Start by being a good person, and build friendships with customers with sincerity.

——Recorded as Hou Yueguo, the sales manager of the Marketing Department of Nanhuaxi Group

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Manager Hou is from Nanchong, Sichuan Province. He has the typical characteristics of a Sichuanese person - gentle, kind, and methodical. However, when he gets excited, he becomes very energetic and passionate, with a fiery and spicy temperament. He never wastes a moment. I remember when I first joined the company, the first impression Manager Hou left on me was that he got extremely agitated when arguing with the budget department staff over a tender document, almost turning red in the face. But after the argument, he simply let it go and didn't hold a grudge. The next day, he was still eager to chat with them and make friends. 

Perseverance leads to victory. 

Manager Hou joined Nanhuaxi in 2002 and has been here for 15 years by now. Before coming to Nanhuaxi, Manager Hou worked as a clerk in a food factory in Shekou. Compared to sales, clerical work is definitely more stable and doesn't require as much traveling. However, Manager Hou felt that he was still young and should strive for the future, so he resigned from that job shortly after. 

When Manager Hou joined Nanhuaxi, it had already been eight years since the company's establishment. Manager Hou was assigned to the transformer and busbar department and was responsible for the sales of transformers and busbars. Transformers and busbars were two markets that the company had high expectations for at that time, so a specialized department was established to focus on these two markets. However, due to the small size of the company, low reputation, and the fact that transformers and busbars were not the company's strong areas, no progress was made. Manager Hou kept receiving rejections, and the sales work was not going well. He basically lived on a salary. Moreover, at that time, Manager Hou was married and had a family to support, so life was very difficult. Therefore, Manager Hou began to lose confidence and felt confused about the future path. Just at this time, in order to increase the income of salespeople and give them more development space, the company decided to break the departmental boundaries, that is, salespeople were no longer divided by departments, and all products of the company could be sold. 

After the department boundaries were broken, Manager Hou decided to stay and give himself another chance. Manager Hou reignited the enthusiasm he had when he was first engaged in business. Every day, he worked tirelessly, traveling between various construction sites. Thanks to this persistence and effort, not long after, Manager Hou successfully obtained the distribution box cabinet business for Qianhai Green Sea City. This was in 2004, which was also the third year since Manager Hou joined the company. Since that year, Manager Hou's business began to take shape in a regular manner, and the annual orders gradually grew from one or two million to several tens of millions now. After fifteen years of hard work and persistence, Manager Hou finally achieved fruitful results. 

Manner of Conducting Oneself in Society 

I have always believed that being a salesperson requires good communication skills. I once had the idea of pursuing a career in sales, but due to my inability to speak, I ultimately didn't take that path. However, during my daily interactions with Manager Hou, I discovered that he is not a very talkative person either. Although his personality is not necessarily introverted, it is also not extremely extroverted. Among the colleagues in the company, they like to tease and confront each other, and Manager Hou is always the passive one who has to defend himself. 

So, why is Manager Hou's business still thriving? According to Manager Hou, it's all about treating people with respect before doing business, and building sincere friendships with customers. 

Green Sea Manor was the first project of Manager Hou. At that time, one of the project leaders was a practical person. He spent most of his time inspecting the construction site on the front line, even working alongside the workers, getting covered in dirt and mud, and wearing very worn-out clothes, just like an ordinary worker. Therefore, many salespeople from other companies came to the construction site and treated him with indifference, not paying much attention to him. However, Manager Hou adhered to the principle of treating people first and making many friends, treating everyone equally and being honest with them. Eventually, they had a very pleasant conversation and he recognized him. During the communication, Manager Hou gradually realized that he was the main decision-maker of the project and successfully got his phone number, and finally obtained this project. 

Up to now, Manager Hou still maintains a good relationship with him. 

Manager Hou said, 'Doing business is about making friends. We should treat everyone equally, be sincere to them, and not have any selfish motives or snobbishness.' 

Sincerity has the greatest ability to touch people. In the presence of sincerity, words lose their significance. 

Step-by-step instruction 

In the second half of 2015, the company recruited a batch of sales representatives and adopted the method of 'mentorship between master and apprentice', arranging an experienced salesperson to guide a new one. Manager Hou imparted all his knowledge to the sales representative he was mentoring, Guan Falarong, and accompanied him to visit clients, go to construction sites, and provided more work training and hands-on guidance in daily operations. Meanwhile, outside of work, Manager Hou and Guan Falarong got along as brothers. Under Manager Hou's cultivation and guidance, Guan Falarong grew rapidly and began to handle things independently. From the second half of 2016 to the first half of 2017, Manager Hou took a one-year leave due to family reasons. Guan Falarong took on all the client-related work of Manager Hou. Now, Guan Falarong has fully developed his own customer base and has achieved excellent results. 

Regarding the mentoring of apprentices, Manager Hou said that the key is to build their confidence. On one hand, it is necessary to teach by example and practice, and let them gain experience, learn and improve in their work; on the other hand, it is important to get along well with them, open their hearts and cultivate their enthusiasm for work. 

The best kind of growth is companionship. 

Manager Hou has two children, both sons. The first child was born in 2002, the year when Manager Hou joined Nanhua West. This child just started high school in the second half of this year. The second child was born in 2011 and is currently in primary school. 

Manager Hou's household registration is in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. Therefore, the child can only go to school in Chengdu. Last semester of the school year, Manager Hou's eldest son was in the third grade of junior high school and was about to enter the time for the middle school entrance examination. Just like the college entrance examination, the middle school entrance examination is also an important milestone in one's life. In order to urge his son to study and to spend the first important period of his life with him, Manager Hou decided to take a leave to return to Chengdu for one year of companionship. 

Manager Hou's decision was supported by General Manager Wen. General Manager Wen believes that family always comes first, and the purpose of work is to provide a better life and future for the family. At the same time, General Manager Wen also considered that Manager Hou is the financial pillar of the family. Therefore, the company decided that during Manager Hou's leave, his salary would be paid in full as usual. 

During Manager Hou's absence, Gong Falarong took over his work, while Manager Hou followed up and provided guidance by phone. 

This semester of the school year, Manager Hou's eldest son successfully entered the first year of high school, and Manager Hou returned to his job. Manager Hou's eldest son attends a boarding school. He has a one-day break every month, and each break lasts only two days. Unless there are special circumstances, Manager Hou will fly back to Chengdu to be with him. Manager Hou said that for a child, the best way of growing up is to have companionship. 

Finally, Manager Hou also talked about the most unforgettable incident for him. It was when they had their second child in 2011. Before his wife went into labor, Mr. Wen called to inquire about the situation. Although their residence was not far from Nanshan Hospital and it was convenient to take a taxi there, Mr. Wen insisted that the company driver pick them up and take them to the hospital, and also help look after them along the way for safety reasons. 

Manager Hou said, 'We are extremely grateful to General Wen for his support and to the Nan Huaxi platform for enabling me to start a business, establish a career and build a business here. Now I have my own houses in both Chengdu and Shenzhen. Here, I truly feel the sense of growth, achievement and belonging that General Wen mentioned.'