Rebirth of the Rich Second Generation's Growth Diary

Chapter 193 The Business World is Like a Battlefield

Since the birth of the world's first company, academic research and institutional innovation in corporate governance and management have never ceased.

Intelligent people continue to add to this framework, keeping it evolving with the times.

Today, any established large company has countless experiences to draw upon. Even the worst systems aren't that outrageous.

So, to say that this compensation plan has major flaws wouldn't be an exaggeration. But that's precisely the problem: should the marketing department's salary and benefits be appropriately tilted? It's not necessarily a black-and-white question, and there are always plausible reasons for any arrangement.

The boss is here to set this direction, but before doing this, Li Xu needs to know whether it's worth it.

Huang Lingling is indeed very efficient. This girl looks like just a young secretary, but it has to be said that her work ability is fully commensurate with her salary.

The marketing manager's surname is Pan. Under Huang Lingling's arrangement, the two did not have any special communication before playing basketball.

Huang Lingling then told Li Xu, "Mr. Li, everything has been arranged. You just need to go to the place we agreed on to play basketball. Manager Pan will run into you there, hehe."

Li Xu nodded.

Since he's new to the company, many of the middle managers don't know him very well yet. So, one of the important arrangements for this period is the staff meeting this Friday, where he will preside over and summarize the work of this quarter.

Whether it's within a government institution or a large company, the organization of such large-scale meetings is of paramount importance. Attendees, time and location, agenda, and required materials are all repeatedly reviewed before ultimately reaching him for final approval.

However, in reality, Li Xu did not focus on that.

In his previous life, he valued public speaking occasions highly because he felt that only by presiding over meetings, reading from prepared speeches, and making official pronouncements on the podium could he establish his authority.

But in this life, Li Xu didn't care whether others recognized him in the lobby, and immediately bowed and scraped, respectfully greeting him with "Hello, President Li."

His name would appear in various company documents, signed by Li Xu, and that was enough. Everyone knew Li Xu was the ultimate boss of their company; it didn't matter what he looked like, as long as they knew he was their leader, that was sufficient.

Power never needs to be displayed.

Therefore, compared to this meeting, Li Xu was more concerned about something else, namely the bidding for the Jinfeng Bank project a month later.

This project is very important for the branch office, and it is also the group's first attempt to enter the banking system.

From another perspective, if we compare business to a battlefield, then the Jinfeng Bank project is the first major battle he has faced since taking the helm. One could even say that his ability to hold onto his position depends on how well he can win this battle.

To win this battle successfully, favorable timing, advantageous location, and popular support are all indispensable. Favorable timing and location are secondary considerations; first, internal conflicts must be resolved. Otherwise, if orders are issued but cannot be effectively commanded on the battlefield, how can the battle be won?

To fight a battle well, one must first have the right tools. However, the technology is mainly handled by the group, so this area doesn't actually require much investment.

In addition, there are departments such as logistics support, finance, human resources, administration, and security, which are mostly responsible for logistical support on the battlefield.

The real frontline fighters in the business arena are the sales staff in the marketing department.

If a company's sales are weak, it's like a general on the battlefield who doesn't know how to fight; no matter how many powerful ships and cannons you give him, he can't win a battle.

Therefore, Li Xu from the sales team definitely needs to make in-depth contact with them.

Wednesday afternoon.

Li Xu arrived at the basketball court near the company.

This area was specifically designated by the government to support businesses, so the surrounding facilities are very complete, and there aren't many people using them.

When Li Xu arrived at the basketball court, it was completely empty. Li Xu's original purpose was to wait for Manager Pan, but he hadn't played basketball in a while, so he figured he might as well shoot some hoops and get some exercise.

Li Xu didn't have to wait alone for long. He had only been shooting hoops for about ten minutes when he heard a slightly surprised greeting: "Hey, Mr. Li, are you exercising here too?"

Li Xu turned around and saw a tall, dark-skinned man in a tracksuit walking slowly towards him. This was Manager Pan from the marketing department.

Li Xu chuckled at Huang Lingling's arrangement, nodded, and said, "Manager Pan? I didn't expect to run into you here by such a coincidence."

Manager Pan's face was full of smiles as he nodded repeatedly, saying, "Yes, yes, what a coincidence!"

At this moment, Manager Pan felt satisfied, thinking to himself that Huang Lingling hadn't lied to him after all; this young General Manager Li really was playing basketball here.

To be honest, many corporate CEOs exercise, but they usually focus on ball sports. These sports are competitive but not too physically demanding, providing exercise while also making it easier for subordinates to be outmaneuvered by their leaders. In basketball, however, if the leader can't make a shot, it's very difficult to get them to win while also appearing not to be deliberately throwing the game.

Manager Pan used to play basketball in college. Although his skills weren't great, his presence here seems quite reasonable.

Manager Pan said, "Then let's play together for a while."

Li Xu said with a smile, "If I had known that Manager Pan also liked playing basketball, I should have just invited you."

Manager Pan nodded repeatedly: "Mr. Li, you can just call me directly next time."

Manager Pan quickly joined the shooting practice. During this process, Li Xu didn't mention work, and neither did Manager Pan. The two were really just playing basketball, and even their casual conversations were about basketball.

There was no intense competition; the two simply shot at each other under the basket for over half an hour.

Li Xu was in excellent physical condition and was only slightly sweating as his body warmed up. In contrast, Manager Pan, despite his tall stature, was extremely weak and was sweating profusely.

Li Xu found it amusing, but also somewhat poignant. In sales, some social engagements are unavoidable; drinking a lot and staying up late often takes a toll on one's health.

Li Xu felt that the intensity was about right, so he decided not to continue tormenting Manager Pan: "Alright, Manager Pan, let's stop here. It's about time, let's go have a casual meal together."

Manager Pan felt like he'd been granted a pardon. He wiped the sweat from his brow and said, "Mr. Li, you have great stamina. I'm exhausted after just half an hour." This was both flattery and the truth.

The two packed their things and walked out together.

Every topic needs an introduction to avoid sounding abrupt. At this moment, Manager Pan pondered for a moment and said, "Mr. Li, do you usually enjoy playing basketball?"

Li Xu glanced at Manager Pan, knowing that Manager Pan was trying to initiate the conversation, probably not yet figuring out how to get to the topic he wanted to discuss. But Li Xu didn't have the patience to beat around the bush and went straight to the point: "Let's not talk about that for now, Manager Pan. Are there any difficulties in the department that you need my help with?"

Manager Pan was taken aback; clearly, he hadn't expected Li Xu to be so direct. He chuckled and said, "To be honest, Mr. Li, there are definitely difficulties, but ultimately, all difficulties boil down to money. Don't you think so? Hahahaha." His words sounded both like a joke and a genuine statement.

It has to be said that after working in this company for so long, Manager Pan in front of me has become extremely tactful.

Li Xu didn't have time to waste words with him. After a moment's thought, he said, "I've read the report you submitted. In short, the current salary plan from the Human Resources Department has basically received the support of the Finance Department. And I estimate that the other departments have no objections to the salaries either. The Finance Department's report also demonstrates the feasibility of this salary plan."

Li Xu didn't state his position; he was simply stating facts objectively. However, since the matter had already been made clear, if Manager Pan still refused to provide any substantial information and continued to dodge the question, Li Xu decided to stop wasting time on idle chatter. At the same time, he needed to consider whether his attitude towards the marketing department needed adjustment.

Manager Pan reacted quickly. Seeing Li Xu's words, his expression immediately turned serious, and he began to complain: "Mr. Li, I'm not trying to be mean, but these middle and back-office departments really don't understand how hard our brothers and sisters in the marketing department work. It seems like our average salary is the highest in the department, but compared to our expenses, this income is nothing. Maintaining customer relationships often requires us to pay out of our own pockets. Not only that, but when we take our expense reports to the finance department for reimbursement, we often encounter all sorts of difficulties."

Li Xu listened silently to Manager Pan finish speaking before slowly asking, "I've just arrived here and am not yet familiar with many aspects of the company. I haven't approved the reports from those two departments yet, but I don't have any reason to refuse them right now."

Upon hearing Li Xu's words, a glint of shrewdness flashed in Manager Pan's eyes.

By now, he was quite certain that this young general manager was no longer the incompetent Liu Guoqing he had encountered before. Liu Guoqing might have connections in many areas, but he was truly a complete idiot when it came to company management, which is why Manager Pan often couldn't get any substantial help from him. But now he had astutely realized that Li Xu was no such incompetent person. The top students from Tsinghua and Peking Universities lived up to their reputation; aside from his professional abilities, his emotional intelligence was far superior to that of the average person.

After a moment of silence, Manager Pan said seriously, "Mr. Li, let me be frank with you. If this salary report is approved, at least two of my four supervisors will have to resign."

Li Xu remained silent, only displaying a thoughtful expression. Manager Pan, fearing Li Xu wouldn't understand what this meant, quickly explained, "Mr. Li, our company has many competitors, and those two sales managers are truly capable. They're not just two people; each has several top sales performers under them, and they have connections in various government agencies and enterprises. If they resign, the company will lose two teams, and they will be immediately poached by our competitors."

Manager Pan stopped there. That was the gist of the matter; there was no need to go into too much detail. Li Xu was a smart man and naturally understood what it meant.

Li Xu's face remained expressionless; he simply nodded calmly and then asked, "How many people are there in your department?"

Manager Pan hesitated for a moment. Although he didn't understand Li Xu's purpose in asking this question, he still honestly replied, "There are a total of 14 salespersons."

Li Xu slowed his pace, crossed his arms, and lowered his head in thought.

After a moment, he looked up and said, "Here's what you do: rank these 14 people in order of importance from beginning to end, and give me the list tomorrow."

Manager Pan was taken aback. He didn't know why Li Xu wanted this. He was about to say something when Li Xu changed the subject: "Manager Pan, what do you usually like to eat? I saw a noodle shop over there that looks pretty good."

Manager Pan quickly chimed in, "I also really like noodles, so let's go to that noodle shop then."

Li Xu smiled. When he was with Huang Lingling and the others, he would choose to eat at high-end restaurants, but when he was with middle managers like Manager Pan who had high incomes, he could make do with a 10-yuan bowl of noodles.

Because without a doubt, Manager Pan will pay for this meal.

(End of this chapter)