Small experience, big wealth

Chapter 26 (2)
57. Personalized America Coming out of New York's Raguli Airport, we passed through a residential area before arriving at the hotel where we rested.When the car passed the residential area, my eyes were deeply attracted by the street scene in front of me.This residential area is located in Queens, a little farther from the New York Airport. There are no tall buildings here. They are all one-story and two-story villa-style buildings, and the highest is no more than three floors.

These villa-like buildings have strange shapes, and each house is different from the other houses.There are pointed roofs, flat roofs, windows on the roof, and eight doors on the roof. The color of each small building strives for its own uniqueness. The colors are extremely rich, including red and brown. , gray, white, green, yellow, almost all colors in nature can be found here.

When the car drove to downtown New York, the architecture here surprised me even more.Surrounding the skyscrapers, there are many small one- and two-story buildings from 200 years ago, either wooden or brick, which are scattered among these modern high-rise buildings in a very simple and natural way, making the street beautifully decorated. And natural.

This is the most prominent feature of the United States - the pursuit of individual liberation.They treat everything like this, pursuing their own unique things, and don't like to chew on the steamed buns that others have chewed.

This characteristic of them has penetrated into every corner of American life.

There are now 51 states in the United States, and each state has its own laws, rather than a unified law across the country.The license plates of different states in the United States are also different. First of all, they are different in color, such as white, green, and blue. These are all determined by each state.Each license plate has an iconic pattern, which is also chosen by each state.For example, there is a Statue of Liberty on the license plate in New York, a background of snow-capped mountains on the license plate in Colorado, and two coconut trees on the license plate in Hawaii.The letters and numbers on the license plate can be chosen by yourself, there are 5 digits, 6 digits, and 7 digits.One of the most peculiar license plates I have seen, with only 4 letters on it, and a beautiful woman on it, made me dizzy.The tour guide told me that this is a car owner's optional license plate, and the four letters may be his name or the initials of his name. Such a brand has to be searched by the traffic department and requires an extra payment, but it is all legal.

I am very interested in the national characteristics of the United States that pursue individuality. Later, when chatting with the tour guide, the tour guide's philosophical conversation caused me to think more deeply about their national characteristics that pursue individuality.

The tour guide said: "I don't know whether it is the American personality that likes to pursue individual liberation that has created the United States, or the United States that is full of competition has created Americans who like to pursue individuality. But this kind of nature that likes to pursue individual liberation is indeed very suitable for the market economy. The needs of social development. For example, in product competition, if you produce a certain product, then I will try to produce a product that is different from yours in terms of performance, features, convenience, etc., which can meet roughly the same requirements, but In some aspects, they have their own characteristics. This makes each other play a role in promoting each other in the competition. American businesses compete in this way, and they never like to imitate other people's things." The liberation of individuality makes people's thinking The methods, methods of work, and modes of life all have their own advantages and disadvantages, so that the whole country radiates strange and colorful light in everything, so that the production of society can meet various needs of society.

In fact, this also reminds those of us who do business invisibly: don't imitate others, don't always run behind others, learn to innovate, and have your own characteristics.

Competition in a market economy society should be differentiated competition, you have me, I have others, and in this kind of competition, human society is constantly moving forward.

Everyone's needs are different, everyone's vision is different, and everyone's thinking is also very different, so the products that meet the various needs of the people should of course shine their own unique light.When you look at the cars running on the street, they have different shapes, but for every car model that you think is ugly, there are people who appreciate it with special eyes.This is the charm of individuality, and this is the charm of market economy.

If all the Jiefang brand trucks run on the streets, people wear grass-green military uniforms, and everyone eats corn flour pancakes, everyone is the same, are we still human, have we not become standard parts?
Business experience:
Learning is essential to doing business, but imitation is the most taboo in doing business.

Competition without distinction is actually cannibalism, which hurts both sides.

Imitation can only obtain temporary profits, while innovation can obtain long-term profits.

58. The United Nations Headquarters, which does not charge tickets, arrived in the United States on the third day, we went to visit the office building of the United Nations Headquarters.

There is an endless stream of people visiting here, and the people queuing up form a winding long snake array.I think, after all, visiting here is different from previous visits, because the United Nations Headquarters office building is a solemn and sacred place after all, and many of the most important events in the world are decided here, so when I arrived at the door, I Unknowingly, there is a feeling of awe.

However, contrary to what I imagined, it is actually a very easy and pleasant thing to visit here, and no tickets are charged. When you arrive at the entrance, you only need to go through the security check similar to that before boarding the plane, and enter the gate. , You are like entering a certain company in the United States, you can browse everywhere casually, and no one will interfere with you. This kind of American-style openness makes us newcomers feel very fresh.

Especially during the subsequent tour in Washington, I was even more impressed by the openness of the American style.

The Congress of the United States is the highest authority in the United States, which is equivalent to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in China. However, such an important place is also a place where tourists can come in and out for free, and when we go in for a tour, there are still people in the meeting hall of the Congress. It's a meeting, you can sit and listen if you want.

We arrived at the White House not far from Capitol Hill. It was noon when we arrived in front of the White House, and the staff were having lunch. There were a lot of people waiting to visit, and a circle had already formed outside the White House.We figured we'd have to wait at least two hours before we could get in, so we didn't.But when we passed the back door of the White House, we saw another very interesting scene: the back door of the White House is next to an avenue. From a security point of view, the traffic security department set up signs prohibiting motor vehicles at both ends of the avenue. So this avenue has become a pedestrian street, and it has become a leisure sports place for roller skaters and skateboard lovers.When we passed here, a dozen young people were having a fierce and tense hockey game here.In the White House courtyard, some heavily armed police officers were cruising on the lawn of the square in full swing, forming a sharp contrast.

Then, we came to the Lincoln Memorial, the National Gallery of Art, the Independence Tower and other sightseeing spots.In sharp contrast to China, all the attractions here do not charge tickets.Regarding this point, the guide explained to us through a translator: "All these buildings were built with taxpayers' money. The taxpayer is the owner here. Of course, the owner should not charge for it when he comes to his own territory to take a look." Among us One person said: "It seems that we foreign tourists have benefited from their taxpayers, and it seems that there is really a free lunch in this world." I said: "Actually, your conclusion is wrong, it is impossible anywhere There is a free lunch, and the United States is the most developed commodity society, and it is even more impossible to have a free lunch here." "Take the United Nations Headquarters as an example. Although there is no entrance fee there, there are many places selling souvenirs, like countries around the world. Stamps, souvenirs from all over the world, various exquisite postcards, etc., these things are sold very well there, and there are crowds of people in front of the counters of every sales point, and tourists are buying continuously throughout the day. And these business outlets But it’s not free. Obviously, these places are leased to them by the United Nations Headquarters. Although the United Nations Headquarters does not accept tickets for tourists, the money earned by these shops selling souvenirs from tourists far exceeds that of a ticket. The value of the tickets, part of their money will naturally be diverted to the pockets of the United Nations Headquarters.

"Let's look at the Lincoln Memorial. From the outside, it looks like a very solemn and solemn memorial hall. In fact, there is only one statue of Lincoln sitting there. The rest of the place is occupied by various souvenirs related to Lincoln. In fact, it has It has become a veritable Lincoln Center in the United States. Postcards with Lincoln's portrait as content, various books, pictorials, and sculptures related to Lincoln, the management method here is obviously the same as that of the United Nations Headquarters.

"The lower the barrier to entry, the more tourists will come in, the higher the sales of goods here, the higher profits businesses can make, and the higher the rent here. Free is just a bait." In the end, I Said: "We are not only here for tourism, we are here for inspection. If we learn all these business skills, we will really be worthless." A friend said: "There is no way to learn." I said: "Why can't you learn it? Let's take Lao Wang as an example. Doesn't his wife open baths? The ticket is 38 yuan, so this has to be changed. If you change the ticket to 18 yuan, the number of bathers will definitely increase countlessly. There will be more bathers coming in." , let's let them consume a can of drink, have another pedicure, another bath, another pedicure, and a haircut, and if he throws all the money in his pocket there, he won't even think about going out." Old Wang nodded frequently.

I further said: "In fact, each of us can learn something from it. The key is that we should think more after we go back."

In a commodity economy society, there is no free lunch anywhere. This is a principle that businessmen must remember. If you forget this principle, you may fall into the trap that others have designed for you.

59. Fast food restaurants on the highway We set off from New York to Washington that day in a van driven by a tour guide.

The van was speeding on the highway, and the scenery on both sides of the road was unobstructed.The greening on both sides of the expressway is very good, with shrubs, trees, flowering and evergreen. Whenever there are residential areas on the roadside, there are sound insulation boards on the roadside to block the noise, which really makes people feel at ease.There are a lot of cars in the United States, so the highways are also extremely developed, so there are relatively few people traveling by train in the United States.People are accustomed to taking planes for long-distance travel, and people are accustomed to taking cars or self-driving for mid-distance and short-distance travel.

Because of the heavy traffic on the expressway, each rest area is like a small market, with a strong commercial atmosphere and excellent service.When it was convenient for us to go to the rest area, the people who went to the bathroom had to queue up from the inside to the outside of the bathroom.Seeing this crowded scene, so lively, I thought I was in a downtown area.

In order to give visitors a good mood to rest here, the surrounding environment of the rest area is very beautiful, with green grass, verdant trees, and sculptures of various shapes.

The shops in the rest area are not inferior to those in the downtown area. There are souvenir shops, small supermarkets, KFC fast food, and everything else.I was even more surprised when I entered the fast food restaurant. The KFC fast food restaurant here is even more lively than the KFC fast food restaurant in the downtown area of ​​our country. We couldn't find a seat to rest after buying hamburgers.

It is in stark contrast to China's highways.China's expressways also have rest areas, but those who park in the rest areas are just there for convenience and to smoke a cigarette. Few people spend money in the rest areas, and there is no commercial atmosphere at all.

Why is this?Because of the different business philosophy.

According to the tour guide and translator, the rest areas on American highways are operated by special companies, and the prices of various commodities are very cheap, not only not higher than the prices of commodities in the urban area, but some commodities are even cheaper than those in the urban area , so people don't have to worry about being slaughtered for consumption in the rest area.

Once, my friend and I were driving from Dalian to Shenyang. We were hungry halfway, so we stopped to prepare a bar mat. When we went to the restaurant in the rest area, it was deserted, and there were no diners.When I asked about the price, I was taken aback. It cost 25 yuan for a fried tofu with hot pepper.The dining environment in the restaurant is also not good, just like the big canteen in the factory, after a glance, you lose your mood at all, who wants to eat in it?Later, I had to go to the grocery store to buy a bowl of instant noodles, and the grocery store was in charge of preparing it. I actually charged us 1 yuan for a bowl of instant noodles, and all my heads were smashed into big bags.How can you win over consumers in such a business environment?
A few years ago, the Shenyang-Dalian Expressway was contracted by the Dalian Mall, and the Dalian Mall moved its own business model to the rest area of ​​the expressway. All products were distributed by Dashang, and the prices were the same as those in other Dashang stores. The restaurants are also uniformly run by big merchants, and the price is the same as that in the downtown area.The reform was very successful. A few days ago we drove to Changbai Mountain for travel, passed the Shenyang-Dalian Expressway, and ate at the Ganquan rest area at noon. The feeling was basically the same as in the United States. The entire restaurant was full of tables, regardless of the outside environment. The environment of restaurants and supermarkets has also been greatly improved, and the good business environment immediately attracted drivers on the road.

When you are tired from driving, you stop the car to smoke a cigarette, go to the bathroom for convenience, then go to the supermarket to buy a bottle of water, and go to the restaurant to fill your stomach. This is quite a pleasant thing.However, if a bottle of water in the rest area costs you 5 yuan, a bowl of instant noodles costs you 15 yuan, and a fried tofu with hot pepper costs you 25 yuan, are you still in the mood to rest comfortably inside? ?Running on the highway, but going down to the city to eat is a very annoying thing. It takes nearly an hour to go back and forth. In fact, no one would like to have a rest area on the highway if it is so interesting. Down the road, there is no way, there are some people who have no business acumen, and they just drive away the consumers who are delivered to the door.

The market economy has been developed in China for more than 30 years, but there are still places like this. Like some airports, the goods are surprisingly expensive. It costs 80 yuan to eat a meal of noodles at the airport.Like some hospitals, the food for patients is extremely unpalatable and the price remains high, forcing patients and their families to eat outside one after another.There are also services in some universities, such as food, use, and play, which are not in place.

In fact, these consumers are like the food that comes to their mouths, like cooked ducks. As long as your service is at the same level as outsiders, and the price is as high as outsiders, who would look far away?

Business experience:
People have more and more choices, and the mutual substitution between commodities is also extremely convenient, so no matter how superior your conditions are, you should not be self-righteous and think that you are irreplaceable.

You have the pricing power, but consumers have the right to choose, and in the end it is the consumer's choice that has the final say.

Doing business is exchanging your own services for consumers' money. When your services can't keep consumers, your business is about to come to an end.

(End of this chapter)