Chapter 20 Chapter VII

In just three months, Xu Zhao has put the company into a good state of operation, and the business volume has also doubled accordingly. The previously uneasy employees began to calm down. Infected by his work style, he was even more impressed by Xu Zhao's outstanding business ability and proficient negotiation skills.In the eyes of employees, Xu Zhao can solve any problem easily. If there is any difficulty, Xu Zhao can be found. The general manager's office becomes an "emergency room".For all kinds of emergencies in foreign trade and export, Xu Zhao can "OK" with a phone call and a fluent foreign language.

In this regard, Yan Mingde, the manager of the company's "Eleventh Department", was quite emotional: "Although the general manager Xu Zhao is young, he has a daunting tenacity. Our department is negotiating a $1.76 million stationery agency business , I don’t know how many times I visited the merchant’s place and made countless phone calls, but the other party never let go. Usually in this case, we would give up. But after Xu Zhao knew about it, he still ‘forced’ me to agree again and again. The businessman called and even made an appointment with the client in person. At the negotiating table, Xu Zhao finally persuaded the client with his sincere and touching words, and won the agency business of 1.76 million US dollars for our department. It can be said that there is no such thing as Xu With Zhao's tenacity, this business must be in vain!"

Zhang Lei, the manager of the fifth department of the company, has a deeper understanding.The year before last, a customer from Afghanistan came to our company to order bicycle accessories worth 50,000 to 60,000 US dollars, but at that time our Suzhou Light Industry Foreign Trade Company did not have a business in Afghanistan.We all know the situation in Afghanistan, where there are constant wars, and there is no way to investigate the credit of customers in such a country.Without credit insurance, there must be considerable risks in doing business.After listening to the report, Xu Zhao thought that although Afghanistan was in chaos in the past few years, it is our neighboring country. Now the country is restoring order, and it is a region with great potential for foreign trade. We must seize the opportunity to enter.Therefore, he decisively suggested that Manager Zhang start to negotiate with the customer by confirming the payment method, and finally confirm that the customer pays 30% of the payment first as a deposit for stocking up, and pays the balance of 70% one week before shipment to complete the business negotiation.This move played a strategic role in opening up the Afghan market for the entire company in the future.At present, Xu Zhao's company has an annual bicycle export business of 3 million US dollars in Afghanistan, ranking first among domestic counterparts.

"There are always more solutions than difficulties." This is the first sentence that Xu Zhaochu blurted out when he came to the company.In the process of starting a business, Xu Zhao, with his proficient foreign trade knowledge and rich practical experience, led the company's employees to conquer fortresses. The company has established long-term trade cooperation with more than 100 countries and regions, and exported more than 150 products. kind. In 2001, the export volume of 25 million US dollars was completed, and the hat that had been pressured on the company for many years in a row was removed. In 2002, the company made great achievements again, realized a sales income of 360 million yuan and earned foreign exchange of 50 million US dollars through export.

Xu Zhao once again proved his strength as a "doctoral businessman" with his outstanding achievements and talents. June 28, 2003 was a historic moment for Xu Zhao and the team led by Xu Zhao.After the restructuring, Light Industry Foreign Trade was born in China's foreign trade circle under the new name of "Suzhou Hengfeng Import and Export Company".Xu Zhao served as the company's chairman, general manager, secretary of the party committee, and legal representative. Facing the increasingly fierce international market and the task of grouping enterprises, Xu Zhao began to let his team strive towards the goal of "China's first-class, world-leading".Among them, he always believes that the quality of talents and teams is the most important.What kind of talents are in line with "China's first-class, world-leading"? "I think that foreign traders must have five basic qualities: hardworking attitude, good foreign language foundation, rich product knowledge, good adaptability, and his affinity."

For this reason, Xu Zhao has devoted a large part of his energy to the cultivation and introduction of talents in recent years. "Cultivating talents is not something that can be cultivated just by cultivating them. It is the same as planting flowers and trees. You have to work slowly and devote your heart and soul." Xu Zhao understands the steps required by an excellent foreign trader from his own growth process steps.Therefore, he was very serious from the first step of recruiting college students.In the past few years, the company has recruited many recent college graduates, and Xu Zhao goes to the job fair every year in person.There are three types of students he dislikes the most: one is self-admiring, the other is ambitious, and the other is high-minded.Young people with "good basic quality, good professional quality, and willingness to work hard" are most welcome.Those college students who have just entered "Hengfeng" have a class that makes them feel novel - "role switching class".The "teacher" on stage is their general manager, Dr. Xu Zhao. "Although there are only two days, Mr. Xu, like a teacher, vividly introduced the company's general situation, the foreign trade situation, how to grasp risks, negotiation skills, how to deal with people, etc. The roles of foreign trade employees have changed." The new employees of college students said so.

The class is still going on—except for the employees who are usually busy with business, they can hear the specific and vivid speeches given by General Manager Xu Zhao at any time. The content is right and thrilling—— "...For example, some customers with poor reputation generally 'arrange' remittances on Friday. They took advantage of the special time period of Friday afternoon, because they don't work on Saturday and Sunday, and they can't check it after 4:30 pm on Friday. , so he urged you, forced you, saying that the goods have arrived, and if you don't release the order, you will be charged a lot of demurrage fees. If you don't release the order, what will happen. Many experienced salesmen are in During this time period, the "soft-hearted" made a big mistake, and the payment for the goods will never be found until next Monday or Tuesday. There is also the payment method of DP, which is bank presentation. Although the goods are handed over to the bank for receipt, but The name of the bank is written on it, and the address belongs to their company, so your bill of lading is equivalent to being sent to their company, so you must check the address of the bank, for example, whether the address of the New York branch of Citibank is very important. .Although these are minor details, if you are not careful, there will be big problems. Also, when shipping, the other party's freight forwarder (cargo agent) must always carefully and strictly examine it. If the other party's freight forwarding qualification is not registered in the People's Republic of China, he has no legal If you hand over your goods to him, it is equivalent to handing over your goods to a wolf, because his manifest does not have a certificate of title to the goods, which means that your goods are thrown to someone who does not know him at all, and the result can be imagined. You know, that's millions, tens of millions of dollars worth of goods..."

When Xu Zhao spoke eloquently, the new employees listened attentively. "The international trade front is relatively long, the collection time is slow, and the risks are always everywhere. So how to prevent it? First of all, we must take care of the letter of credit. And we must know that the letter of credit issued by the customer is only the customer's guarantee to pay Commitment, it does not mean anything else, on the contrary sometimes it is a trap for you to fall into. Because the customer usually puts forward various conditions in the project he needs. If you don’t study the credit conditions of the other party, even if you miss one, you may You are completely in trouble. Don't look at how many purchase orders and remittances are issued to you by the letter of credit. If you make a mistake or miss one item, you may sweat a lot of hard work, and even have to pay for it. Lose money and risk your life..." Xu Zhao is still talking: "Negotiation skills, you can't rush for success, you can't be overjoyed immediately when you get a good project, because you will have to discuss prices and other matters with customers. Let's talk about the details If you don’t agree, you may completely lose the whole project. But negotiations are usually ups and downs, and you can’t give up easily when difficulties arise. Giving up is tantamount to wasting all previous efforts. Negotiation is a test of will and a display of ability; It is an art that allows you to understand others and know yourself; it is also a relay race between the success and failure of our traders, performance and benefits, and it is also the process of embodying our sweat and wisdom..."

As a scholar-type manager, Xu Zhao understands the importance of talent cultivation better than anyone else.Today's "Hengfeng" can become a banner of foreign exchange earning in the foreign trade system. In a sense, it is the result of Xu Zhao's cultivation of talents.Now there are a group of young people in his company with an annual business volume of more than 10 million US dollars. It is they who make the work of the whole company full of vigor and vitality. "I don't quite agree with the saying that talents seem to be those young people, that is, college students, masters and doctors. In fact, talents should be understood as making the best of their talents. Chinese society has come from a long-term planned economy. We cannot cut off the history, we have to proceed from the specific reality of the unit. For example, our foreign trade system has always been a popular unit in the past, and foreign trade depends on "guanxi", and the people who come in from these "guanxi" may not be very professional in terms of professionalism, but they are still Many outstanding comrades have made a lot of useful contributions in foreign trade posts. If everyone’s subjective initiative and creativity are brought into play and everyone’s enthusiasm is mobilized, it is a comprehensive talent concept of a business manager.” Xu Zhaolai One of the reasons why he was able to create a new working situation in just a few years after he came to Light Industry Foreign Trade and "Hengfeng" is that, as he said, he managed to make the best use of each unit's employees .

Veteran comrade Yu Xuxin feels that he is an "old man" in the company, so he is very conservative when doing business.Xu Zhao felt that Lao Yu's work was stable and practical, and he had many advantages that a foreign trader must have. Therefore, in order to give full play to the strengths of this veteran comrade, he insisted on letting Lao Yu participate in the Canton Fair.On the stage of the fierce and fast-paced trade fair, Lao Yu learned the courageous style that Xu Zhao expected. In addition, Lao Yu was steady and experienced in handling affairs, and many customers were willing to discuss business with him, which made Lao Yu gain a lot. Feel deeply.Since then, Lao Yu has become more and more active, and his personal export volume exceeded 4 million US dollars that year, becoming a typical example of the company's "old and vigorous".At the company staff gathering at the end of the year, Xu Zhao led the cadres to toast Lao Yu. Lao Yu was moved to tears and said: "Mr. Xu, without you, I would have been laid off all my life. But now I don't feel old , I will at least work for the unit and the country for a few years.”

"Old comrades have many advantages. They are good at foreign languages, familiar with business, and humble. If they are properly given a stage, their role must be very important. In the past, the role of the old employees of the company was not played. The important reason is the management mechanism. There are no measures. Young people have quick eyes and feet, grasp information in a timely manner, and their business comes quickly. On the contrary, older workers are at a disadvantage in this regard. At this time, managers should provide platforms and financial guarantees for older workers. Let them build up the confidence to do business well. At the same time, we must also pay attention to communicating with them in a timely manner, and let them do it boldly. Now in our company, we can’t tell who is an old employee and who is a new employee when it comes to business issues. Very happy and energetic." When Xu Zhao talked about the role of the old employees in the company, he felt extremely gratified. Lao Yao, the current full-time deputy secretary of the company, was the assistant to the general manager when Xu Zhao first took office.As time went by, Lao Yao felt aggrieved because of this, and had thoughts of not wanting to do it.During Xu Zhao's contact with Lao Yao, he believed that he was a good comrade who was dedicated to serving the public and adhering to principles. "Old Yao, since we want to make the unit better, you also hope that someone will correct the problems you pointed out to him. But if you want him to change, you must first let him accept your opinion, and you must convince the other party. There is a problem of methods and methods..." Xu Zhao and Lao Yao had several talks together, which made the old comrade understand that good wishes must be realized in addition to good ways.Since then, Lao Yao has quickly become a good assistant to the leader who can stand alone and unite everyone.Xu Zhao is the chairman and general manager, and he spends a lot of time on business outside. He thinks that having comrades like Lao Yao at home will make the company’s operations very normal, so he strongly recommends Lao Yao to his superiors to serve as the full-time deputy party committee of "Hengfeng". secretary.Practice in the past few years has proved that "Hengfeng" has developed by leaps and bounds, and Lao Yao's party affairs work has contributed a lot. Xu Xiaolan, a female employee, was a former "veteran of light industry and foreign trade". Because she contradicted the leader, she was assigned to a joint venture with the company.Xu Zhao went to this company once, and found that Xu Xiaolan was very decent, and the opinions she gave to the leaders were also very insightful.Xu Zhao thought to himself: The company must continue to develop, and it is inevitable that such and such problems will arise when the leader is in the development process.If there is someone like Xu Xiaolan who, out of public interest, can give some warnings to the decision makers in time, what's wrong?So Xu Zhao approached Xu Xiaolan and had a long talk with her, hoping that she would come back to the company. Xu Xiaolan was a little surprised and surprised: "Mr. Xu, do you really want me to come back?" "Of course. And I also want you to be the chief of the storage and transportation department. I know that you have strong principles and good organizational skills..." Xu Zhao's words made the lesbian burst into tears. "I...I will definitely do something!" Xu Xiaolan, who later served as the chief of the storage and transportation department, really had a way, and quickly turned this relatively backward department into an advanced unit.Xu Xiaolan, who is reused by the company, is serious and responsible in everything, and she leads by example. Xu Zhao and the company don't have to worry about the goods, customs declaration, tax refund, supply of containers, etc. she manages.In the past, the storage and transportation department was a department that no one wanted to work in because of its hard work and low income.Through continuous improvement of work with colleagues, Xu Xiaolan has rapidly improved the efficiency of the department, and now the annual income of employees can reach 50,000 to 60,000 yuan.Comrades in the storage and transportation department said that although their female section chief is over 50 years old, she still does her job like the "iron girl" back then. "I often hear some successful entrepreneurs talk about the glory of the company, and they always regard themselves as the savior of the company. In fact, managers and decision makers are very important for the success of a company, but the key to the long-term and stable development of the company is the company. Whether the owners can maintain their upward energy and united strength for a long time. As a "boss" of an enterprise, it is like a pianist. If he can play every string well with ten fingers, then the What the piano plays is a melodious movement. There is a comrade named Shi Hong in our company, who creates 2 million profits for the company every year. He is the hero of the company. As the boss, I am very grateful to him. Resisting the "attack" of various cooperative units, usually all the spare time is spent on work. But when dealing with such comrades, the leaders should think more about them. Therefore, several cadres of the company and I usually work from various On the one hand, I tried my best to care about him. I personally ran several times to find a girlfriend for Xiao Shi. Later, Xiao Shi wanted to get married and buy a house, and I used my relationship to find him a good location and a good floor. Business When there is a problem on the Internet, I will also help him deal with it in time. Xiao Shi got married on May 14 last year and invited me as a witness. Xiao Shi talked about his feelings about growing up in the company at the wedding ceremony, which moved everyone present And I was very pleased to hear it.” The little Shi Xu Zhao talked about now has three apprentices himself, and he often said that Mr. Xu took me back then, and now I should also selflessly pass on what I have learned. Pass it on to new comrades.The comrades in the company praised Xiao Shi, saying that he has Xu Zhao's style. "Now Hu Jintao has proposed the concept of building a harmonious society for the General Secretary's Party Central Committee. I think it is very important. For an enterprise, whether it can build a harmonious working environment and interpersonal relationship is an important condition for ensuring the survival of the enterprise. It is a concrete manifestation of the important thought of the "Three Represents" implemented by the comrades in charge of the party and government of each unit. For our cadres working at the grassroots level, the work of building a harmonious society may be in some subtle and specific matters, some issues related to the relationship with employees Go up." Xu Zhao often said that for his subordinates, he should not only emphasize how much they have contributed to the enterprise, but not know how to inject nutrition into their spirit and life.The so-called injection of nutrition is the injection of family affection between people. "Family love is sometimes more powerful than preaching." This is Xu Zhao's theory, and also his governing philosophy. Lao Gao is the old janitor of Hengfeng Company.His first daughter was killed in a car accident, and now the youngest daughter is only ten years old, but Lao Gao is now in his fifties.Xu Zhao, who manages a lot of things every day, has not forgotten his concern for such an ordinary employee. Xu Zhao insists on visiting Lao Gao once a year.Lao Gao's family has now developed a habit: the chairman's visit is the most solemn event in their family.In addition to visiting Lao Gao's family once a year, Xu Zhao often takes advantage of business trips abroad to buy some small gifts and school supplies for Lao Gao's daughter.Old Gao Fengren often said: "I feel more comfortable working at Hengfeng than at home." Li Qiang, an employee, is the backbone of the company's business. However, due to his heavy business volume and running outside all day, he gradually cared less about family affairs. After his wife was laid off, Li Qiang felt bad and was depressed for a while. "Li Qiang, I found a job for your wife, would you like to go?" One day, Xu Zhao asked Li Qiang.Li Qiang was taken aback when he heard this: Mr. Xu, you are so busy, you even know everything about my family?Xu Zhao smiled, let’s not talk about the two of us first, you first say whether you would like to let your lover work as an in-house dispatcher for the freight forwarding company, but the work will be a little harder.Li Qiang hurriedly said: "It's hard work or not. They are all working people. With your care and help, Mr. Xu, we didn't say anything. I promise to do a good job."At the end of last year, Li Qiang and his wife went to Xu Zhao’s house to pay New Year’s greetings together. Li Qiang’s wife told Xu Zhao that he was now working as a dispatcher in a joint-venture freight company. He paid 1,800 Hong Kong dollars a month, and the boss also gave him a bonus of 5,000 Hong Kong dollars at the end of the year. "Mr. Xu, my wife's success depends entirely on you. I assure you: I, Li Qiang, will definitely do a good job at Hengfeng!" Li Qiang said with a sob.That year, the No. 9 Business Department led by Li Qiang jumped to third place with a business volume of 14 million US dollars. When we interviewed Xu Zhao, it was during the Spring Festival this year.That day, Xu Zhao's cell phone kept ringing "beep beep" text messages.Xu Zhao occasionally looked at it and then smiled knowingly.This aroused our curiosity and asked him what happened? "It's another employee calling." Xu Zhao flashed out his phone and read the text message: "This is from Yao Qifu, the chief financial officer. Let the old comrades glow with entrepreneurial passion..." "It's quite poetic!" We all laughed. Xu Zhao smiled: "You are all writers. The creation of writers comes from inspiration. When employees of a unit can express their inner feelings with songs and poems from the bottom of their hearts, I think it may be a manifestation of harmony. Soon When our company held a year-end summary meeting in Hefei, the sixth business department earned 23 million US dollars in foreign exchange this year, becoming the second highest in the country in terms of foreign exchange earnings. Two deputy managers carefully prepared the program, and seven people sang "Hengfeng Company is good" together. There was thunderous applause from the audience. I was also very moved, because the positive mental state of the employees was also an encouragement and motivation to me. At that time, I somehow remembered a small incident: After a female university recruited to our company, she worked very well. I am from Zhenjiang. After the wedding date is set, I promised to be her wedding witness. But that day was very busy, and I needed to deal with several important matters. The comrades in the unit know that I usually will not I left my post, but everyone hoped that I could go to Zhenjiang with them to attend the girl’s wedding, so they waited downstairs and did not leave. But I was really dizzy by the busy things that day, and Very tired. I thought they had already gone to Zhenjiang after I finished the work. The moment I went downstairs, I saw dozens of employees waiting for me to get on the car in the rain. I was shocked and got into the car without saying a word Nei... After arriving in Zhenjiang, I presided over the entire wedding ceremony for this girl with a hoarse voice, and my body was shaking when I got down. Said, in fact, I am very happy and very happy, because I feel that I and the employees of the unit are caring and affectionate, do you think there is anything more comfortable than this?" This is Xu Zhao, a Suzhou Ph.D. businessman full of passion, wisdom, vigor and affinity. "Respected leaders and comrades, I am entrusted by 77 Hengfeng employees to report to you here. Under the leadership of the Suzhou Municipal Government and Foreign Trade Group Corporation, and with the efforts of all employees, we' "Historically broke through the export of 123 million US dollars, and became a foreign exchange earning force that cannot be ignored in Suzhou. During this process, many touching stories have been performed, and a difficult and glorious journey has taken place. The past In one year, we won the AA-level contract-abiding and trustworthy enterprise awarded by the Suzhou Industrial and Commercial Bureau. The company completed the IS9001 demonstration, and the export of the fifth department with a remarkable record of 45 million US dollars was outstanding. It was awarded the "May 1st Relying on the strong growth of Hengfeng Company, I myself was awarded the title of "Top Ten Outstanding Youths" in Suzhou City, and was awarded the honorable title of New Long March Assaulter by the Communist Youth League Committee. Of course, the most important thing was last September. The company's new office building, Hengfeng Building, which covers an area of ​​6,700 square meters, stands at No. 265 Fenghuang Street. It will become a solid milestone in the entrepreneurial process of our Hengfeng people, and we will realize our Although we have achieved these achievements, we still have many deficiencies, whether it is business or management, there is still room for further improvement. Finally, let me end my report today with the lyrics of Liu Huan: All achievements It has become a distant memory, let me start all over again with us Hengfeng people!" This is a part of Xu Zhao's heart-pounding words when he reported to the leaders of Suzhou City at the end of 2004. In 2004, the "Hengfeng" company led by Xu Zhao achieved annual sales revenue of 1 billion yuan and a total import and export volume of 137 million US dollars.This number is not large, but if you know that it was created by a foreign trade team of dozens of people led by Xu Zhao, you will feel that it is extraordinary, and more importantly, it also includes the Suzhou Doctor Business has provided us with many profound thoughts and advanced concepts that can be used for reference. Our cause requires talents with high IQs, and more importantly, those with high IQs like Xu Zhao who are full of affection and affinity for their employees and people, and who can devote themselves to the progress and development of the country and the nation! Xu Zhao has set an example for such talents. (Note: He Jianming collaborated with Tang Xiaoling in this article.)