.
If the platform and future growth space provided by the new industry and company align with personal career planning, give 1 star for the tendency index; if the future growth space is insufficient or does not align with career planning, the tendency index is 0 stars.

5. Personal reputation and material treatment.
For those switching jobs within the same industry, improvement in compensation is more important; for those choosing to switch industries, the enhancement of personal reputation is more important than material treatment. Marketing professionals should weigh whether the new industry and company can "add points" to their profile. If it can add points, give 1 star; if not, the tendency index is 0 stars.

When marketing professionals use the "Shuai-Shi-Tian" to find the basic index for an industry switch and combine it with their own situation to determine the personal tendency index, they can be "clear in their minds" and use the comprehensive index to determine their direction.

In practice, most marketing professionals make a common choice: if the comprehensive index is below 6 stars (inclusive), they temporarily do not switch industries; if the comprehensive index reaches 7 stars or above, they choose the industry and company with the highest comprehensive index.

For a mature marketing professional, changing industries is like crossing a piece of paper; for someone who has never switched industries, it is like climbing a mountain. I sincerely advise: switching industries is not simple; calculate before you leap.

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