Amway Women'S Head: Starting From 5 Small Companies

This night, under the bright lights of Shanghai science and Technology Museum, China's best business leaders award ceremony was held in 2007. More than 300 Chinese business celebrities gathered together to witness the birth of the best business leader in 2007.

Cheng Li Jin Feng, the vice president of global executive vice president of Amway Corp and chairman of Amway (China) Commodity Co., Ltd., as the only female candidate, was the first to go on stage and take away the first single award at the awards ceremony - "China's best talent management award".

The reason for Li Jinfen's award is that Amway does not strive to be the most generous employer, but tries to create a sense of "home" for its employees.

The owner of this "home", Zheng Li Jin Fu, was dressed in a spotless pink cheongsam under the spotlight.

In 1992, Amway (China) was formally registered and established to invest in factories in Guangzhou in 1995, and to get the direct sales license of China's Ministry of Commerce in 1995. In the past 15 years, the development of Amway has attracted much attention.

At present, Amway (China) occupies 27% of Amway's global turnover and has become the world's most important market for Amway.

According to AC Nielsen's 2006 survey, Amway and China's reputation and reputation reached 99% and 83% respectively, while Amway's reputation reached 90%, although Amway was still troubled by rumors of "rat rat" a few years ago.

I have worked in Amway Corp for 30 years, and half of them are in China. I have witnessed the progress and prosperity of China's economy. I am also fortunate to be in the process of developing the Chinese market, and I can create Amway Corp with a group of good friends, good colleagues and good partners, and create Amway's high quality brand.

On the evening of September 20th, Zheng Li Jin Fan said in his awarding speech.

On the podium, Zheng Li Jin Fan, who is the head of Amway in China, looks particularly gentle and graceful under the background of pink cheongsam, but his words are firm and sonorous.

If we go to the mainland, we will know what the sea is like. "If we compare Hongkong to a small pond, Taiwan is a lake, and only in the mainland can we know what the sea is."

This is a classical speech of Li Jinfen.

It is not the language of the media, but the words of her heart, because it comes from her own journey.

The first stop is Hongkong.

30 many years ago, Li Jinfen, who was not married at that time, graduated from the History Department of University of Hong Kong. Her first job started with the Hongkong administration office. Li Jinfen, who was outstanding, soon became the executive director.

However, when Li Jinfen was 24, he decided to quit his job and switch to Amway because he saw "a company had a full page advertisement to recruit a secretary."

At that time, Amway's company in Hongkong was only a small company of 5 people.

At that time, I just wanted to leave the government.

Because of the government's work, you can have a very clear forecast for the future.

At that time, I wanted to get into the business world, and I was not easy to enter the business world by studying literature and history.

Zheng Li Jin Fei recalled this.

Li Jinfen, who believed in his own judgment, joined Amway since then. Even now, Amway mode is completely unfamiliar to her.

When Amway hired me, I also knew the controversy about Amway mode.

I consulted some government officials and my superiors at that time. They said they would not be afraid of fraud as long as they were not Pyramid.

At that time, there was a clear distinction between pyramid schemes and direct selling in Hongkong.

After a long time, Zheng Li Jin Fei was appointed general manager of Amway (Hongkong) Company and became the first Direct Selling Company in Hongkong.

At that time, Li Jinfen was only 28 years old. She said, "I am very lucky to grow with Amway Corp."

Later, Zheng Li Jinfen was sent to Taiwan to open up the market, and soon the Taiwan company, which had been in a landslide for 3 years, will be the first in the local industry.

Amway was officially opened in mainland China in 1995, and as early as 1988, the multinational company that operates in more than 80 countries and regions around the world has tapped China's door.

That year, she went to the mainland to take part in the "Sino US Joint Economic and Trade Development Conference". What she saw and heard during the meeting made her keenly feel that China is striding into the world with great potential in the market.

Li Jinfen began to frequent frequent visits to big cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou.

In a written report to the American boss, she urged the headquarters to make a decision to enter the Chinese market: "Amway does not invest in the mainland of China, but it is not a real multinational company."

In her heart, there is such an idea: "as a Chinese, if you fail to see the fruits of Amway in the mainland of China, in any case, it is a pity in my personal career."

A scene was repeatedly mentioned by the media. In the late 80s of last century, Zheng Li Jin Fu, who was wearing a skirt, sat on a motorcycle to visit the officials of the Guangzhou development zone. At that time, the Guangzhou Development Zone did not have buses or taxis. But the answer from the government officials gave her a reassurance: "we can provide you with any services and difficulties."

In 1992, Zheng Li Jin Fu led Amway founder Richard Divis to come to China for inspection. In the same year, Amway (China) was formally registered in Guangzhou, and became the second Direct Selling Company authorized by the State Administration for Industry and Commerce after AVON.

In 1995, Amway invested $120 million to establish a factory in Guangzhou, and Cheng Li Jinfen served as chairman.

I made a wise choice.

Zheng Li Jin Feng is so sure.

In front of her is a bigger stage. The Chinese market needs "Chinese Kungfu", "give us some time."

Step by step. "

In the early years of Amway (China), Zheng Li Jin Feng expressed the same wish on different occasions.

As a relatively mature sales mode in developed countries, Amway's difficulties in the US and European markets are far from being mixed up in the Chinese mainland market. [FS:PAGE] is deeply aware of the need for "Chinese Kung Fu" in the Chinese market.

Direct selling is the traditional way of marketing of Amway. Amway itself is the largest Direct Selling Company in the world. At present, there are about 3000000 Amway direct sellers selling more than 450 kinds of Amway's own products.

In the early 90s, when Amway entered China to explore the road, "direct selling" was still a strange noun for most Chinese people.

Before investing in Guangzhou, Zheng Li Jinfen gave direct marketing as an appendix to the Guangzhou foreign trade and Economic Commission. The Guangzhou municipal government and the Municipal Industrial and Commercial Bureau specially organized tours to Hongkong, the United States and other places, and finally approved the investment project.

After inspecting Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Xiamen and Shanghai, Amway decided to base its production base on Guangzhou economic and Technological Development Zone.

We invested 100 million US dollars to build 58 thousand square meters of land in the development zone to build factories, producing 23 thousand tons of household cleaning products and 3000 tons of personal care products per year.

In April 10, 1995, Amway (China) finally turned into a reality from a vague dream and opened at the same time in two provinces of Guangdong and Fujian.

"For this day, we have been prepared for 3 and a half years, as if having a child are not easy."

Zheng Li Jin Fei recalls.

In the early days, Amway Corp chose the project very practical. In line with the principle of steady operation, it did not want to sell products to all parts of the country at once.

The key to Amway's success in China lies in our respect for China's national conditions, the experience of not sticking to overseas markets, timely changes and bold innovation.

From opening stores, advertising, to the current diversified marketing mode, we are walking through the river step by step.

Zheng Li Jin Feng says.

A typical example is that in addition to spending a lot of money on advertising and personnel training every year, Amway (China) has 189 stores in more than 150 cities, and Amway has no stores in any other market in the world.

"It's not easy to persuade headquarters to invest in China and have confidence," he said.

Zheng Li Jin Fan said, "what is more rare is that Amway is determined to be managed by my Chinese who has long accepted the influence of western culture. It shows that Amway hopes that Chinese and Western culture can be integrated into Amway (China) rather than the use of American values in China."

This unique management experience has been summed up by Zheng Li Jin Fei as the three characteristics of Amway (China) Company: flexibility and principle in terms of values; in marketing mode, it is adjusted according to China's national conditions, but does not lose the characteristics of Amway Corp, that is, from direct sale to "store + direct sale"; in management mode, it attaches importance to the role of team, emphasizes teamwork spirit, and does not talk about personal heroism.

I am like a duck who looks like a leisurely but sliding foot. Li Jinfen once described herself with a duck. She said, "I am like a duck, floating on the water, seemingly leisurely, but my feet are sliding hard under the surface of the water."

This "not in a hurry" is Li Jinfen's style of work.

She led Amway through a troubled period.

In 1997, two years after the entry into the mainland market, Amway (China) achieved an astonishing 1 billion 500 million yuan turnover.

Between 1997 and early 1998, pyramid schemes swept across China's territory, and in April 21, 1998, the Chinese government issued a ban on pyramid schemes.

Overnight, Amway's more than 30 subsidiaries in the mainland and thousands of employees immediately stopped working. They stopped for 3 months and lost about 10000000 yuan a month. The stock of Amway Asia Pacific Limited related to China's business has shrunk 20% in the New York stock market. The impact immediately spread to friends and consumers of the staff, and sales fell to 320 million yuan in that year.

"That's the day I will never forget!"

Years later, Li Jinfen still sighed.

A severe prohibition order has begun, and Amway has not been able to do anything about it. But Cheng Li Jin Fei has never thought of giving up.

At that time, Amway Corp just spent a lot of money to buy the fortieth, forty-first floor of CITIC Plaza, the tallest building in Guangzhou.

No one knows how long it will take to stop the business, decorate or not decorate.

Zheng Li Jin Fei decides: decorate.

In her view, this is one of the best ways to convey confidence to enterprises, employees and the outside world.

Later, Zheng Li Jinfen recalled the days when he regrets: "in 1998, there were some big setbacks in the MLM ban and so on. They were just waves in my heart, instead of I was living in the waves all day.

I am very proud of my ability to be in danger.

Cheng Li Jin Fan, who is not surprised by the company, strongly feels that direct selling has been controversial in China. Besides people are not familiar with this sales mode, there are conflicts and contradictions between eastern and Western values.

She believes that any enterprise to succeed in China must achieve a balance between yin and Yang and become an excellent cultural combination of two aspects.

"We do not need to make a simple, either or a choice, but to find the best way to integrate."

She once said so.

With the localization of Zheng Li Jinfen, Amway (China) in the pition period started the unprecedented reform, and began to turn to "direct selling + shop sales + service outlets". This is a diversified marketing mode which has never been used in other countries.

In July, when the ban was launched for 3 months in July, other international Direct Selling Company began to withdraw troops from the Chinese market. Amway (China) became the first company that was approved by the relevant departments of the State Council to pform the business with "shop sales plus hire salesmen" mode.

In December 1, 2006, Amway (China) successfully obtained the direct selling license, which can be said as the result of the hard work of the Amway (China) management team led by Zheng Li Jinfen. At the same time, this "Amway mode" has become a model for many direct selling enterprises.

Over the years, no matter what happens outside the 10, Zheng Li Jin Fei has always tried to "keep up with the rest" of Amway's partners, and strive to safeguard the interests of dealers to the greatest extent.

Since then, Amway's [FS:PAGE] employees like to cordially call Cheng Li Jinfen as "Zheng Tai", not only for their heartfelt admiration for this elegant and dignified female boss, but also for her deep admiration of the spirit of "doing things without disturbance and changing her mind".

We are serious investors, and the heat of pyramid selling in China is once described by the media as a "public nuisance".

As a representative of direct selling enterprises, Amway is facing many pressures and doubts.

Where Zheng Li Jin Fei went, he emphasized that "we are serious investors".

Amway has already had 45 years of direct selling history.

Direct selling has also gone through 16 years in China.

Li Jinfen is very impressed: "we are serious investment."