Haier’s marketing strategy:
1. Do the hard things first and then the easy ones: first capture the “customers” and then attack the “opponents”.
Every success Haier President Zhang Ruimin has relied on over the years is to never say "no" to customers and always use the Michael Porter competition model (which includes "opponents", that is, peers, The "customer" among the five competitive objects (potential competitors, substitute competitors, suppliers and customers) is regarded as "God"; regarded as the most important and the first "enemy" that needs to be conquered. Because only by "capturing" the hearts of customers can it be possible to defeat the "opponent."
2. Difficult things first, easy things later: capture the commanding heights first and then move on to other things.
Haier also implements the strategy of “difficult first and easy later” in selecting the customers and customer groups that it has conquered. That is, based on in-depth and effective market research and market segmentation, attack the most difficult "customer groups" first, and then attack the easier customer groups after the "most difficult customer groups" are conquered. We will first attack Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou nationwide, and then attack other markets. On the international scale, it first attacks the German and American markets, and then expands to other international markets. Its superiority is obvious. Because generally speaking, consumer fashion also has a gradient transmission effect.
3. Do the hard things first and then the easy ones: Grasp the strategic pivot first and then move on to other things.
When summarizing the experience of victory, Mao Zedong pointed out: To win a war, the battle should be grasped from the strategic pivot; the combat actions should be grasped from the operational pivot. Zhang Ruimin's "difficult first, easy later" approach is essentially to grasp the hub and big system of things, and then attack the specific details and subsystems. For example, according to his 3/3 strategic thinking, the first one is to achieve internationalization in the United States first, that is, to create a "U.S.A." integrating three centers including design, manufacturing, and sales in such a country. Haier". The essence of this move is that it is the first to seize the factors of modern marketization, the most developed capitalized economy, and the most complete enterprise marketization mechanism; it seizes the highest contemporary strategic hub of Haier's internationalization, which is of unprecedented significance. and function. Doing so: (1) is conducive to resource allocation on a global scale; (2) can capture local information flow, capital flow, and logistics in the most timely, effective and scientific manner; (3) is conducive to the earliest capture of new business forms , accelerating the pace of leaping towards informatization.
4. Difficult things first, easy things later: Grasp “ability” first, then scale.
Experience has repeatedly proven that when doing business, an extremely important truth must be understood, that is, corporate capabilities (especially core capabilities) cannot be bought; what can be bought from the market can only be resources. . Whether an enterprise can be formed and grow mainly depends on ability, not resources. An important argument put forward by Mao Zedong in "On Protracted War" is: upward things are expressed in quality; downward things are expressed in quantity. Zhang Ruimin's excellent thinking mode of "first difficult and then easy" is especially reflected in his long-term strategic development thinking, which always insists on focusing on the quality of people, corporate capabilities, especially the upgrading of core capabilities first; and then focusing on the scale of corporate development, that is, First "grasp the strong" and then "grasp the big".
5. Do the hard things first and then the easy ones: First grasp the "heart wins", and then grasp the "physical wins".
To win customers, the first thing is to "win by heart", that is, to convince people psychologically. To be truly convinced psychologically, it is not just something that can be achieved with better product quality or higher technical level; it must be from product quality, to service, to brand, etc. in the interactive relationship with customers. This can only be achieved by integrating all elements to satisfy customers. Haier has implemented Chief Zhang’s marketing purpose of “selling credibility, not products” from the beginning. The core point is that winning people's hearts is always the top priority, and the key is especially reflected in service.
Gree’s marketing strategy:
In the field of home appliances, many brands are hesitant to move forward in the market, but Gree has bucked the trend and not only achieved substantial growth in sales, And it widens the distance from other first-line brands. Therefore, both other companies and industry public opinion are looking for the reasons for Gree's success.
Most companies and media attribute Gree's success to the success of the Gree model.
As a result, some companies have hurriedly adjusted their market strategies based on this, using the Gree model as a model for learning, and began to set up their own regional sales companies. For a time, there seemed to be a tendency to gather together to learn from Gree.
It is undeniable that Gree has been able to maintain a relatively high growth rate even as the industry as a whole is undergoing adjustments. This cannot be said to have a certain relationship with its channel model. It is Gree's advantage in channels that dares to stand up and challenge Gome when many manufacturers dare not speak out in the face of inequality, thus strengthening the confidence of traditional dealers in cooperating with Gree.
The sales model of Gree air conditioners is not mysterious. There are three key factors for success. First, off-season discounts and rebates, year-end rebates, and even irregular rebate policies can well stabilize dealers. The second point is Gree's "joint-stock regional sales company" model, which solves the problem of interest creation and sharing well through relatively clear joint-stock property rights relationships. The third point is the tension of a corporate culture led by Zhu Jianghong and Dong Mingzhu with integrity, rigorous systems, and effective execution, which can gather a group of large dealers to fight for the market together.
Since practice has proven that the Gree model is a very good marketing model, and now there are so many companies that want to learn the Gree model, does that mean that as long as they learn the Gree model, they can be like Gree in the market? Up and down? The answer is: not necessarily! The Gree model is not a panacea that can conquer the world.
In essence, the marketing model is just one component of the company's overall marketing strategy. We know that in addition to the marketing model, the operation of an enterprise is also subject to the enterprise's development strategy, product planning, brand building, corporate culture construction and many other aspects. The most important thing is to solve the development strategic issues.
Gree’s stable development strategy is the most distinctive and is worth learning from companies striving to catch up or surpass. In terms of development strategy, in addition to the professional image that Gree has always created, the most outstanding point is its perseverance in brand building, unlike some brands that are as eager for quick success and quick profit. In addition, compared with the marketing model, the product seems to be more important. The most basic reason why Gree can continue to be in a strong position in the domestic market and lead similar competing brands is the quality of its products.
In fact, in a domestic market with a vast geographical area, diverse levels, and obvious differences in consumption power, marketing models should also be diverse. What is suitable for Gree may not be suitable for other companies. The Gree model may not be able to conquer the world, and it is best to adapt to your own reality. Haier has expanded its chain of stores, Midea has added regional agents and direct sales, Chigo has walked on two legs, and Galanz has coexisted with multiple models of "changing for you", all of which have their own characteristics. Why do we have to copy Gree’s marketing model? If you don't manage to "paint a tiger and turn it into a dog", it will be more trouble than it is worth.