Corporate information: A marketing director’s resignation letter awakened countless bosses

The power of the system is amazing and huge. Fighting alone will only make "heroes die before they succeed", and fighting each other will only make each other's destruction will only accelerate the demise of the enterprise!

A certain company spent half a year to find a marketing director in another famous company. In less than three months, the 26-year-old marketing director made his work very successful. However, just when everyone was generally optimistic about the young marketing director, he resolutely resigned. Why is this?

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XX:

In a blink of an eye, I have been in the company for more than three months.

Looking back over the past three months, it is really hard to describe. There are both achievements and shortcomings, but there are still many helplessness and sadness.

Maybe many of the following words are sharp and direct, maybe there are many immature aspects, and maybe there are many things that are not considered, after all, I haven’t been in the company for a long time. But I have only one purpose, that is: I hope it will be beneficial to the company's development, and I hope that the company's tomorrow will be more steadily, healthier, and farther.

That's enough.

What is the purpose of revolution? What is the purpose of the revolution?

From the perspective of history and practice, there are no wonder two purposes of revolution: one is overthrowing; the other is improvement.

So what is the purpose of the company recruiting me? I've been asking myself this question since the first day I entered the company. Maybe neither the company nor I seriously considered this issue. But this is the fundamental point of why the company invited me, and it is also the fundamental point of why I came to the company. Because I have not considered it clearly, there have been some problems that were not necessary to arise today.

Finally, although the company and I have not communicated frankly, we finally know that the company did not need a marketing director; the company may need more regional managers after regional managers, one after another who can bring bad markets back to life.

Hong Xiuquan, because he didn't know what the purpose of the revolution was, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom failed;

Sun Yat-sen also failed because he didn’t know what the purpose of the revolution was;

Only Mao Zedong knew clearly that the purpose of the revolution was to defeat the local tyrants and divide the land, overthrow the old society, and build a new society. Therefore, he led a group of brothers, after several years of arduous wars, and finally achieved the purpose of the revolution.

And what about us?

What does the marketing director do?

Although this question is very simple, we did not communicate and discuss it seriously and in-depth.

Personally, the marketing director does nothing more than three things.

First, establish, standardize and strengthen the marketing management system, and the function focuses on standardizing sales management and brand building, but it is often based on the sacrificing short-term performance and focusing on sustainable and healthy development. If the company has not yet surpassed the basic purpose of survival, it is not necessary to hire a marketing director. This kind of marketing director is really called a marketing director.

The second is to consolidate and improve sales performance. The function focuses on market development and completion of sales performance, but it often engages in predatory development at the expense of the market and overdrafting the market, and competes with the performance pressure assigned by the boss, especially in the current corporate environment in China. This kind of marketing director should be called a sales director, because he carries two indicators: sales and payment collection. If our company still needs a marketing director, it only needs this kind of marketing director.

The third is to build brand and public relations planning. The functions focus on brand pulling and public relations opening up, but it often comes and goes quickly. "Each of them has been leading the way for three or five years, and you will finish the stage after you finish singing." This kind of marketing director should be the marketing director. Relying on strong brand pulling and public relations news planning, the market will be blasted up in the short term. Whether the market can be maintained depends on the company's luck. Whether the sales system can support it is the key.

So, compared with the current situation of our company, we do not need a marketing director, but perhaps some regional sales managers. I'm talking bluntly. This is exactly the same as the company's intention to invite me to join. But at the beginning, I might not have been asked to be a regional manager because I was a regional manager myself and did a good job.

So the company impressed me by being a marketing director (this is just my guess. I don’t know, and I don’t want to know whether this is the case, because I need a larger platform to realize my career ideals. So I came. But after coming, the company put me in a certain area for use during the trial period. Of course, naturally, I became a regional manager.

I can understand the company's good intentions, but is this good? To be honest, I feel bad. This is not only a kind of harm to me, but also a kind of harm to the company. I'm sure that it's much more difficult for me to operate the XX market now than for the company to directly recruit me to run the XX market!

There are too many factors from non-markets!

Therefore, not knowing the purpose of the revolution will only hurt the revolutionary and the revolution itself and be very passive.

Speaking of these, I don’t want to correct our past. The past is gone, and the important thing is to face the future. It has been like this in the past, and I don’t want it to be like this in the future. Neither the company nor I can afford to waste this time. So, I just want to explain one thing. In the future, if the company wants me to do, it is best to tell me clearly that if I think I can do it, I will do it; if I can't do it, I won't do it.

Don’t even understand the purpose of the revolution, just let me do the revolution.

Are we staring at the goal or the process?

Because the purpose of our revolution is unclear, the goal of our revolution is undecided.

When I first came, the company told me: Our company's management is very chaotic, we need to standardize management and strengthen institutional construction. So I began to focus on the institutionalization of the marketing system. However, there are two prerequisites for institutionalization: one is that it takes time; the other is that it needs to withstand the pressure of performance. However, we did not do these two points and hurriedly denied the new system.

First, the introduction of any new system will definitely undermine the balance of existing vested interests, so it will be opposed by them, which will definitely take time and a running-in period.

Midea has been promoting the business unit system for three years, but its sales have not increased in three years, but instead declined. But now, how is Midea doing? He took the initiative to seek change and survived, but Kelong had not changed, but was almost dead.

Second, our institutional supervisors, especially the financial system, have a very demanding attitude and principle towards the new system. It seems that as soon as the new system is introduced, everything will be fine. As long as they monitor according to the system, it will be fine. Never conduct some analysis from the financial perspective, but just control it step by step; never conduct some reflection from the financial design perspective, but only pursue post-event investigation and punishment; if so, then financial work will be too easy.

Third, after implementing the new system, it looks like, sales have not increased compared to before, but have declined, so the new system is just like this! So have we analyzed what causes such a result? Is it the reason for the new system? Or are there other factors? Have we analyzed in depth whether it is market factors and non-market factors? No!

Fourth, after the implementation of the new system, everyone in the system must adjust and sacrifice short-term performance is inevitable. All we can do is to shorten this time as much as possible, rather than give no time at all. XX Branch has implemented a new system, which has not been enough for a month.

Fifth, during the pilot process of the new system, as the designer of the system, we must follow up and adjust at any time, but the company did not give me this time (I have to visit the market in other areas, and remote follow-up can only be a failure to quench my thirst), but let the supervisors of the system follow up. It can be imagined that the new system that cannot be adjusted according to changes in the situation still has to be sought by the supervisors of the system (I do not understand sales supervision, but only consider it from a financial perspective).

Under the constraints of the above five factors, the new marketing system is natural and reasonable. The same is true for the best system.

Everyone is watching the process and forgetting our goals.

Just like a story tells: there is a father and son walking in the snow, watching who walks straight and fast. The father looked at the end, step by step, doing both straight and fast, while the son looked at every step he took, looking back, and the result was slow and curved.

In fact, XX, I fully understand your mood, and you are not wrong.

Maybe the mistake is that our foundation for implementing the new system is not yet mature, because for us, what we need is performance, not management.

But our approach scares me, and I will never dare to launch some new things! Because the result of my doing this is like taking out more ropes and letting people put them on my neck!

And our ever-changing goal adjustments also made me feel at a loss.

一会儿，是完善新制度，马上就能适用全国；一会儿是走访区域市场，马上让它起死回生或者在销量显著上升；一会儿，又让蹲点XX区域上海，兼顾XX大区；一会儿，又让我就只做XX市场？下一步，又不知道是什么？

What am I, me?

In just three months, I have been allowed to do so many things. Can I get a result? In just three months, it is not easy to do something well.

So, in this changing goal, it naturally changed from focusing on my goal (too many goals changed too fast and could not pay attention to it) to the process of staring at me!

What would a process without a goal look like? Am I anxious? I can't even use it with strength?

And this itself is a kind of putting the cart before the horse. So, naturally, I can't get a reasonable and good result in everything I do.

Where is the power of the system?

Why are domestic home appliance companies that were so popular in the past few years, especially the color TV industry, still suffering overall losses?

Why is the domestic health care products company that was so popular in the past few years so NB, but why is its business bleak now?

Why are foreign-funded home appliance companies that were unknown in the past few years now gradually getting rid of the predicament and moving from behind to front?

...

It's nothing else, it's the role of system marketing operations.

These can be seen from a call:

XX, you can call one of our functional departments or resident branches as an ordinary person, and learn about some situations at will, and ensure that many people will say, "I don't know this", "I don't care about this", "You can find someone", "That someone is not here now"...

Some time ago, China Quality Travel was conducting open and secret investigations in various industries, and our company was drawn. At that time, the headquarters' 800 free phone number and Beijing service number were randomly checked, and the inquiry content was asked about the address of the company's headquarters, but the reply received was very unsatisfactory. Beijing answered the phone call with a very rude answer. It took a long time for someone to answer the phone at the headquarters to answer the phone, and after answering the phone, he said he didn't know.

At the beginning, I didn't believe it, so I tried it myself, which was very annoying. So, on the one hand, I quickly notified the headquarters and Beijing to strengthen this area; on the other hand, I quickly communicated with my friend and told them to find a way not to announce it, so as not to have a bad impact. After a lot of twists and turns, I finally got it done.

I didn't say these, but who knows? (Actually, I am a very talkative person, but now I am more strict with myself to say it after doing it, and even don’t say it after doing it!)

I think:

If each of us can manage our work like our own family and do our best, what else can we do?

If each of us can help each other like people in heaven, what else can we do?

If everyone in our system can carry out work like this, then what problems cannot be solved?

Overall, it’s still back to your original requirements for the marketing system: performance growth of 50%, profit growth of 50%.

But what are the prerequisites, sufficient and necessary conditions required?

If our marketing department, production department, finance department and administrative department support supporting functional departments can all increase by 50% year-on-year, we can imagine that there are still problems in achieving the above goals? I can guarantee that there is absolutely no problem in completing the above performance;

On the contrary, if our marketing department, production department, financial department and administrative department support supporting functional departments have little growth or decline year-on-year, even if the personnel in our sales system are exhausted one after another, what can happen? It is also difficult to ensure that the above performance can be achieved.

Perhaps the performance of the sales department is easy to illustrate with numbers and indicators, so everyone is accustomed to using these numbers to deal with the sales department. This is right. I think every salesperson should be acceptable. But what about other departments of ours?

Let’s talk about our finance department first:

Didn’t it mean that the branch’s report must be replied within 24 hours? But during my time in the XX area, I rarely saw reports being replied to within twenty-four hours? Most of them have to be urged several times before they can be seen! My reimbursement order was removed after how many times it was urged in two months!

Which branch in these branches across the country has never encountered the financial department’s mistake invoice? And often wrong?

There are problems with the financial data of almost all branches’ inventory. Is there any problem with our financial system design? Can you just pursue the punishment afterwards?

Our finances are still at the basic level of accounting. From the current point of view, there may be problems with accounting, let alone assist in decision-making ? Have every new product launched, every special priced machine launched, and every old model discounted, all undergone scientific financial calculations? Are there clear data analysis to tell the company's decision-making level whether this new product can be launched or not? Can this special price machine be done or not? Can this old model be discounted or not? None!

In the formulation of salary standards, can the financial department produce analytical data? No!

...

Let’s talk about the production department:

Why is the production cost of our products still high? Why are the production costs less than half of ours (and tax invoices are issued), but we can’t do it?

Why do we keep making some low-level mistakes in the quality of our products? For example: Put the wrong open plate? Or is the size of the open-hole plate wrong? Install the wrong light bulb? Connect the power light and don't light up, etc.

We have many models, but why are we always in the blue and yellow? The old one is gone, and the new one has not come out yet?

We have many models, but the life cycle of our products is very short? Hurry up and delisting?

Let's talk about it...

Let's not talk about it anymore.

Originally our power is very weak, our resources are very scattered, and we need to use the weak power dispersed resources together to use it before we can do something! Otherwise, we may only be passers-by in history and ruthlessly abandoned by the market.

The power of the system is amazing and huge. Fighting alone will only make "heroes die before they succeed"; fighting independently will only make each other destroy each other and will only accelerate the demise of the enterprise!

Huawei has two very good words:

"We advocate learning from Lei Feng, but we must not let Lei Feng suffer a loss!"

"We advocate learning from Jiao Yulu, but we must not let Jiao Yulu die early!"

But what about us?

Corporate culture resistance can kill people

Someone once said that the motivational effect of culture is huge, from the inside out, and it will penetrate every capillary of the organization's members; at the same time, the power of culture kills people is invisible but also the most powerful, and it can be like boiling a frog in warm water.

When I first came to the company, I remember someone reminded me, "Mr. Shi, after you come, you must be careful. There are landmines everywhere in the company. If you are not careful, you still don't know what's going on if you are hit by a landmine?"

I remember I said at that time, "As long as I am considering the company, being responsible for my work, and not being favored by myself, the company leaders will understand and support it. So, I said, even if there is an abyss and a mine array ahead, I will move forward bravely."

However, to this day, I find that I am thinking wrong.

But as someone said.

But I seemed to "died before I succeeded" and "being scarred".

Perhaps, this is the power of corporate culture that kills people invisibly.

I think it would be a good thing if my introduction can bring about an improvement in the company's corporate culture. The key is your wise decision-making.

I think that with your wise decision-making and your firm understanding of the future direction, it is possible and inevitable for us to go to the next level.

As Lenovo's Liu Chuanzhi said, starting a business is like sprinkling soil, sprinkling a layer of soil, compacting it, sprinkling a layer of soil, compacting it, sprinkling a layer of soil, compacting it, and compacting it, this is how the enterprise is refined!

This is also true for our company. Only by constantly introducing professional talents, bringing new waves of fresh professional habits and atmospheres through the introduction of professional talents, and constantly integrating and aggregating, can we form a good and positive corporate personality and culture.

And what about us?

If you can't keep foreign talents and newly hired talents, it will always be the old habits and forces that are holding their positions. Even if some fresh air blows in by chance, it will eventually be "blowed away".

Only when new advances have great or strong enough to resist or prevent the attack or spread of old forces, can new and old cultures coexist peacefully or integrate and grow together.

Enterprises may always grow and progress through the running-in of those two cultures and even more cultures. The power of either side cannot be strong enough or too weak, otherwise it will be one-sided. The absolute monopoly of culture will be manifested as arrogant, and culture will kill people invisibly.

I remember when I first went on a business trip to the branch below, I heard a lot of negative language, saying, "I went to a market without saying a word, and when I left, I said, "I criticized everyone after I arrived at the market, saying, "I said, this is wrong and that is wrong", saying, "I specialize in choosing luxury hotel accommodation, staying for three or four hundred for one night", saying, "I don't look like a leader, and I get along with everyone", saying... Anyway, I have all kinds of words and languages, it's really funny and funny! This is not me, is this what I am?

Others don’t understand me, but XX, you should know me better!

Maybe if one person says this, you will not believe it at all; if two people say this, you will still not believe it; but if ten people say this, you will have to consider what is going on; if everyone says this, will you still have a firm stand?

If the answer is YES, I think I will serve you for the rest of my life without regrets.

However, with changes and adjustments to this matter, I don’t know if it’s what you mean or what everyone means?

No matter what, I think that as a senior leader of the company (the marketing director should be considered a senior leader)’s work adjustment, the company should at least communicate with me or say hello in advance! However, in fact, except for the assistant to President XX, there was no other communication! Even if I am an ordinary employee, I should have the most basic right to know! I think this is also the minimum respect the organization has for individuals!

But do we have it?

How could it be so casual?

Even if you are pinching the dough, you still need to wash your hands first, and then you need to use some force!

There are some things that are even more unacceptable.

According to the company's regulations, part of my expenses has a standard quota, and part of them is reimbursed. During the execution process, all my expenses did not exceed the company's standards; and, in fact, not only did they not exceed the company's standards, but they were greatly below the company's standards.

Let’s take the accommodation fee that everyone responds to. In order to save costs, I basically find friends, and accommodation is as cheap as possible (the lowest I live is one-third of my accommodation standard, and the highest is half. Where does the saying of luxury hotel come from?); some of the city's transportation costs (payment fees) are also necessary: ​​going to the airport, business negotiations, customer communication, etc. At this time, time and efficiency are put first.

However, the incursion of these expenses was clearly stipulated that the employment agreement was reimbursed in real terms. But now we still have to write a report before we can write it off? Moreover, when the company reviews these fees, it also needs to call the local branch to check if I have spent these city transportation fees? ? ?

XX, why would I do this for these things worth a few dozen yuan? Can I be rich with these few dozen dollars? Can I be poor without these dozens of dollars?

XX, trust, there is no basic trust!

Is this the most basic trust a company has in its marketing director? ? ? Even if you are considered a regional manager, is there only so much trust?

Under this culture, how can we do our job well!

Family system or familyization?

There is no conclusion on whether the family system is good or bad. If the company continues to become stronger and bigger, it is good; if the company is smaller and collapses, it is bad.

Therefore, it is good to adapt to and promote the development of the enterprise.

And what about us?

There are many things we are debatable about on the issue of family system.

XX General, in addition to you, there are many relatives in the company and they all work in higher vocational positions in one aspect. It’s not that they are not doing well, nor that they are relying on their power to suppress others, but one thing is certain: XX, you cannot guarantee that they all have the same idea of ​​making the company stronger and bigger as you. Even if you temporarily sacrifice some local interests or even personal interests, you can do it, but they can’t do it completely.

In this regard, it should be said that family businesses such as Fangtai have been relatively successful.

Fang Tai implements two principles most thoroughly:

1. Pocket theory . Only oneself and his son's pocket are the same. In other words, no other relative can enter this business except for the biological son (only one son is applicable, not multiple sons). Or, just give him another company alone and let him do it by himself.

2. Family system rather than familyization. Allow family members to enter their own business, but not everyone in the family can enter their own business. Only those who conform to the pocket theory can enter. This strictly controls the emergence of nepotism.

And what about us?

First: At this point, although our company has no major problems at present (fortunately, the company can still control them now. Once one day they are uncontrollable, it will definitely be fatal to the company), it undoubtedly brings great invisible bombs and invisible obstacles to the development and growth of the company. These problems will break out sooner or later, and once they break out, it will be out of control.

Second: Due to the existence of these people, it has brought great resistance and difficulties to the company to shape an open, fair and just corporate culture. Maybe they all did a good job, but everyone was still scrutinizing these "royal relatives" with another perspective, which naturally caused a "skew" and "deviation" to them, thus naturally causing destructiveness to establishing a good "three public" culture for enterprises.

第三：在创业初期，大家可以共苦，但过了创业期后，大家能否相安无事就很难说了；而且，在渡过创业期后，怎么合理分配胜利果实，则又会是一场“剪不断理还乱”的难断家务；而且，更有甚者，拿了桌子上面，又开始拿桌子下面的。

This is the issue of familyization.

Can the company have a tomorrow?

When I ask myself this question, I feel indescribable.

From the perspective of inner expectations, we certainly hope that the company will become better, more developed, more prosperous, more powerful, and more NB.

However, this is just our wishful thinking.

Do we have this sufficient condition?

Do we have this necessary condition?

Do we have a resource accumulation and profit model to achieve this goal?

Do we have the institutional guarantee and organizational structure to achieve this goal?

Do we have a talent reserve and talent mechanism to achieve this goal?

...

However, we don’t seem to have none of these! If there is, it is just a shortcoming.

Although we have a pretty good boss, we do not have the above conditions or conditions, and do not have a good organizational structure and talent mechanism, and we do not have a strong management level and execution level, so these factors constitute a plaguing factor in our corporate prospects.

However, it does not mean that without the above factors, our tomorrow will be very dim.

It should be said that we also have many advantages:

The career aspiration of the leadership team; the sense of responsibility of the grassroots employees; the development prospects of the industry itself and the current development space of the market economy, etc., all constitute the factors that we can catch up with a better tomorrow. As long as we give full play to these advantages and turn our disadvantages into advantages, our tomorrow will definitely be better.

XX, all of this may be very unpleasant, may be very unpleasant, and may be very shocking, but there are three points that are very certain:

1. I am not deliberately slandering anything, nor do I deliberately comment on anything (I am the person who disdains that most. I have been in the company for so long. It is the first time or the last time). I just want XX to know and understand that there are too many things we need to improve and strengthen, otherwise, how can we talk about the company's tomorrow?

2. I do have many problems. I have done a lot of things that I have done very little in my positioning, grasping my mentality, and communicating with everyone. That is the aspect that I should deeply review and is also an aspect that needs to be improved urgently;

3. My attention to the company is better than everything. I believe that XX, you can lead this company to success.

Looking to the future, so, finally, I said so much in one go. However, if you cannot distinguish right from wrong, black and white, and still be self-righteous and untrustworthy, then it is almost difficult for you to build a business.

After saying so much, there are only two purposes: First, tell you that I am planning to resign and why? Second, tell you that the company should become stronger and bigger, and what the above is said cannot be ignored. Whether it is useful depends entirely on how you view it.

Of course, you and I don’t have to worry about you or me, and the earth will be moved by anyone else.

At the same time, please approve my resignation report.

Source: Internet