MMB Chapter 123 Offense and Defense in Transformation
Chapter 123 Offense and Defense in Transformation
Chapter 123 Offense and Defense in Transformation
The meticulous and responsible work of the local sales representatives from Tongcheng Life Network has won the recognition of businesses, merchants, and landlords in the science park and industrial zone.
More and more landlords and companies are posting rental information and job openings through "Tongcheng Life Network".
Lin Feng arranged for the human resources department to recruit more field promoters.
Lin Feng required the sales representatives to be familiar with the factory, the streets, and what the migrant workers in Shenzhen needed, and what they worried about in recruitment, job hunting, and renting a place.
You need to be able to run, talk, endure hardship, and be meticulous in your work.
Zhou Zhongcheng continued to post job openings for "marketing specialists" on local life websites.
Unexpectedly, a steady stream of people came to apply for the job.
There were blue-collar workers in factories, newcomers to Shenzhen, waiters who had worked as supervisors in restaurants, salespeople familiar with different areas, and recent college graduates.
Lin Xiaoqiang, Wei Zejun, and Zhang Ming became the interviewers.
The first batch of 36 people were selected and received two days of intensive training. Lin Feng came on the first day to train them on the concept of the local life network.
"We don't do business as information brokers; we rely on trust. First, we build trust with our users. Once there's trust, business is easy. Without trust, business is impossible."
Then Lin Feng talked about the company culture: "Customer satisfaction is our service tenet, and teamwork and execution are our winning formula."
After the intensive training, the 36 people were assigned to three information collection groups led by Lin Xiaoqiang, Wei Zejun, and Zhang Ming respectively: "Individual Landlords," "Business Agents," and "Recruiting Companies."
Lin Xiaoqiang, Wei Zejun, and Zhang Ming personally led them to practice, went to the market, and taught them how to distinguish between true and false information and how to deal with different people.
The new sales representatives were assigned to different sections and areas, seeping into every corner of Shenzhen like mercury.
They rode bicycles, carrying registration forms, exploring residential areas, real estate agencies, and industrial zones throughout Shenzhen, going from factory to factory and negotiating with business owners one by one.
In the recruitment section, they provide job description templates and record the detailed employment needs of each employer.
In the rental section, they personally visit the rooms to inspect them, noting every advantage and selling point of the property. For areas that tenants are sensitive about, they remind landlords to make improvements to increase occupancy rates.
Trust snowballs. If one factory is doing well, the boss might mention it to the boss of the neighboring factory over drinks, and the next time a sales representative goes to the neighboring factory, the barrier to entry is halved.
A migrant worker found a suitable job through a local website. After receiving his wages, he treated his fellow villagers to a meal. Naturally, the topic came up at the dinner table, and everyone remembered the website.
A tenant who finds a satisfactory apartment will come back to check it out next time they move, and will also tell their new colleague.
The sales promoters also have their own "territory" and "trusted customers".
Recruitment managers from companies in industrial zones, fast food restaurant owners on the street, and car repairmen at the entrances of urban villages—once you get to know them, they can all be sources of information.
They are often the first to know which factories need workers or which buildings have rooms available for rent.
The number of page views on the local life website is also constantly increasing.
The number of new job postings per day has increased from dozens to hundreds, and rental listings have also doubled.
Zhou Bin and his technical team were busy expanding the server capacity and optimizing the search.
The newly added detailed fields have become the most frequently used filters for users to select information. "Accommodation and meals included," "Three shifts," and "Fully equipped with appliances" have become popular tags.
The changes are real and happening.
In the past, when 51job's sales representatives went to factories, handed out business cards, and said that they were the largest recruitment website in the country, the bosses would listen politely.
Now, when people go there, many business owners simply wave their hands and say, "No need, we use the local life website, it's fine."
The "GG" sign that Zhaopin.com erected in the industrial park is getting less and less attention.
That day, a heavy rain fell in Shenzhen.
Xiao Zhao, from the Shenzhen office of 51job, stood under the eaves of a building on the street, looking at the list in his hand that was wet with rain, and his heart was also wet with emotion.
The list included seven manufacturing companies in Shenzhen that were planned to be acquired last week, but only one deal was reached, and that was with a small factory with fewer than 100 employees. The recruitment managers of the other six companies directly declined to cooperate.
This situation was unexpected. 51job is one of the earliest professional recruitment websites in China and has a first-mover advantage in the brand.
In the Shenzhen office of 51job, located in the China World Trade Center, General Manager Li Mo stared at recent market data with a worried expression.
The number of new registrations of manufacturing companies in Shenzhen on 51job.com decreased by 25 percentage points this month, and the number of information releases decreased by 40%.
According to multiple sources, the number of newly registered manufacturing companies on the local online marketplace has surged by 50%, firmly establishing itself as the number one player in Shenzhen's blue-collar recruitment market.
"What exactly did they do?" Li Mo stubbed out his cigarette and asked Xiao Zhao. He couldn't understand why this had happened either.
They thought that with 51job's brand influence, penetrating the lower-tier market would be a piece of cake. But reality taught them a harsh lesson.
Xiao Zhao reported the information he had gathered to his superior.
Local life website promoters are now going to factories, not just getting companies to post information on the website.
Instead, they inquired in detail about the job duties and requirements, including shift lengths, overtime pay calculations, accommodation and meals, leave policies, and even whether the workshop had air conditioning.
They were very thorough in their inquiries, even having the recruitment manager sign off on the information after asking all the questions. When the information was posted online, all these details were listed, making it easy for job seekers to understand.
Job seekers can find information on local life websites that is not available on our website, and understand it clearly before applying for jobs and going for interviews.
This approach not only results in a high interview pass rate, but also leaves both employers and job seekers satisfied.
"Are they treating recruitment like a matchmaking service?" Li Mo laughed in exasperation. "Making it so detailed, where's the efficiency? It probably takes an hour to register for just one position. How many people do they have?"
"They did hire a lot of sales promoters—" Xiao Zhao's voice lowered, "but the factory owners seem to buy into it. They think they're serious and honest. Some factories, after hiring people, will even recommend them to the factories next door."
Li Mo remained silent.
He recalled the "downward expansion" directive from headquarters, urging them to seize the blue-collar recruitment market. He had initially thought that by leveraging his brand...
With its funding and technology, it can easily crush a small local website.
Unexpectedly, this group of peasants and makeshift workers, which he considered to be without any real effort, relied on sheer numbers and simple methods to weave a dense network of thousands of small and medium-sized factories and street shops in Shenzhen right under their noses.
The nodes of this network are the street promoters who ride bicycles and have tanned skin.
They are not ordinary information collectors, but more like "recruitment managers" who are rooted in the area.
Factories need workers, they go to them; small shops need to hire, they go to them; even workers who want to change jobs or shifts secretly go to them.
In another corner, at Zhaopin's Shenzhen branch, Marketing Director Xu looked at the latest report with a furrowed brow.
They recently launched a "Factory Recruitment Zone," which has a beautiful page and complete functions, but the click-through rate and number of applications are far below expectations.
According to feedback from the offline team, many factory gates in industrial parks are plastered with job postings designed for them by Tongcheng Life Network, and online recruitment information is also published on the Tongcheng Life Network's recruitment channel.
The job posting not only listed the employer's phone number, but also the phone numbers of Zhang Ming, Sun Hao, Zhao Yong, Xu Xiaoming, and other individuals who were responsible for managing the local area through the local online marketplace.
Job seekers can ask them about the company at any time.
"They've turned people into a brand," Director Xu told his subordinates. "Whether it's employers or job seekers, they don't trust the website, they trust people like Zhang Ming, Sun Hao, and Zhao Yong."
This is not a problem that technology can solve quickly.
This is the result of countless face-to-face communications and the accumulation of "reliability" through resolving numerous specific disputes.
monument.
SmartLink can spend money to improve its business and optimize its website, but it's difficult to replicate hundreds of "Sun Hao" and "Zhao Yong" in hundreds of industrial zones and thousands of streets in Shenzhen in a short period of time.
Trust is built up little by little, and troubles are resolved one by one.
In comparison, the standardized online processes and displays of 51job and Zhaopin are more like an online bulletin board.
If they were to hire a large sales team, it wouldn't align with the management philosophies of either company. After all, they focus on high-end recruitment and wouldn't maintain a large number of sales personnel.
However, the vast majority of factory owners and small shop owners in Shenzhen chose to trust the ground promoters of "Tongcheng Life Network" who could help them solve their problems.
In business, it's often the case to "make friends first, then talk business." This is an age-old truth, and Lin Feng, who has been reborn, understands this well and has successfully applied it.
Unlike the quiet and deserted atmosphere of offices at companies like 51job and Zhaopin, the offices of Tongcheng Life Network are filled with the sounds of keyboards clicking, telephones ringing, and sales representatives hurrying in and out, creating a vibrant and energetic scene amidst the busyness.
Zhang Ming, the head of the recruitment section, walked into Lin Feng's office with the latest monthly data report, smiling as he handed it to his boss: "Mr. Lin, last month's data is out. In the recruitment section, we account for more than half of the new job postings in Shenzhen's manufacturing industry compared to similar platforms in Shenzhen."
The conversion rate, calculated based on the percentage of hires placed within two weeks of posting, has increased by five percentage points compared to last month, reaching 31%.
For job seekers (C-end), searches for keywords such as "factory direct recruitment," "accommodation and meals provided," and "urgently hiring general workers" have increased by 120% on local life websites.
Lin Feng carefully reviewed the report and relaxed his brows.
While competitors were bombarding users with heavy investment in GG, Lin Feng's ground sales team was digging trenches inch by inch, building trust and constructing a trust barrier by solving users' real problems.
Zhang Ming added, "Those workers who successfully switched jobs privately through our 'Worker Replacement' section alone numbered over thirty last month. Although they didn't earn money directly, these workers now habitually check our website first when they need something, even if it's just browsing. User engagement is high."
Lin Feng put down the report and looked at the market segmentation map on the wall from a few months ago, which now seemed somewhat outdated.
He drew an even larger circle around the circle on "Shenzhen Local Life Network," which almost covered the entire area of "Shenzhen Local Manufacturing/Business Recruitment."
Lin Feng commented casually, "The methods that 51job and Zhaopin use to recruit white-collar workers are bound to fail in the blue-collar market. In Shenzhen, especially in factories, small shops, and the casual labor market, people trust people more—familiar faces, reliable people around them. Market share results show who is more reliable."
Zhang Ming nodded: "Now we've established a foothold in Shenzhen's blue-collar market. Factories, restaurants, and small shops that need to hire blue-collar workers, waiters, or apprentices usually think of us first."
51job and Zhaopin also followed our lead and started offline promotions, giving away small gifts, and trying to fill in more detailed information, but—it still felt like there was a layer missing.
Our sales representatives have long been familiar with those small shop owners; they know what those owners and workers want and what they fear. This isn't something you can get by simply giving away a few pens and notebooks.
The moat has been dug. Although it's not wide, competitors would have to spend several times the cost to cross it, and even then, there's no guarantee of success.
Lin Feng confidently stated, "We've temporarily established a foothold in the blue-collar market in Shenzhen. 51job and Zhaopin.com tried to penetrate the lower-tier market, but we defeated them. Now it's our turn to fight back; we're going to expand into the white-collar market!"
Lin Feng pointed with his pen towards the office buildings outside the window: "Those high-tech companies in those buildings, the college graduates and overseas returnees every year—that's our next market to expand into. 51job and Zhilian built their businesses on this; now it's their turn to face the storm!"
Zhang Ming was eager to try his hand at it, his heart filled with anticipation.
Lin Feng stated, "Shenzhen has tens of thousands of technology companies, foreign offices, firms, and design studios—they all need to recruit university graduates, sales staff, programmers, designers, and management talent."
They also need online platforms to post their job openings. And they have larger budgets and are more willing to spend money recruiting talent.
We'll use our strengths: close-to-the-home service, flexibility, and rapid response. We'll leverage our website's large customer base and authenticity to penetrate the white-collar market.
I believe we can definitely do it.
After speaking with Zhang Ming, Lin Feng selected some quick-witted and communicative individuals from the ground promotion team to form a new team called the "High-End Recruitment Expansion Team".
Lin Feng personally held a rally for the new team.
He emphasized at the meeting: "In the past, when we visited factories and small shops on the street, we were helping them solve the problem of 'whether they had anyone to do the job.' Now, when we visit technology companies and firms, we are solving the problem of 'whether they can do the job well.'"
The target audience has changed, the needs are different, and the way we speak and act must change accordingly. But the fundamental principle remains the same! It's still about helping others solve problems and building trust through meticulous work. What are the biggest fears of owners of innovative companies and hiring managers? What are their pain points?
The employees looked at each other in bewilderment.
Lin Feng explained, "When companies recruit senior talent, they worry about hiring people who are all talk and no action, falsifying resumes and experience, and wasting time interviewing a bunch of unsuitable candidates. Our value lies in helping them save these troubles and screening out truly capable and hardworking people."
Everyone suddenly realized that Lin Feng's words had directly pointed out the pain point in the company's recruitment of senior talent.