Continuing from the previous article introducing about what’s marketing, I think you have read and understand some about that. As per, mentioned Marketing is indeed very important in actual business operations. It can effectively help companies achieve business development, build long-term brand equity, and help companies last forever. In this article, I will lead you to see more about marketing in practice through a story as an example of this.

Some years ago, there was a friend who used to be a graphic designer for a big advertising company and gradually became the creative director, and then he came out and started his own creative solution company. Relying on the customer resources accumulated over the years as a creative director, and the design outsourcing business he received from previous experiences, his company’s first year of operation was not bad.

Unfortunately, the opening is the pinnacle. Since he is not good at developing new businesses, when those old customer resources are gradually used up, his company will no longer have any new business. As a result, the design company had only three employees left after a few years, and the business was only one or two clients, nothing more.

The story reminds me that in the past few years, many companies that were originally engaged in OEM 2B (business user-oriented) business are eager to transform into 2C (consumer-oriented) businesses. Of course, the 2C business seems to be very good, with a higher gross profit than the 2B business, but they have not figured out that this kind of business requires two completely different capabilities from simple OEM manufacturing.

OEM manufacturing, whose core competence is business negotiation with major customers and manufacturing efficiency, does not involve terminal sales issues. Just like the original creative director, his core ability is a creative art and design creativity, but he does not have the ability to run a design company. It looks good to start a company by yourself—be your own boss, be unconstrained, and make all the profits you make—but most companies can’t make money. If you want to start a company and make money, you must first have the ability to run a company just work.

For instance, I have met many companies. There are leading suppliers of the 70% of raw materials supplied to a brand, and they want to make their own brand based on the only that supplied experience; some help well-known brands to make food product packaging, but they want to make their own brand of that food product too; some operate the milk tea equipment, they also want to make their own milk tea shop; and some make and sell the tea leaf, they want to make their own brand of the tea drink product, etc.

The reason why they want to operate across industries is very simple, that is, their own industry is too difficult to do, and they feel that it would be good to change. There are two misleading understand here, one is that they think other industries are very good, but in fact, they do not know that other industries are also difficult to do; If you are good at manufacturing, then try to do it well, unless you have a lot of money to waste waiting for you to try and make mistakes.

For example, there are some people who have their own media such as self-broadcast on social media, and sell products for others very well, so they raised up their minds and wanted to make a product to sell for themselves. As a result, I found out that this was a huge pit after I started an industry, and then I realized that my ability is live broadcasting and selling, not making or operating the products because live broadcasting and running a brand product required two different kinds of abilities.

By telling this first story, I would like to remind you that what you do should not be based on good wishes or the appearance of the scene we have seen the business outsider, but on examining our real ability and resources. The eagle can hunt and eat the rabbits, while the sharks cannot, but sharks should not envy eagles and should try to catch more fish. In brief, marketing is indeed very important in actual business operations.