Foreword:
October 23rd to October 29th, China Ceramics Network’s 2020 National Tile Market Survey [Guiyang Station] Su Zhonglin, general manager of General Ceramics Guizhou Marketing Center, accepted an interview with China Ceramics Network.
During the nine days of market research in Guiyang, the China Ceramics Network investigation team repeatedly heard praise and affirmation from other local ceramic tile dealers about Guiyang General - “General’s channels in Guiyang are doing very well. ”
With the curiosity of "How good is it?", the China Ceramics Network investigation team walked into Guiyang Dajun Ceramics. After nearly two hours of dialogue with the helmsman Su Zhonglin, we found that the channel aspect is not the only thing worth learning and learning from General Guiyang...
▲Highlight video of the interview process
When we first met, Su Zhonglin gave the impression that he was a typical Fujian businessman + Tao second generation. Surprisingly, the young man actually has 17 years of experience in the industry, and his dedicated research and diligent spirit are admirable. According to Su Zhonglin, when the proportion of Fujian dealers in the Guiyang ceramic tile market was the largest, it could reach more than 80%, and his family was one of them (they came to Guiyang in 1997). Since the Su family became the agent of General Ceramics in 2003, Su Zhonglin followed his elders into the industry and learned to sell ceramic tiles.
▲Su Zhonglin, General Manager of General Ceramics Guizhou Marketing Center< /span>
Currently, the General Ceramics Guizhou Marketing Center has developed a total of 32 distributors and 3 direct-operated stores (the Taisheng Juran Home store is planning to open), among which the Guiyang flagship store (Kaihong Home Store) has an exhibition hall area of up to It covers an area of more than 1,200 square meters; another store located in the stadium market (currently the market has been demolished), the retail sales of a single store during the peak period could reach more than 8 million per month, which shows its operating strength.
▲A snapshot of the exhibition hall of Guiyang General Ceramics Flagship Store
For many years, Guiyang General has been following the pace of the headquarters, and its performance has shown steady growth. doAs the earliest dealers of Dajun Ceramics, everyone in Guiyang Dajun has a deep affection for the brand. When the reporter asked Su Zhonglin why he represented this brand in the first place, he listed for us the 5 market competitive advantages of General Ceramics:
First, General Ceramics has relatively complete specifications and colors, making it competitive in terms of products;
Second, the brand has won heavyweight awards such as "Top Ten Ceramic Tile Brands", "Ceramic First-Line Brand", and "China's 500 Most Valuable Brands" for many years in a row, and it has strength in the brand";
Third, General Ceramics always insists on producing in Guangdong, ensuring long-term stable product quality and guaranteed quality;
Fourth, General Ceramics Headquarters has a strong R&D team and a professional marketing team, with the ability to innovate;
Fifth, Jiangjun Enterprise’s strong financial strength and reputation for operating with integrity for many years have made cooperative customers feel at ease. This is an advantage based on trust.
1
Win-win cooperation to create a better future
From the above summary of Su Zhonglin's "Five Major Advantages of Acting General Ceramics", we can see that the cooperative relationship between Guiyang General Ceramics and the headquarters is very harmonious. As for how to describe the relationship between manufacturers, Su Zhonglin’s answer was only eight words: “Win-win cooperation to create a better future” . Don’t underestimate this short sentence. After deeply interpreting these eight words, you will find that there is a lot in it.
▲A snapshot of the exhibition hall of Guiyang General Ceramics Flagship Store
Since becoming the agent of General Ceramics, Su Zhonglin has always attached great importance to brand promotion, which coincides with the development plan of the entire General Ceramics brand. Therefore, with the joint efforts of both parties, local consumers in Guiyang have a certain understanding and awareness of General Ceramics. So far, Guiyang General has not stopped moving forward at all. While strengthening brand promotion, it also improves the brand image and builds high-end store showrooms.
▲A snapshot of the exhibition hall of Guiyang General Ceramics Flagship Store
Su Zhonglin believes that brand positioning is the key to brand development. Dealers should clearly understand the brand tone and coordinate with the headquarters’ positioning so that consumers can clearly identify and remember the brand’s characteristics and core values. In this way, dealers can identify the brand's target customers and develop the market with focus and precision.
In addition, clearly clarifying the development direction of the brand is also an essential step in cooperation with manufacturers. "Dealers must not only follow the footsteps of the headquarters, but also clarify the brand's development goals in the local market at all stages and make good plans." Su Zhonglin said that when building a brand, you cannot blindly follow it, let alone rush for success. We must improve consumers' recognition and loyalty to the brand through products and services, thereby establishing a good brand image.
▲A snapshot of the exhibition hall of Guiyang General Ceramics Flagship Store
Guiyang General has such a clear-thinking leader at the helm. In the future, we will definitely be able to join hands with General Ceramics Headquarters to create a better future based on win-win cooperation!
2
Deeply develop precise channels and build an elite team
What did the General of Guiyang do? I believe everyone is very curious. In fact, multi-channel operation is a model that every dealer wants to adopt.But once your energy is dispersed, you will inevitably face the problem of "having your cake and eat it too". In the conversation with Su Zhonglin, we learned thatGuiyang General will focus on each channel at each stage with different emphasis, this is what people often call brand "playing style" and "strategy".
As early as around 2003, Su Zhonglin was just a "newcomer" who had just entered the industry. He had already spotted the development trend of home decoration companies in Guiyang and began to run various decoration companies and designer studios. "At its peak, I was in contact with more than 300 decoration companies on my own." Su Zhonglin said when talking about home decoration channels. With the reshuffle of the decoration industry in recent years, although the risks of cooperation with home decoration companies and complete decoration companies are not Avoided, but controlled. Being a dealer does not mean giving up this channel, but rather doing a good job in your own service.
▲General Ceramics’ first “Chinese Good Craftsman” national audition event Guiyang Station
In addition to the home decoration channel, Guiyang General also attaches great importance to the foreman channel. On June 27, under the leadership of the headquarters, General Ceramics’ first “China Good Craftsmen” national audition event kicked off in Guiyang. With one shot, more than 700 outstanding decoration foremans (project managers) from Guiyang were attracted to the scene. Su Zhonglin said, “With the help of this competition, the visibility and influence of the General Brand in the Guiyang market has been greatly enhanced. At the same time, it has also allowed the foremen to clearly understand the brand strength of General Ceramics and the services and value our team can provide them. This makes the relationship between us and the foreman more sticky and the cooperative relationship stronger.”
In addition to spreading brand reputation to consumers through the foremen group, Guiyang General will also work hard on distribution channels for future channel management. The distribution channels mentioned here are very different from the past. According to Su Zhonglin, they plan to open several more direct sales channels.While opening stores, we will focus on cultivating outstanding professional managers. In the future, we will develop outstanding talents into partners in new stores in the form of a joint-stock system. people.
▲Guiyang General Team Group Photo
“The boss’s thinking is very important. A dealer with thinking can do much better than a dealer without thinking; and in the process of execution, the most important thing is to look at the team.” Su Zhonglin expressed about channel development own thoughts. Indeed, having a good team is the foundation of market competitiveness. It is understood that the Guiyang General’s team has about 26 people, and everyone is full of energy. At first glance, it is a very "combat" team. Su Zhonglin has always believed that the team members are good but not too many. If the salary of 4 people is allocated to 3 employees, they can make 5 people. performance. Wu Chao, the deputy general manager of Guiyang General, has a deep understanding of this. He said, "Our salesmen are not only salesmen, but also waiters; this is also the reason why Guiyang General has gained many loyal old customers."
3
Solve the pain points of rock slabs and expand product sales
Sandstone, a "new species", is on the rise in 2020. Jiangjun Enterprise Headquarters has also increased its investment in slate production lines, spending 1 billion yuan to build a slate R&D and intelligent manufacturing center. The production side is booming, so what is the situation like on the consumer side of slate?
It is understood that Guiyang consumers have a certain understanding of slate through self-media channels and recommendations from some designers, but there is still a lot of room for improvement in Guiyang's market share. As a terminal dealer, Su Zhonglin has his own unique insights and judgments on the development of slate.
▲Jiangjun Enterprise Slab Products
Su Zhonglin believes that after the launch of slate products, the biggest market competitor should be stone. For now, the scope of stone use actually overlaps with ceramic tiles, but some areas of stone application have never been covered by ceramic tiles. For example, background walls. In the past, customers' TV background walls were mostly made of stone, soft coverings, or wallpapers, with relatively few ceramic tiles. Slate products can fit right into this area. There is also the stove. In the past, consumers used quartz stone more in their kitchens. Due to its comprehensive performance and texture, customers who pursue high quality will gradually replace quartz stone with slate.
▲Jiangjun Enterprise Slate Application Space Display
Su Zhonglin revealed that there are some local furniture factories for wardrobes, cabinets, and bathrooms in Guiyang that are making slate. He also learned from a friend at Zhongshan Furniture Factory that slate has been used very frequently this year and will explode in the short term. Although the slate industry chain is still at a mature stage, Su Zhonglin is still very optimistic about the market development prospects of slate. He believes that the overall audience of slate slabs is wide, the product performance is high, and it is widely used. At the same time, the decorative effect is very consistent with the current mainstream design style, and it is definitely a trend in the home furnishing industry. “Especially for customers who are renovating for the second time, this group of people will have more demand for slates. Because they know the material better, The pursuit of higher quality home furnishings.”
Su Zhonglin said that the rock slab product itself is very good, but "processing" has become the biggest obstacle to the development of rock slabs. There is currently no professional slate processing factory in Guiyang. If dealers want to make slate in the Guiyang market, processing equipment and processing masters are urgent problems that need to be solved . According to reports, Su Zhonglin plans to personally inspect Foshan, purchase processing equipment, and establish a professional slate processing plant. “Consumers are not familiar with slate but are looking forward to it; if businesses want to make slate, they must do it well.Exquisite finished product and space experience. ”
Conclusion:
Guiyang General has gone through 17 turbulent years together with its headquarters, and has a very cherished "manufacturer sentiment". At this stage of youth, the best gift to repay each other is to continue to move forward and develop. I believe that Guiyang General, with Su Zhonglin’s keen market judgment and pragmatic execution team, will continue to make progress and make greater breakthroughs in the days to come. No matter what the market environment is, stick to your trenches. As Su Zhonglin said:
There is no absolute good or bad in the market, everything depends on man-made factors.
Author: Hong Xiaochun
