This time, let’s talk about the impact of the three elements of “time, location, and people” on corporate strategy.

In ancient times, "the right time, the right location, and the right people" refer to the natural climate conditions, geographical environment, and people's support in war. There are expressions such as "the weather is not as good as the right place, and the right place is not as good as the people" and "the time, the place, and the people are not as good as the right time, and if you don't have the three, even if you win, there will be disaster."

Later generations extended the three elements of time, location, and people as all the conditions needed for success.

Corporate strategy and military strategy, which seem to be unrelated to each other, have many similarities from the perspective of competition. Both need to obtain more resources in the competition, and both have the ultimate goal of defeating the opponent. Target.

1. Timing

"Timing" is a favorable opportunity for enterprises to follow the general trend of the market and enter the market or seize the market.

Companies can analyze the external environment and determine when is the best time for the company to enter the market or seize the market?

External environment analysis includes macro-environment and industrial environment analysis. Enterprises can use the PEST model to analyze the political, economic, social and technological macro-environment, and they can also use the five forces model and the life cycle model to analyze the industrial environment.

Finally, what are the opportunities and threats facing the company? When to enter the market with the help of "timing"? When to launch an attack with the help of "the right time" to seize the market initiative and seize business opportunities.

In shopping malls, there are many companies that have seized the opportunity. For example, Jack Ma founded Alibaba in the early days of China's Internet development, and then relied on the rapid development of China's Internet to occupy China's Internet shopping market in one fell swoop.

However, there are also many companies that cannot grasp the "right time". For example, in the era of rapid development of the Internet, online shopping has gradually become mainstream, while RT-Mart still developed the traditional offline retail model until it was acquired by Alibaba. , founder Huang Mingduan said: "I defeated all opponents, but lost to the times."

When a company cannot grasp the "right time", even the number one in the industry will be quickly replaced by others. Even acquired.

2. Geographical location

"Geographic location" refers to the favorable position of an enterprise in occupying the market in a certain geographical location, a certain commercial area and a certain industrial cluster.

Enterprises can rely on their own resources and capabilities to conduct internal environmental analysis to determine the company's strengths and weaknesses, and then determine whether the company competes in a certain geographical location, a certain business area, and a certain industrial cluster. status.

For example, companies can conduct financial statement analysis to see whether they have sufficient funds for investment and operations, enhance their competitiveness, and lay the foundation for seizing market position.

Enterprises can also analyze what competitive advantages they have in a certain business field, whether they have excellent efficiency, excellent quality, excellent innovation or excellent customer response.

You can also use the KSF/VRIO framework to analyze yourself and your competitors to see if you have unique resources and capabilities.

Finally, the strengths and weaknesses of the enterprise are obtained, so that the enterprise can clearly understand its position in a certain geographical location, a certain commercial area and a certain industrial cluster, and make full use of its terrain advantages. Develop a strategy to attack.

3. Renhe

From the analysis of "timing" and "geographical advantages", we can get the opportunities and threats faced by the enterprise, the strengths and weaknesses of the company, and then combine The company's mission and goals are analyzed through the SOWT matrix to formulate company-level, business-level, and functional-level strategies.

The strategies formulated by enterprises require people to complete them. Wherever there are people, there will be disagreements, interest disputes and conflicts, which often hinder the smooth implementation of strategies.

In order to eliminate these obstacles, it is necessary to ensure that enterprises can "people-friendly".

"Humanity" refers to the unity of people's hearts and the unity and harmony between people. For example, an enterprise can unite people's hearts and organizational strength, mobilize human resources, and work together to overcome difficulties.

In order to unite people's hearts, enterprises need to establish an organizational structure, clarify the division of labor and collaboration between people, work processes and specifications, and formulate job responsibilities, rights and interests.

It is also necessary to establish an organizational culture, such as establishing a sense of corporate mission and establishing values, so that everyone in the company can be aligned and wholeheartedly complete the company's strategies.

In reality, "people's hearts are in unison" is not an easy thing.

More than ten years ago, Wooden House Barbecue was only a few years old. One time, Sui Zhengjun, the founder of Wooden House BBQ, went to inspect the store. It happened to be raining heavily at that time, so he had to stay in the store and chat with the store manager.

The store manager said: Mr. Sui, let me tell you something honest. When you see a customer come in, do you feel like money is coming in?

Sui Zhengjun said "Yes!"

The store manager said: "When we see customers coming in, it's like seeing Japanese soldiers coming in."

Sui Zhengjun was shocked. , asked "Why?"

The store manager said: "It's so troublesome, having to serve all kinds of tricky customers. Then don't you feel uncomfortable seeing the heavy rain?"

Sui Zhengjun said, "Yes, if it rains, fewer customers will come to the store and we will make less money."

The store manager said: "We were overjoyed when we saw the heavy rain. We hope it will rain heavily every day, because if it rains heavily, the Japanese will not enter the village." At that moment, Sui Zhengjun suddenly understood.

Although we are all working for the company, our "hearts" are different.

What to do? Sui Zhengjun decided to turn the wooden house barbecue into a "people's consensus" among the company. He studied everywhere, studying human nature, studying organizations, and studying incentives.

During this epidemic, a large number of catering companies laid off employees and closed down. The entire industry was filled with lamentations, and the wooden house barbecue business also dropped instantly. At that time, 90% of the employees took the initiative to cut their salaries and were willing to follow the company's progress. Difficulties.

At that time, the average employee salary dropped from 6,000 yuan to 2,000 yuan, which was only 1/3 of the usual salary.

At the same time, Sui Zhengjun issued a rule. Although it is very difficult now, as long as the performance increases by 10% every day, a cash bonus of 1,000 yuan will be issued. For example, if the daily turnover is 500 yuan, as long as the turnover exceeds 550 yuan, you can get a bonus of 1,000 yuan.

When a certain store meets the performance requirements, the company will immediately issue a bonus of 1,000 yuan and will never default on it.

This rule immediately aroused the fighting spirit of the employees, united top and bottom, and everyone began to think of various ways to save themselves.

Some friends started to distribute flyers in office buildings, some developed new dishes suitable for takeout, and some launched small programs.

In the end, it only took the company 50 days to return to the level of the same period last year. This relies on "harmony", people's hearts are united, unity and cooperation are needed to overcome difficulties together.

In reality, how many companies can achieve "people's hearts are aligned"? Very few, pitifully few.

When employees in many companies see customers entering the company, they feel like they see the devil entering the village. They cannot see money entering the company. Maybe this is one of the reasons why many business owners complain about the lack of ability of their employees and the slow development of the company!

4. Final words

Sun Tzu said: If the weather, the right place, and the right people are not matched, even if you win, there will be disaster. Therefore, fight when you must pay, and fight when you have no choice.

Sun Tzu said: "If any one of the three conditions of time, location, and people is missing, even if you can achieve temporary victory, it will definitely leave behind troubles. Therefore, you must have all three conditions to fight. If you cannot If all three conditions are met, you must not fight unless absolutely necessary."