In 2017, in parallel with the 13th China Pharmacy • Jianmin Group Longmu Cup "Top Ten Store Managers" and "Top Ten Store Staff" selection activities, the official WeChat of Chinese pharmacies grandly launched the "Chairman/General Manager Interview" activity of the national chain pharmacy, face-to-face exchanges, appreciate the style of the chairman/general manager, record the development of the enterprise with words, and witness the growth of employees with the activities.
The event was hosted by China Pharmacy Magazine and co-organized by Jianmin Group. In this issue, we interviewed Yu Zhigang, chairman of Shandong Yanxitang Pharmaceutical Chain Co., Ltd.
Usually, our judgment of a business leader is based on understanding, observing the person's behavior over the years, his attitude towards his own company and employees' responsibilities, the fulfillment of his promises, the ability to execute and reliability, the way he chooses to cope when conflicts of interest occur, and the attitude towards weak opponents and partners when he has an advantage. From this, we get a judgment of personal character and personal ability, and this judgment determines whether we should believe or not.
As the chairman of Shandong Yanxitang Pharmaceutical Chain Co., Ltd., whether it is from the excellent results shown by the development of enterprises over the years, or from the word-of-mouth evaluation in the industry circle, we can draw such a conclusion: this is a person that can be trusted by his employees and his company. It is precisely because of this, in the face of this treacherous industry market, Yanxitang can be under his leadership after years of continuous accumulation, growth and improvement, and finally become a century-old golden signboard that still shines.
Yanxitang is one of the few existing Chinese time-honored brands in Shandong, which was founded during the Qing Dynasty and has a history of more than 150 years. From the day of its inception to the re-operation in 1998 to the Shandong Yanxitang Pharmaceutical Chain Co., Ltd., which was formed in 2009, this century-old store has experienced countless ups and downs and vicissitudes, and has finally become a landmark banner of Shandong's pharmaceutical retail industry.
Rational thinking about expansion
In China, the number of pharmaceutical retail pharmacies of different sizes is as high as more than 400,000, which are like a kaleidoscope of different sizes and characteristics. Every enterprise is a fragment in a kaleidoscope, doing its best to release its own light and refract the light of others, in this sense, this is a rather competitive market.
As a populous province and an economically strong province in China, Shandong Province is naturally a strong pharmaceutical province that you are competing for - the high density of the population and the serious aging phenomenon make people spend on medical care grow rapidly year by year, and the future market demand space is very huge and has great development potential. This means that in Shandong, the competition in the pharmaceutical retail industry is extremely fierce, after several years of acquisitions and mergers, the situation of Shandong pharmaceutical retail market by three oligopolistic sales has lasted for many years, Shuyu Civilian, Yanxitang and Lijian Pharmaceutical "three-legged Standing" each hegemony, each with a win or a loss. The total number of Yanxitang stores is currently more than 570, and it is expected to reach 600 by the end of the year, mainly distributed in Weihai, Yantai and Weifang, of which there are more than 300 in Weihai, accounting for more than half of the local market. As a century-old brand, Yanxitang has a good market and brand foundation in Weihai, and at the same time is far from more competitive areas such as Jinan, so it can be described as an absolute monopoly position in the region.
Weihai is located in the easternmost part of Shandong Province, but also the easternmost part of China's territory, for Yanxitang, the geographical location of a corner of the city has isolated the strong entry of many regional chains, but at the same time to a certain extent hindered its outward expansion. In recent years, due to the intervention of capital, the speed of mergers and acquisitions and integration between chains has accelerated every year, which means that opportunities also mean challenges. Yu Zhigang introduced that for many years Yanxitang has been expanding all the way to the west, there are currently more than 200 stores in Yantai, and the Weifang market has gradually opened, but because the traffic is not particularly convenient, the more remote geographical location still affects its outward development.
"As the largest chain in the province, the process of listing Yuyu Civilian is accelerating, and Lijian is also stepping up its acquisition action after gaining the favor of capital, which is a big change for the Shandong market and a big challenge for Yanxitang." The situation is changing every day, and the drama is being staged every day, but in Zhigang's view, Yanxitang cannot fall behind others, nor can it blindly follow, and the step-by-step development speed is the survival path suitable for Yanxitang. "In general, Yanxitang has not had many epitaxial mergers and acquisitions in recent years, mainly based on its own opening of new stores, as well as the extension of development to strengthen internal strength, build professional pharmacies, and improve service levels."
No matter what the development situation of the chain in Shandong is, whether it is your side that sings or our side appears, Yan Xitang has not been confused because of this, and although the external enemy is strong, only by cultivating the internal skills well and allowing himself to "not invade with all poisons" can he truly resist the enemy thousands of miles away.
Be kind to every employee and customer
Respect and kindness to every employee and customer is the core value of Yanxitang, the extended meaning is to pay attention to the growth of employees, create customer value, that is, customer-centric, employee-oriented - such a creed, always light up and remind every employee in the enterprise the way ahead, receive empowerment.
Pay attention to every employee The way to manage the enterprise is actually the way to "control people", if you want the enterprise to be strong, you must make the employees "strong". The so-called "employee-oriented" is to take good care of employees so that they can have a stable income, a stable working environment and a stable state of mind. When enterprises require the loyalty, dedication and enterprising spirit of employees, they must also provide them with stable positions and incomes, and if they cannot settle down, they will be unstable, uncertain, and the work will naturally not be done well.
Today's pharmacies are mostly staffed by young people in their 80s and 90s. "This generation of young people choose a job, not only to make money, but also to get a sense of recognition, respect and a platform to display their talents, reflecting the value of their lives." Yu Zhigang believes that employees are the internal customers of the enterprise, only by making them truly feel happy and comfortable, they can provide the best service for customers, and the happiness of employees determines customer satisfaction. Therefore, how to create a good working environment for employees is particularly important, which includes both the "hard environment" such as the office environment and logistics supply, as well as the "soft environment" such as salary levels and rising channels.
In recent years, Yanxitang's internal employee promotion channels have been improving, and talent reserves and echelon construction have always been the focus of enterprises. A particularly significant change in the last two years is the creation of the "deputy post". In the past, all the management positions of Yanxitang did not have a deputy post, for example, the general manager was an assistant and there was no vice president; now after the reform, each post has set up a deputy post, the general manager is the deputy general manager, the deputy general manager is the director, and then the senior manager, the manager, and so on. In this way, the improved post settings have become more abundant, which further broadens the promotion channels of employees, making their work more targeted and more motivated and motivated.
In addition, the way of promotion of employees within Yanxitang is also very diverse, ranging from management positions for employees who are good at management to "technical" positions for employees with strong professional knowledge. Employees can make different career plans according to their actual situation, and there will be many positions for them to choose after the direction is determined. In short, no matter what type of employees, whether it is internal promotion and training or external introduction, Yanxitang will always provide a platform for them to display their talents. At the same time, only those employees who truly adapt to the culture of Yanxitang and the work system of Yanxitang can keep up with the changes in the company and truly become a Yanxitang person.
Respect for every customer In Yanxitang, customer satisfaction is always the basic assessment standard for whether every employee is conscientious or not. The term "customer" not only represents customers who come to the store for consumption, but also includes upstream suppliers who provide continuous help and support to enterprises.
"Weihai is located in the middle of nowhere, it is not easy for suppliers to come here once, and if you don't get good reception and care in Yanxitang, then no one wants to come in the future." Since there is no geographical advantage, it is necessary to make up for it with "human advantages", so Yanxitang pays special attention to the feedback of whether the upstream suppliers are satisfied with the attitude of their reception staff: whether they have received warm hospitality here, whether they can complete cooperation and negotiation in a relaxed and pleasant environment, and whether they feel at home when they come to Yanxitang.
"Customers and suppliers are our customers, and we must do our best to ensure that they can get the most satisfactory service in Yanxitang." Yu Zhigang said.
Yanxitang's "professionalism"
Nowadays, concepts such as "online pharmacies" and "Internet +" are in full swing, and the rumors that physical stores are about to decline are rampant, but for retail pharmacies, this statement seems to be exaggerated - the national market is so large, the regional differences are particularly significant, and the unique experience brought by physical pharmacies to customers is always irreplaceable. Compared with other fields, the retail pharmacy industry has a great particularity, requiring practitioners to have strong professionalism to provide customers with face-to-face communication and services, "just like patients go to the hospital to see a doctor, in a special environment to see a doctor wearing a white coat, they will have a sense of trust, so they will be convinced of the health advice and medication guidance provided by the doctor." Similarly, the biggest advantage of physical stores over online pharmacies is the difference in experience. "In order to bring customers a sense of all-round experience, so that they really trust and trust the pharmacy and the staff, the most important thing is to improve the professional service level of pharmacists, and use professionalism to impress every customer who enters the store, so that the enterprise has strong development potential and vitality - BaoAnsi "professional", which is a high-level instinct of retail pharmacies.
"The so-called service, more critical is professional services, in order to be able to provide customers with more professional pharmaceutical services, we attach great importance to the quality and skills training of employees, through a variety of ways to provide them with a steady stream of follow-up support." Yu Zhigang explained that in order to build Yanxitang into a professional pharmacy that provides high-level services for customers, a complete set of staff training systems have been established within the company.
In order to coordinate the training of employees at all levels and departments, Yanxitang established an internal business school five years ago, and strives to improve its professional level and skills by strengthening the quality of employee training. According to Yu Zhigang, the main function of Yanxitang Business School is to coordinate and supervise the promotion of all staff training courses in the company. "The arrangement of training courses should be diversified, this is a set of combination punches, internal training plus external training, on-demand training, and level-by-level training can play a real role in improving the business level of employees."
In Yanxitang, whether it is the training course of the internal trainer of the enterprise, the training content provided by the external lecturer or the manufacturer, it is always carried out according to a strict and clear hierarchical division: pre-job training for new employees, on-the-job training for old employees; and differentiated training courses for new, old, urban and township store managers with different levels of service life. Just as the so-called art industry has a specialization, teaching according to aptitude and "differential treatment" can we truly achieve teaching without class and grow together.
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