This Ceramics Network News (Author: Chan Can ) Not long ago I wrote an article about who is the scapegoat in the construction and ceramics industry——"Why is it always the marketing department that takes the blame? 》, a friend who is a space designer saw it Very dissatisfied afterwards.
On the night when this article was posted, Brother Chan happened to have dinner with him . At that time, he took off his glasses, rubbed the dark circles under his eyes caused by long-term overtime work, and said to Brother Chan with a bitter look on his face: "If you want to take the blame, the design department takes second place. No one dares to take first place, including your so-called 'The Blame Man' Marketing Department!" After saying this, he drank three glasses of beer, and then solemnly told Brother Chan that he wanted to take the blame for himself and what he had heard and experienced over the years to the design department. He told Brother Chan everything about taking the blame, and asked Brother Chan to write an article about it, otherwise he wouldn't pay for the meal.
In order to complete this task, Brother Chan visited more than a dozen space designers from different ceramic construction companies during this period. Their experiences are the main source of this article. Of course, Brother Chan’s experience in the marketing department of a ceramics enterprise is also indispensable evidence. Before the official writing, there is another concept that needs to be explained clearly: "Why is it always the marketing department that takes the blame?" 》And the "taking the blame" mentioned in this article not only refers to taking on various responsibilities that do not belong to oneself, but also includes accepting some unreasonable work tasks and receiving some unreasonable treatment.
Let’s stop talking and let the blame begin.
They never work overtime, but are always on call< /strong>
Anyone who builds ceramics knows that long working hours and many overtime hours are one of the biggest features of the ceramics industry. Ever since Brother Chan entered this industry , friends often ask me: “I often see you working on weekends, don’t you have weekends off? ”Sorry, for pottery builders, weekends are like ghosts. Most people have heard of them, but no one has ever seen them.
" No, if so, please tell Brother Chan in time; more than half of the companies may have 4 days off per month, but some of them are still converted from 3 or 2 days off per month; and only 2 or 3 days off per month There are still many companies. In the construction and ceramics industry with backward management and extremely imperfect labor and personnel systems, many practitioners have no guarantee of rest. Logistics staff such as copywriting, marketing, graphic design, etc. almost all work overtime from time to time; space designers are the best among these "overtime dogs". It can be said that they are on call 24 hours a day and have almost no private time. .
Li Xiaoming (this is a pseudonym, unless otherwise stated, the names appearing below are (pseudonym) is an experienced space designer who has worked in the building ceramics industry for 13 years. At the end of 2018, he completely quit the industry, left Foshan and returned to his hometown.
Is this because he can't make money? To be honest, he still made some money in 13 years. It should have been enough to pay the down payment of a house in Foshan a few years ago. "However, eggs are of no use." He said to Brother Chan on WeChat. Due to long overtime work and frequent business trips, he not only suffered from cervical spondylosis, but also had a lot of gray hair on his head. He never bought a house. By the time he left Foshan, the money he had saved was no longer enough to pay the down payment for a house. ;This is not the worst thing, the key is that he is not married yet, evenI don’t even have a girlfriend. Why don't you find a girlfriend? His answer was "I don't have time, I have to work overtime." This answer is not an exaggeration, but it is also true to a large extent. Because, he was indeed "abandoned" by a girlfriend he had talked to because of his long years of overtime work and frequent business trips. Why do you have to go back to your hometown? When he was in his thirties, he had lost his passion for work, could no longer do design, and had no room for development. Being forced by his parents to go home and find a wife became his helpless choice.
Although Li Xiaoming’s experience is not a common phenomenon, it is still recommended. The epitome of space designers in the ceramic industry being tired and working overtime. In his words, "We never work overtime, but are on call 24 hours a day. As long as you choose the ceramic construction industry, you cannot avoid this big pot".
They are always ready to take on various responsibilities
Exhibition halls and specialty stores are the display windows for brand image and are important for marketing work Carrier, especially for ceramic construction companies. As the soul and essential link in the construction of exhibition halls and specialty stores, space design is an indispensable and important task for ceramic construction companies. However, the importance of space design does not mean the importance of space designers.
Therefore, in ceramic construction enterprises, any marketing work that is not effective may be It has something to do with space designers. For example, the poor opening performance of new specialty stores is caused by the inadequate design level of space designers; specialty storesThe construction could not be completed on schedule because the space designer did not draw the drawings in time. The construction of the store was not implemented according to the brand standards because the space designer did not communicate well. There was no store design when he was free, and he did not design the store when he was busy. The inability to do it is caused by the space designer's inability to arrange time reasonably; etc. In short, no matter which aspect goes wrong, the space designer will be labeled as doing a poor job and face the risk of being complained by dealers and salesmen and being fined. They will not take care of it. The main reason for the poor opening performance of the new specialty store may be problems in the planning and execution of the opening activities and the incompetence of the dealer team. The main reason why the construction of the specialty store cannot be completed as scheduled is because the dealer has been unable to finalize the design plan. The main reason why the construction of exclusive stores is not implemented according to brand standards may be that dealers make changes on their own initiative in order to save money. When they are free, they do not have exclusive store design, and when they are busy, the main reason is that the dealers themselves have problems. And the problem of low and peak seasons.
Speaking of the blame I have shouldered over the years, I have worked in the ceramics industry for 10 years Zhang Xiaoming, a 20-year-old space designer, already feels numb. He was complained and fined countless times just because he failed to answer or respond to dealer calls in time because he slept or took a shower on his day off. Talking about the job requirements for space designers in construction and ceramics companies, he smiled and said that design level is not necessarily the most important. The most important thing is to have a strong heart and be ready to take on various responsibilities, regardless of whether these things are true or not. It's about you.
He also introduced a case in detail. In his fifth year in the industry, he He was still very young and energetic, and he once resigned angrily because he was unwilling to shoulder a responsibility that did not belong to him. It turned out that he was responsible for the design of specialty stores in two sales areas, Region A and Region B, but one month there were three stores to be designed in the two sales areas at the same time, which he simply couldn't do. The brand boss made it clear that he should give priority to the design of a specialty store in Region A. This is the brand's benchmark customer and cannot be delayed, and more time must be spent to do it well; while a specialty store in Region B and another in Region A If a specialty store is too busy, you can put it on hold. If you can't do it this month, you can do it next month. According to the instructions of the brand CEO, while giving priority to the design of the store for the benchmark customers in Region A that month, he also designed another store in the area. In the third month, the two stores opened as scheduled; the store in District B is still under construction due to a one-month delay. In response to this, the manager of Region B resigned.It is said that the performance of Region B was affected because the specialty store could not start construction in time. The actual situation is that at that time, he clearly communicated and confirmed with the manager of Region B that it would be okay to open their store next month, and it would be better and have more time to open their store next month, but there was no black and white communication memorandum. . As a result, he was complained by the manager of Region B on the grounds that Region B's failure to complete the sales tasks for the month was closely related to the failure to open the new store in time, and he was eventually fined 500 yuan. In anger, he chose to resign.
"The world is as dark as crows. Which company does not have a similar situation, and which position still has it? Don’t be discouraged, let alone a space designer!” Zhang Xiaoming said, “If you choose to be a space designer in the ceramics industry, you must always be prepared to take on various responsibilities. ”
Their work is not just design< /strong>
Times are constantly developing, and the building and ceramics industry is also changing. Space designers also made more demands. For example, you must be good at communication and make full use of your communication advantages to make good designs; you must have insight into human nature and life, have a deep understanding of dealers' needs and consumer needs, and design well from a marketing perspective; you must learn to do business and rely on design to drive business. . Doing space design is no longer as simple as designing.
Wang Xiaoming is building a ceramics enterpriseI have been working in space design for a short period of time, less than 5 years, which happened to coincide with the low period of the construction and ceramics industry. He is the most emotional about the topic that it is far from enough for space designers to design well.
Salespersons and dealers each have their own difficulties and requirements, and usually neither Good communication requires space designers to be good at communication and make full use of communication advantages to design well. This is a basic requirement for all work, and of course it must be accepted; the channels in the building and ceramics industry are fragmented, business is becoming more and more difficult, and terminal sales have varying requirements for specialty stores. To improve, we need to have an insight into human nature, understand life, deeply understand the needs of dealers and consumers, and design well from a marketing perspective. This is a requirement for higher-level design and should also be accepted; there are specialties in the technical industry, but channels Fission and difficult market conditions mean that sales performance is closely related to every staff member of the ceramics enterprise, including space designers. If they can do a good job in design and at the same time persuade or encourage dealers to purchase more goods, it is not unacceptable; however, distribution will When building and decorating a store, it is difficult to understand and accept whether to buy the soft furnishings specified by the headquarters and how much goods to purchase each month as the evaluation indicators for space designers.
What’s more, some ceramic construction companies have also developed space designers Annual specialty store design area assessment indicators. Note that it is not that the task of building a specialty store is too much to complete, but that there is no store to build in today's difficult market, and space designers need to find stores to do it themselves. The dealers don’t want to build a store, and even the salespeople can’t convince them. What can the space designer do? Are their business capabilities better than those of salespeople? Sorry, this is your own business. If you can't finish it, you are responsible for it! Why are there such unreasonable work tasks in the world? If it is reasonable, is it still called a pot?
Wang Xiaoming said that space design in the ceramics industry is a job that only requires youth. If you haven't become a design manager or department head by the age of 30, your career in this industry is basically over. No matter how high the design level is, it is difficult to design a store according to your own ideas. What ceramics companies need is design quantity and efficiency. People over 30 years old cannot design as fast as a newborn calf. "As space designers, our job is not just about designing. If I can’t get promoted or start a business at the age of 30, I don’t know how long I can do it”.
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Thousands of words cannot describe the hard-working space designers in the construction and ceramics industry .
I write this article not to complain; nor to expect pottery builders Especially bosses, leaders, and salespeople can suddenly change their minds and treat space designers better; I just hope that more people can understand space designers and understand their difficulties.
But having said that, in the workplace, there are not only space designers, but also Who hasn’t been angered and taken the blame? The workplace is complicated and survival is difficult, but do it and cherish it.
It’s time to write about the sales department, so stay tuned for "The Third Part of Taking the Blame" Song" the last part.
Review of related articles in previous issues
●Why is it always the marketing department that takes the blame?
●How many of the ten most difficult situations for people in the marketing department of the building and ceramics industry have you experienced? kind?
