Chapter 19 2. Positive sum game: formulating the rules of the game

In the Western game, there are three roles that need to be accurately defined: "Are you the maker of the game, or the follower of the game, or are you a destroyer?" Those who set the rules of the game must first destroy the original rules of the game , From another perspective, breaking the rules of the game means changing the inherent thinking to form innovation.Whether or not innovation can be formed is precisely the most difficult hurdle for many Chinese companies to overcome. It takes courage to challenge the old rules. Instead of taking risks to try new things, it is better to abide by the existing ones. This is the mindset of many companies and entrepreneurs. Difficult to change in a short period of time.In the commercial society, those who abide by the established rules of the game are not considered to be able to play games. Those who really know how to play games are those who can formulate the rules of the game themselves and can control the situation at any time.There is no doubt that Dong Mingzhu is such a person. She has dominated the shopping malls for more than ten years, and I am the master of my site. Dong Mingzhu is always faster than others, and she can make others follow her. This is a reflection of her Brilliant place.If it was in the war years, Dong Mingzhu would be a heroine galloping on the battlefield. She was so addicted to fighting in the market that her strength and toughness always put her on the cusp of controversy and praise.She despises the rules of the game, subverts them ruthlessly, and is good at recreating new rules in her own way. She is confident in her power at all times.It is not easy to imagine a new rule, and it is even more difficult to get others to accept the new rule after it comes out.Gree's various new rules have received mixed reviews both at the beginning of its establishment and after its implementation.

But regardless of the evaluation results, Gree's new rules can be implemented, which proves that it is successful.There is a big reason why Gree's various new rules are implemented, which is the "positive sum game" theory proposed by Dong Mingzhu. "Game" in layman's terms is playing chess, you take a step, I take a step, you want to eat me, I want to eat you, but in marketing, positive sum game is also called cooperative game, which means that the interests of both sides of the game are equal. There has been an increase, and efforts have been made to expand the external market through mutual cooperation to achieve growth of common interests, to achieve a manufacturer alliance, mutual benefit and mutual benefit. The opposite of "positive sum game" is "zero sum game".A zero-sum game refers to a game in which players win and lose, and what one party wins is exactly what the other party loses, and the total score of the game is always zero.The reason why the zero-sum principle has received widespread attention is that the bitterness and bitterness of the loser is often hidden behind the glory of the winner.In the era of rapid economic growth, global integration and increasingly serious environmental pollution, the zero-sum game concept is gradually being replaced by the win-win concept.People began to realize that self-interest does not have to be based on harming others, and that a happy ending can be achieved through effective cooperation.However, from a zero-sum game to a win-win situation, all parties are required to have the spirit and courage of sincere cooperation. In cooperation, don’t play tricks, don’t always think about taking advantage of others, and abide by the rules of the game. Otherwise, a win-win situation will not be possible. In the end, it is the collaborators themselves who suffer the most.From Dong Mingzhu's marketing case, we found that what she adopted was precisely a win-win strategy, which is why she was able to get the other party to accept her new game rules. The connotation of "positive sum game" is actually "integrity", "fairness" and "win-win". Without any of these three, a true "positive sum" cannot be realized.It is precisely because of this honest and fair style that Dong Mingzhu was also sincerely admired by these people when he was evaluated as "the road he walked did not grow grass".The first task of the positive sum game is to find like-minded people.Whether enterprises can cooperate or not depends on whether they can reach a consensus, and the existence of this consensus requires a prerequisite, such as whether the business philosophy and values ​​of each other are the same, if the business philosophy and values If they are all different, it is difficult to talk about cooperation.Because of this, Gree is very strict and strong in the selection of dealers.Even if a big family has been cultivated by itself, once its philosophy and values ​​violate Gree's win-win standard, Gree will expel it without hesitation. "No payment, no delivery" has become an original game rule created by Dong Mingzhu. Before that, the practice in the shopping malls was just the opposite - first delivery and then payment.Many people believe that Gree's success is firstly due to Dong Mingzhu's daring to overthrow the original rules and formulate a new one.Even in advertising, Dong Mingzhu insisted on her theory of "positive sum game".For a while, Dong Mingzhu was in charge of the company's advertising department. Before she took charge of the advertising department, the company's annual advertising expenses were not only huge, but also had financial chaos and poor advertising effects.The reason for this is nothing more than the various unspoken rules prevailing in the advertising industry, which have led to some people sacrificing the interests of the company for their own interests.In view of this, Dong Mingzhu resolutely refused kickbacks and other phenomena when negotiating with advertisers.Those advertisers who hope to get projects through kickbacks and other means are all rejected by Dong Mingzhu.Just as Dong Mingzhu believed that she could always find well-behaved dealers, she can also find advertisers who work according to principles like her.

In 1996, she really found such an advertising company.This is an advertising company in Beijing. The boss is very young. He has a characteristic, that is, he has something to say, which undoubtedly suits Dong Mingzhu's appetite.Every time he negotiates, he will make it clear that this time I want to earn you a few percentage points from Gree Electric Appliances. Excluding various expenses, I will earn you tens of thousands of dollars in total. Why should I earn your money?My employees have to eat, and the company has to make profits.Being able to meet such an advertising company, Dong Mingzhu undoubtedly found the feeling of a bosom friend. She assured the other party that in your reasonable service fee, don’t consider any extra rebates. The so-called wool comes from the sheep, don’t We use this method in Gree, but we don't have this habit.As long as you think about our business at all times and use the least money to make the best advertising effect, we will guarantee your reasonable profits, and Gree Electric’s advertising funds will be in place in time.Because of this simplicity and purity, the two parties worked perfectly together.Once we recognize "who is our friend and who is our enemy", in order to achieve positive sum, we must achieve "I think everyone should protect the interests of the other party as much as their own."If the interests of the other party cannot be safeguarded, there will be no cooperation between them.Manufacturers have the self-esteem of manufacturers, and merchants have the self-esteem of merchants. They must respect each other.Therefore, Gree's profit model is defined as "Only by distributing Gree to make money can we achieve long-term stability."In a sense, the principle of "positive sum game" was indirectly derived from the "three representatives" of the Gree joint-stock regional sales company—representing the interests of distributors, consumers, and manufacturers.As long as anyone dares to go half a step beyond Lei Chi, Dong Mingzhu will turn his face and deny anyone.For dealers who do not abide by the rules of the game, Dong Mingzhu will not hesitate to use legal weapons.

In 1999, a dealer in Shanxi gave Gree a one-million-dollar money order with one character missing. When Gree sent someone to find the dealer with the money order, the dealer snatched the money order away.Without even thinking about it, Dong Mingzhu took the dealer to court.Frightened by the majesty of the law, the dealer apologized to Gree and made up the payment for the goods.Not only does Dong Mingzhu adhere to the principle of sincerity and fairness externally, but also internally, Dong Mingzhu also adheres to the principles she established. It is under good leadership that Gree employees have a cohesive force. Without this cohesive force, Gree can It's hard to say whether it will burst out its potential power.Many companies also have excellent corporate system marketing models, and are even in the leading position in the industry in terms of technology. However, because corporate leaders cannot lead by example and take the lead in abiding by the company's rules and regulations, leading to the collapse of the company, this situation in the enterprise Not uncommon in .A leader of an enterprise usually dares to break the original rules of the game and carry out self-innovation and self-transcendence of the enterprise.Of course, breaking the rules of the game in the industry does not necessarily mean that new rules can be established.But if you want to establish new game rules and take the initiative yourself, you must subvert the original game, and this order must also be followed.Taking the Shenzhou notebook computer as an example here, it shows that companies that dare to subvert the rules of the game can create their own market.Looking at the notebook computer market since 2003, since the launch of Shenzhou notebook computers in 2003, the original market competition order has been broken, and a "books" parity revolution has been set off. The slogan "5980, take the laptop home" made consumers realize the value of the laptop for the first time.The price of each product of Shenzhou notebook computer is more than thousands of yuan cheaper than other notebooks with the same configuration.In response to the low-price strategy of Shenzhou Computer, many domestic and foreign manufacturers had to follow up and cut prices one after another. The price competition unveiled the mystery of notebook computers at one stroke, broke the profiteering space of notebook computers, and brought the entire notebook computer industry into a new development. During the period, Shenzhou Computer took advantage of its advantages in R&D, channels, and cost control to establish its market position in one fell swoop.Laptops are high-tech products, and the maintenance technology is very complicated, which is difficult for ordinary people to master. Many users wait for several months for the repair of laptops. Consumers who buy laptops will also consider factors such as after-sales service more.

In October 2003, Shenzhou notebook computer broke the industry rules again, solemnly affirmed that there is zero waiting for notebook service, and promised that if any Shenzhou notebook computer has quality problems within one year from the date of purchase, it can be replaced immediately and unconditionally. Huge cost, compared with foreign manufacturers who do not guarantee parallel imports and raise service thresholds, Shenzhou Computer's high-quality service with one-year replacement has attracted the attention and attention of many computer consumers.This is similar to the service strategy of "6-year free warranty for the whole machine" proposed by Dong Mingzhu.Although Dong Mingzhu cannot completely change the competitive environment of the entire air-conditioning industry, her unique new competition rules still have a strong impact on the entire industry.If an enterprise wants to become the maker of new game rules, it must have innovative thinking.In fact, Dong Mingzhu's innovation is not only reflected in the sales rule of "payment first, goods later", but also in the establishment of a new marketing model.It is precisely because of Dong Mingzhu's courage to question everything that Gree dares to break the old channel rules, thus creating a brand new channel sales model.It should be said that Dong Mingzhu is the maker and follower of the rules of the business game.She is the "constructive destruction" type, not just simple destruction.Of course, Gree is able to achieve today's achievements not only because Dong Mingzhu formulated a set of game rules, but because while she is constantly formulating new game rules, she also adheres to the principle of integrity management, making this set of rules more stable and solid.Subverting the old unreasonable game rules, formulating new scientific game rules, destroying and formulating again, negating and challenging oneself again and again, this is the fundamental way for Dong Mingzhu to lead Gree to success.