Chapter 17 Ambitious like a chicken head, humble like a cow

In terms of human aspirations, one should indeed be the head of a chicken, go forward bravely every day, and wake up the dawn before the darkness ends. In terms of learning attitude, you might as well be humble and admit that you are ignorant and inferior to others. Encourage yourself to study hard so that you can catch up! It is very difficult to strive for the first place.Many people agree with this statement in concept, because they think that there is only one number one, and it is of course very difficult. I have a different opinion.Although I agree that it is not easy to win the first place, the crux of the problem is not because there is only one place for the first place, but how to plan your own battlefield and try to get the first place there.This is far more important than you blindly squeezing your way to the top.If you put yourself in the wrong place, not only will it be more difficult to get the first place than to reach the sky; even if you get the first place, you will not be happy!

Competing for rankings is indeed a very superficial comparison, but it is an inescapable reality in a person's life. Even if you don't care about the right and wrong of the world, and never take gains and losses to heart, you will still be used for comparison.Regardless of whether this comparison causes trouble, instead of ignoring it and avoiding it, it is better to face it, deal with it, and solve it with the right attitude, and make yourself the number one. Take it as a challenge!Give full play to your own characteristics appropriately, and you will definitely have the opportunity to break out your own sky.

In fact, be the first!Not as difficult as imagined.The meaning of winning the first place is not entirely superficial.As long as the river pond is not too narrow, being a big fish in a small pond is a lot of fun.The important thing is that it must be a free-swimming fish, full of creativity and no grievances! Aim to be number one; don't settle for being number two forever Mr. Zhang Zhongmou, a senior who became famous for his success in the semiconductor business, once yelled at the operators of small and medium-sized enterprises, pointing out that in the past forty years, Asian countries have only been content to play the role of chasing trains in the technology industry. Taiwanese companies also emphasize the so-called paternalism, resulting in a vicious cycle of price-cutting competition, low profits, and no innovation.

Dr. Shi Ziyi, a well-known business management consultant, also echoes this point of view, and believes that small and medium-sized enterprises should pay attention to innovation, especially to create customer satisfaction, strive for the first in this niche, and do not blindly adopt the market route of plagiarism and following , he also said: Being the second child is the real adventure. The words of the two seniors are not only a blow to the business world, but also a great inspiration to all young friends. Some people may ask: Why do we have to rush to be the first?Isn't it good to be a competent second child?

I believe that friends who have never studied marketing may not be able to realize that these two seniors said these unpleasant words, but they are actually well-intentioned. Friends who know little about marketing may still think of a famous marketing campaign in which Aviz Car Rental Company worked harder because we were the second place!Has the advertising strategy successfully attacked Hertz, the car rental market leader? In fact, the so-called No. 2 philosophy in marketing does not mean that companies are willing to take the second place in the market. On the contrary, it is to find out the position that suits them, cut out the market, and then be the first in that segmented market .

Take the car rental market mentioned above as an example. Aviz’s self-proclaimed No. 2 refers to the ranking above the turnover, but it is not far behind in terms of service quality!That's why he said in the advertisement: We work harder!It refers to providing consumers with better service quality.Perhaps, in the minds of certain consumers, Aviz really ranks first in terms of service quality! In terms of marketing, there are many cases where this kind of second-best philosophy strategy has opened up a new battlefield for itself and occupied the first place in the planned new market. For example, Porsche won the first place in the small car market without competing with double B. One; 7｜UP avoided Coca-Cola and was once the leader of the non-cola beverage market in the United States.

Race against yourself, surpass yesterday today, and surpass today tomorrow! There are many inspiring truths about life in ancient and modern China and abroad. Maybe they have different interpretations, but the positive meanings are quite consistent. It depends on your point of view to interpret it. The positive meaning of the second philosophy strategy proposed by western marketing scholars is to teach people to enter from another market perspective, and then get the first! And there is a very interesting old saying in China: I would rather be the head of a chicken than the queen of a cow!On the surface, there is a huge difference in size between chickens and cows, and there is no way to compare them. If you have to compare them, it is likely that the tail of the ox is thicker than the head of the chicken, and it is even more valuable!Why would you rather be the head of a chicken than the queen of an ox?This truth has puzzled me for several years!

My father has always adopted a laissez-faire attitude in raising his children, and never gave me any instructions or great principles. The very exception is that when I was looking for a job just before I left the army, he once said to me earnestly: When I first started working, I would rather help others carry their suitcases than force myself!It means that there are many seniors in the society who are worth learning from. I would rather work harder and learn my skills than rush to become a boss. As a young and naive person, I wanted to ask my father questioningly in my heart: Don’t people always say: I would rather be the head of a chicken than the queen of a cow?But because I didn't have the idea of ​​becoming a boss immediately, I didn't raise my question immediately.

After a long period of work and experience, I finally know how to explain in a positive sense that I would rather be the head of a chicken than the queen!In terms of human ambition, this sentence should indeed be the head of the chicken. Don't underestimate yourself, go forward every day, and wake up the dawn before the darkness ends.However, in terms of learning attitude, you might as well be as humble as a queen, admit that you are ignorant and inferior to others, and encourage yourself to study hard and be creative so that you can catch up! Just like the meaning of striving for the first place, it is not winning many people, but constantly surpassing oneself.I would rather be the head of a chicken than the queen of a cow!It is to teach people to be creative and find their own sky!This is the boldness and energy that will always be lacking for those who aspire to be the second child!

In this era of focus on market segmentation, no matter what industry you are engaged in, or you are a student, you can use the second-rank philosophy strategy to help yourself open up another battlefield to win the first place, but don’t use the mentality of aspiring to be the second-best Dongshi imitates! Be brave and be a person who races against yourself, always be proud of striving for the first place tomorrow, and don't fall behind yesterday's self!