Reinventing the Millennium

Fang Zhuo commented on the situation of Alibaba's mobile terminal. In addition to Wei Zhe's mood swings, the expressions of many senior executives also changed.

Everyone unanimously remembered the appeal from Peng Lei at the meeting not long ago.

Or shout.

- We have nothing on mobile.

Let’s not mention Baidu, which is making money while lying down... It’s okay to mention it. Its advantage in search engines is too great. Challengers seem to have a long way to go. However, the other two giants, Yike and Penguin, one shouts ALL The slogan of IN Mobile is simply to sell mobile phones.

The two companies have been fighting each other since last year. Although Yike successfully launched the chat software Yixin, many of Penguin's businesses were also launched in an orderly manner on the mobile terminal.

What about Ali?

That's why Peng Lei shouted that warning with a sense of crisis.

Now, this warning has been corroborated by the head of Yike.

Alibaba President Wei Zhe noticed the morale problem, stepped forward and said with a smile: "It's not too late to start. Switching from PC to mobile requires a process. Some companies move fast, and some companies move steadily. We are also cautious. Observe how you get to the end.”

Fang Zhuo nodded slightly and said with emotion: "Well, that's how the company is. Everyone finds problems and solves them. When I came to Lin'an, I also wanted to take a walk and have more confirmations. Unfortunately, Mr. Ma is not here today."

"Mr. Ma is already on his way back. Mr. Fang, you can stay in Lin'an for two more days," Wei Zhe said.

"That's good. Ma is always a person who can chat." Fang Zhuo was very pleased. "How's your Ali? Mr. Ma is in front and Mr. Wei is behind. What I just said about the size and scale is not a lie. From 1 to 10 is one level, and from 10 to 100 is another level. You have to smooth out the company first, and then it can be fast and stable later.”

Wei Zhe was a little unclear as to the purpose of Mr. Fang's trip. It seemed like it was a spur-of-the-moment idea and something else.

But he puts himself first, as long as he can achieve the purpose of the borrower's total use.

Wei Zhe did not follow Mr. Fang's sentiments about corporate governance, but brought the topic back to group buying.

In his view, one side is the merchant and the other side is the user. This relatively light business model is perfect for Alibaba. Just like Taobao, it is also a platform, not an asset-heavy one like Tesco.

Alibaba has such genes, such manpower, and funds that can be invested heavily.

Coupled with the future wave of mobile terminals, if the group buying market can really be accepted by more and more people, then using group buying will only be a mobile phone that can be picked up casually.

And back to the basics, why don’t you accept group purchases where you can get discounts?

Wei Zhe couldn't find a reason. Although the current group buying market seems chaotic, it will gradually become standardized with development, and eventually a set of effective standards will emerge to regulate merchants, users and platforms.

Regarding such development and analysis, he has held several discussions within Alibaba, but the results were unsatisfactory.

Fang Zhuo was very frank when faced with Wei Zhe's question. The market is there, everyone can see it, and it can't be hidden. However, whether to do it and how to do it are decisions based on the different situations of each company. .

For Yike, just don’t do it and just invest.

As for Ali, I am not your BOSS, you can make up your own mind.

At noon, the guests and hosts entered the banquet.

Fang Zhuo looked at the gathering of Alibaba talents and said sincerely: "I remember the last time I had dinner in Shanghai with Mr. Ma and several Arhats. This time in Lin'an, I met a few Arhats I had never seen before. It’s really a worthwhile trip to have Mr. Wei, come, let’s chat all morning and do a surprise inspection.”

Wei Zhe and others were shocked. Their first reaction was that Mr. Fang was going to come up with test questions, opinions on business projects, or the direction of business decisions.

Fang Zhuo took out his mobile phone and said with a smile: "Is there anyone here who hasn't downloaded Yixin? Hurry up and download it. In addition to studying at Alibaba, I also came to promote our software. We at Yike also make software. La."

Wei Zhe: "..."

Some of the executives here have already done so. Some picked up their phones when they heard Mr. Fang’s words, while others were indifferent. You, Mr. Fang, are not our boss, so you can still check them one by one?

"Here, check it out, let's start with Mr. Wei." Fang Zhuo said with a smile, "Add a friend. You can also give us comments on the software. The friend circle is very useful."

Since you are adding friends, download it and give it a try.

Another group of executives took out their mobile phones.

Fang Zhuo looked at everyone scanning the QR code and said with a smile: "Oh, yes, those who have signed a non-compete agreement should not add me as a friend."

Everyone was shocked. Mr. Fang personally added friends to recruit people, right?

"You're kidding." Fang Zhuo said, "Those who have signed a non-competition contract can also add more. If you are interested, I can discuss it with Mr. Ma."

Wei Zhe watched his colleagues laugh at the success and couldn't help but said: "Mr. Fang, I think you are here just to have fun with us."

"You may not believe it. I was in Shanghai recently to discuss the prospects of the group buying market, and also discussed Alibaba's team, so I came over to see what kind of core it is and how powerful it is." Fang Zhuo He said truthfully, "I didn't make an appointment with Mr. Ma in advance. If he is here, I also plan to listen to him talk about the Six Meridians Divine Sword."

"Six-Pulse Divine Sword" is the name of Ali's values, which are "customers first, teamwork, embracing change, integrity, passion, and dedication." It was officially formed on the fifth anniversary of 2004.

When Wei Zhe heard this, he really didn't believe it. He just smiled and said: "Mr. Fang, if you say something else, then I will be humble and modest. If you say our team, then I have to ask what you think."

Fang Zhuo glanced at the senior management team at the dinner table, nodded and said: "I heard that Ali's Operation Storm has achieved a lot, so let's chat while eating."

"Operation Tornado" is Alibaba's "winter aid plan" for small and medium-sized enterprises proposed during the 2008 financial crisis. It reduces the membership fees of Chinese suppliers and upgrades the coverage of Integrity Pass in the domestic trade market to leverage the rapid expansion of domestic demand in response to the economic crisis. .

It worked very well. Before the operation, the number of customers of China Supply Chain was more than 20,000, and after that, the number of customers surged to 120,000. The number of employees in China Supply Department also increased from more than 3,000 to the current 5,000 people.

However, due to the extreme pursuit of performance, fraudulent suppliers appeared in Operation Storm. It is said that more than 2,000 "Chinese supplier" customers were suspected of fraud, causing the platform to suffer complaints from foreign customers.

It was the way in which this incident was investigated that led Wei Zhe to take the blame and resign.

Wei Zhe blacklisted customers suspected of fraud instead of carrying out larger-scale disposals. He eventually left sadly after causing trouble both internally and externally, which also affected the core management of the China Supply Department on a large scale.

This was Alibaba's "blacklist incident", and it was also later often mentioned by the media as "Ma Yan beheaded Wei Zhe in tears".

Fang Zhuo knew this, but he was a little confused whether it was an internal struggle or an unexpected situation that led to such an ending.

From his own perspective, he tends to be the latter.

However, sitting next to Wei Zhe at this moment, Fang Zhuo suddenly became more enlightened. Is this incident an accident or an inevitable accident?

Necessity always makes its way through chance.

Wei Zhe, who had not joined Alibaba, had achieved great results at B\u0026Q. At that time, he was good at promoting chain expansion with replication as the core. Therefore, in "Operation Gust," he also expanded B2B's 11 manager-level areas to 23. Completed the group's tasks excellently.

However, the rapid growth of sales performance is prone to problems, and the choices he makes, as he is not a traditional Alibaba employee, must be in line with his status as a professional manager.

Alibaba's values ​​are customers first and integrity. While the employees and performance of China Supply Chain are soaring, it may be difficult not to be sales-oriented.

Fang Zhuo was thinking this, and what he heard in his ears was confirmed.

"There is a PK culture in our team. I wonder if Mr. Fang knows about it?" Liu Zicheng, a Chinese supply giant, introduced his experience. "When I was a regional manager in Ningbo, Ningbo's best performance at that time did not exceed 20 million, but I just gritted my teeth and set a goal of 30 million."

Wei Zhe estimated that Mr. Fang probably didn't know the difficulty involved, and explained beside him: "The Ningbo team estimated based on the highest point of each person's performance in history, and the total could not exceed 25 million. The 30 million set by Mr. Liu at that time was almost It was an impossible task, but in the end he not only completed it, but also exceeded it by 32 million, which is amazing."

Fang Zhuo looked at Liu Zicheng and asked curiously: "How did Mr. Liu do it?"

"What do you think, Mr. Fang?" Liu Zicheng asked without any stage fright.

Fang Zhuo relied on his own experience, thought for a while, and said: "Practice, break down goals, set plans, refine customer types, monthly and weekly goals, and assign performance indicators to individuals."

Liu Zicheng was slightly startled. The content was pretty much the same, but it was the hardest thing to say it and do it.

But in this situation, it’s impossible to describe the “difficulty of doing it” in detail.

He swallowed his original draft and gave a concise answer: "It's faith, Mr. Fang, it's faith."

Liu Zicheng said firmly: "Persevere in faith, transcend limits, and explode potential. President Ma's words are the motto of our team. Attitude is more important than ability. The attitude of the past determines the ability of the present, and the attitude of the present determines the ability of the future."

Fang Zhuo said "hmm". This was different from what he imagined. He thought it was a practical operation.

He asked: "Did Mr. Liu encounter any flaws in this process?"

"No, everyone is perfect. The team formed with faith has also successfully completed goals that were considered impossible." Liu Zicheng said flatly.

Fang Zhuo nodded, not saying it to himself.

He carefully studied Liu Zicheng's expression, and noticed the slight nods and approvals from others. The Chinese Government Department was the iron army, and it was the place where Ali's values ​​were the most firm...

Fang Zhuo changed his role from the head of Yike to the head of Ali, and the logical chain in his mind suddenly clicked.

Alibaba has come so far, and its values ​​are the greatest common denominator that everyone knows. It is not just a slogan or statement, but a spiritual principle that many people and teams adhere to.

If there is a problem even with the Ali Iron Army, it will be even more evident in other places.

Based on this kind of thinking, fraudulent suppliers in the B2B business were simply dealt with by professional managers. This approach was considered to have further shaken the operation of corporate values.

At least, that's how it looks when you look down from the highest point.

Fang Zhuo sat next to Wei Zhe and looked down on the low. What he saw was the contradiction between values ​​and regular business operations, and it was the outcome that someone had to be responsible for.

Alibaba's development today is by no means operating according to the development rules of conventional enterprises. The integration of values ​​​​and employees from top to bottom is the core of this company's progress in the times.

Wei Zhe, a professional manager, couldn't grasp this core, so he reached a certain position by accident after completing a certain mission.