Not long ago, the group organized a training called "President of Actual Combat Management". In fact, this three-day training cost 10,000 yuan, which is a promotion. A trainer came to the company and gave us a free speech on "actual combat execution" with passion, and finally successfully promoted the training course.
How does a crosstalk performer make programs and sell them?
The lecturer of "President's Practical Training" is in his thirties and is the boss of the company. According to the lecturer with high school education, he is experienced and even worked as a "president" in a big company. Because of his packaging, he is "the mentor of Chairman China". During the whole training process, his training company obviously used the ABC rules used by MLM company. Every time he appears, he plays the music of Shanghai Beach, and the audience needs to stand up and applaud. The speaker came in from the entrance of the venue like a star and was invited to the stage by an admiring host. It feels like an act. What's even funnier is that he always has two groomsmen with him, just like the groomsmen at the wedding.
The whole training runs through countless short stories, which is also one of the tricks of MLM company. These short stories probably took at least two-thirds of the lecture time. There are many tidbits about how lecturers lost their love, went to Guangdong to work and set up training companies, which have nothing to do with the so-called "actual management president". But you have to admit that the story is well told and often causes the audience to laugh. As for the management, that is another matter. Of course, the lecturer will also talk about some management aspects, but those contents are basically the simplest things in management. 10 years ago, when I was doing induction training in a foreign company, the depth of those contents far exceeded what he said. I can only call it "management quotations" with regret. From my personal impression, he doesn't read much and lacks management experience, but there are still "rivers and lakes".
During the three-day training, I calculated that the time to really talk about "management quotations" is only about two or three hours. Besides short stories, there are many ways to "kill time". One is a little game led by their "teaching assistants". Of course, the company management here rarely has the opportunity to get in touch with these old training games and enjoy them with relish. The second is to show some videos made by training companies themselves, which are very sensational and completely packaged into a Fortune 500 company. Of course, so is their own so-called "vision" of the company. The next afternoon, the venue almost became an order fair. The lecturers personally went on stage to show their training course menu, and then there was almost crazy sales promotion. The salesmen of this company are all staring at the people who hang red suspenders (in order to distinguish who is the decision-maker, they even issue red suspenders to the decision-makers, while others are blue). The sales promotion method is tough, and many people actually sign the bill halfway. Training courses are sold in the form of membership cards, with 6,543,800+and 6,543,800+0.5 million. You have to say that this is really a kind of "product innovation". However, it seems that these orders are not an ideal performance, which can be seen from the depressed expression of the lecturer. On the last day, perhaps influenced by the poor performance of the previous day, this absurd "training" ended hastily before 5 o'clock, and the lecturer who claimed to "speak with life" even lost his temper with the students, because some students thought his course was like a pyramid scheme to fool people and protested.
In the past few years, in addition to the company's training, I also participated in some external training. I was deeply impressed by the courses of philip kotler and John Coulter. As the world's top marketing and leadership masters, their eloquence is not first-class, but their teaching content is really solid. They don't like telling short stories, but they can tell many cases. Moreover, the content of their lectures is also logical. The speaker claimed that he could answer all the questions the president wanted to ask in a few seconds, but as top experts, kotler and Kurt never made such a promise. They will also listen carefully to students' questions and then express their opinions. These two masters are very humble and courteous, and respect their students. They don't need students to stand up and applaud their admission. Of course, they won't get idolatry because the music on the beach packages themselves as Xu Wenqiang.
The Root and Poison of Managing Crosstalk
The training industry is mixed, but it can be simply divided into two categories: one is selling "technology" and the other is selling eloquence. People who sell "technology" are usually not specially trained. They may be executives of leading enterprises in the industry, or they may be industry experts who have learned a lot. Their training courses are usually very rational and there is strict logic between the contents. They don't specialize in developing courses, which come from their usual practice and research experience. Those lecturers who sell eloquence are all first-class. Their courses are characterized by beautiful voices and many short stories, but only when students really take notes will they find that they can really learn very little except those stories they have never heard.
However, it is these eloquent lecturers who have become popular in recent years. I named their course: Managing Crosstalk. It seems that their fees are not necessarily lower than those of Degang Guo and Zhou Libo, and even their styles are very close. But Zhou Guo is an artist, and these "masters" who manage crosstalk sell entertainment as knowledge.
Then why is there such a market for managing cross talk in recent years? Every time I go to the airport, there will be those discs that run cross talk on TV, and each lecturer is the "first person" and "top class". Yu Shiwei, who was quite popular a few years ago, has been exposed as a "postdoctoral fellow", but those crosstalk shows are still very popular.
After nearly 20 years of market economy development, China's business community has gradually entered an era of relying on management and strategic competition from the peanut era. At this time, some entrepreneurs have problems with their knowledge. Almost every entrepreneur needs to learn very much, but they often don't know how to learn systematically. EMBA classes, fast food management books and crosstalk management, which are expensive but only popular with social functions, are the products under such a background.
Entrepreneurs and business executives are mostly entangled in trivial matters, and it is difficult to read some boring management books when they are free. As a result, they all chose the "easy" way. Entrepreneurs often have their own theories, and their previous success often strengthens their belief in these self-theories. At the same time, they are also eager to hear some inspiring words that "wake up the dreamer with one word". The management of crosstalk just meets their needs.
There is also a deeper reason: the lack of security and inferiority of entrepreneurs. This subconscious is often the strongest driving force for success, but it is also a common problem for entrepreneurs. Insecurity is related to the environment. In addition to "policies", the intensification of the competitive environment forces entrepreneurs to constantly learn new things to enrich themselves. But "busy" and impetuous, often make them hope to pass a few classes quickly. Inferiority is a common crux in the hearts of grassroots entrepreneurs. Most of them were born in poverty and had limited education. It is inevitable to pay some respect to those who can stand on the stage and call themselves "teachers". Moreover, in order to boost the box office, these management crosstalk performers package themselves as "masters" one by one, so that entrepreneurs believe that they have found spiritual sustenance.
After a careful analysis of the market for managing crosstalk performers, it is not difficult to find that their business is the best among the township enterprises in the second and third tier markets. Because the enterprises in the first-line market are knowledgeable and the training companies are fiercely competitive, enterprises will naturally have doubts about them when they see more. In addition, even if entrepreneurs have low academic qualifications, corporate executives often have high academic qualifications and naturally have the ability to distinguish. A new generation of entrepreneurs, especially those in the internet industry, needless to say, this generation of entrepreneurs are real elites and will not be deceived by them. Therefore, the local bosses of township enterprises in the second and third tier markets are their best customers. These bosses are ashamed to meet these so-called "masters" and want to establish some relationships to show others that their "knowledge" is different now. Although some people feel a little hurt after listening to the class, they often refuse to talk about it because of their face, but the "crosstalk performers" have earned a lot of money.
Management crosstalk is a special product of this impetuous society. Scholars become artists, but artists become scholars. It's all about money, but the problem is that majors can't be accelerated. No matter how the management of cross talk is packaged, it is also an entertainment program, but it is still not knowledge.
Cross talk in management actually originated from pyramid schemes 10 years ago. MLM training generally adopts brainwashing success, and shouting is a common trick. This cult-like scene and atmosphere can be very chaotic. Some entrepreneurs are really confused by these atmospheres and really use the success of pyramid schemes in their own businesses. But the problem is that these spiritual opium can only be paralyzed for a while, and it is difficult to last. Because success is bending human nature, making people crazy and getting carried away. However, people will wake up after all. At this time, spiritual opium will lose its confusing effect, and the rest is the harm that opium does to people.
This article was written in August of 20 10, and published in China-Europe Business ReviewNo. 10.