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Raising a Glass and Discussing Business Future — Exclusive Interview with Liu Huiming, Vice President of Sales at Qianchuan Wooden Doors

　　"What is the biggest change you've experienced since coming to Qianchuan?"

　　"The biggest change? Definitely gaining weight, haha."

　　I kept thinking about how to start this interview article, and after much thought, I finally decided to begin with this humorous and memorable dialogue to kick off today's story.

　　Liu Huiming, Deputy General Manager of Sales in the Engineering Department of Qianchuan Wooden Doors, started as an ordinary employee at Qianchuan. Through his own efforts and the platform provided by the company, he gradually rose to the position of Deputy General Manager of Sales. It looks like an inspirational book, and indeed, there are many motivating stories behind it.

　　Deputy General Manager of Sales Liu Huiming

　　The opportunity to interview him began with a previous interview with Mo Yi, the Human Resources and Administration Supervisor... Due to the interview needs, the reporter learned about Liu's situation and felt there was much depth to explore. After a long wait and anticipation, the interview finally took place. Now, let's open this "book" and through its pages, get to know the protagonist and Qianchuan better.

　　Talking about the chance encounter that brought him to Qianchuan, it was more about fate. Before joining Qianchuan, he worked in real estate marketing planning in Shanghai. This job gave him a preliminary understanding of sales and laid a solid foundation for his success in the sales field. In 2008, he returned from Shanghai to Chengdu and searched for jobs with his resume at the Chengdu talent market. By chance, he applied for the position of Regional Manager at Qianchuan and was recognized by Mo Yi, then a personnel specialist and now the Human Resources and Administration Supervisor. In October of the same year, he joined the company and began a new career. After a series of trainings, he embarked on the "point of no return" path as a Key Account Manager, eventually becoming the Deputy General Manager of Sales at Qianchuan Wooden Doors. His journey was full of ups and downs, gains and losses, reflecting his professional value.

　　Since arriving at Qianchuan in October 2008, he had only "heard of" Qianchuan Wooden Doors. Knowing the company's background did not stop him from joining because he thought making doors should be simple. However, after interning in the workshop, he realized that the seemingly simple "door making" process actually involved many intricacies. From sales, ordering, production to delivery and installation, each stage had its challenges. Especially in wooden door production, having never seen the process before, he was stunned upon entering the workshop. He had no idea that an ordinary door required multiple steps like cutting, polishing, assembling, and sanding. At that moment, he realized not to underestimate seemingly simple things; their internal complexity changed his previous thoughts. Even a simple door hides a lot of knowledge.

　　Having been at Qianchuan for nearly four years, the Qianchuan Wooden Doors of four years ago is incomparable to today. Liu recalled the early days: "Back then, we were at the old factory in Gongping, with the office in an old, abandoned school building. Conditions were tough, and colleagues came and went in waves. Most of the colleagues who joined with me didn’t last long and resigned one after another. They even tried to persuade me to quit. Honestly, given Qianchuan’s situation at the time, I also thought about it. But why didn’t I quit? I believed that once you choose a company, you should share its fate and grow with it. That’s the responsible attitude of a professional. I thought no matter what happens, through my efforts, I would achieve results and show my potential to the boss."

　　Indeed, his achievements through hard work are evident throughout the company: almost all major projects currently undertaken by the company were won by him, and he ranks among the top in sales performance, truly a sales champion.

　　Of course, many people, like me, don’t fully understand Liu’s work content. Through in-depth conversations, his work gradually became clear. He said: "My job is actually simple, summarized in one sentence: mainly to find customer sources, analyze which customers are Qianchuan’s target customers, and then turn target customers into actual customers. It sounds simple, but there are many details involved. How to find customer sources, how to identify target customers among them, and how to convert target customers into actual customers are daily challenges. After finding target customers, the key is the transition from target to actual customers. Winning at this stage is the most important part of our work. This requires us to be in a constant state of readiness and tension, negotiating with target customers supported by the company, participating in bidding, starting the quotation process, and later secondary negotiations. Once we find target customers, we contact them. Customers come from all over the country. Big companies often ignore you, and you may wait several hours in the lounge just to meet a client who only gives you a few minutes. For example, last year I flew over 1,000 kilometers to Vanke, waited 7-8 hours, only to get a 3-minute meeting with the procurement manager. After 3 minutes, I had to leave empty-handed. This happens often, but I have a thick skin and often "pester" clients by phone. Through repeated contact, they gradually get to know me and our products, and cooperation intentions develop. This is a long-term relationship-building process that can take years. In dealing with clients, I have made many friends through sincerity, which is a great asset."

　　"After winning the bid, production, after-sales, delivery, and installation support are needed. This is a huge system. I don’t get deeply involved in every link. Of course, I handle client meetings and problem-solving on the front line. Other areas have dedicated departments. I only pay attention at certain points, for example, when the project orders are nearly complete, I check production status to estimate how long the process from production to delivery will take. Once the timeline is stable, I inspect installation conditions on site. The more continuous these processes are, the better. The worst is when something gets stuck at some stage, affecting project quality."

　　These basically cover Liu’s work content. It seems simple but is actually complex. Don’t be fooled by the appealing title of Key Account Manager; this position has its unspeakable hardships.

　　I remember one year when I took on an order from Ordos. The client trusted me and the company very much. At that time, the goods had not yet left the factory, but the full payment had already been made. However, because the company had just relocated the factory, there were problems with the goods at the time of shipment—either the serial numbers were wrong or some items were missing. This made it impossible for the client to complete the installation of the wooden doors smoothly. When problems arise, they must be solved. Normally, there was a dedicated after-sales department, and my sales task had already ended. But I thought, since I won this project, I must take full responsibility. So I immediately bought a plane ticket to go there. It was around November, and the weather in Chengdu was mild enough to wear just a light jacket. I thought it wouldn't be much colder there, so I went. But as soon as I got off the plane, I realized what cold really was—it was below zero, dry and cold. That wasn't all. It was late, and I took a taxi to the client's location. The client only gave a general location, and since I was unfamiliar with the area, I had no idea where to start looking. I had to rely on luck, but eventually, I found it. I talked with the client about the issues that occurred during this cooperation and proposed corresponding solutions. In the end, the missing goods were gradually supplemented, and the matter was satisfactorily resolved. Both parties also reached an intention for future cooperation. From this experience, I gradually understood the responsibility a key account manager should have—to be responsible to the client so that the future path will be smoother.

　　Just now, it was mentioned that the other party often gives you three minutes to state your demands. So, how should you win their favor within those three minutes and lay a good foundation for the next meeting? This requires us to be fully prepared before the negotiation, to thoroughly understand the other party's demands, and then proceed with the discussion. Therefore, doing this work requires patience and excellent adaptability. As the saying goes, one minute on stage requires ten years of practice off stage. This decade of practice must be honed to perfection; it takes time and continuous self-improvement to become more confident.

　　Besides continuous self-cultivation, the confidence in the sales process mostly comes from the Qianchuan brand and the Qianchuan team. It is precisely because of having such a strong backing from Qianchuan that I can face challenges head-on during sales.

　　Chairman Luo Zhengren proposed the marketing strategy for the Qianchuan brand a long time ago. From early on, Qianchuan started on a branding path. After years of effort, Qianchuan's brand influence is now very strong. I have always believed that Qianchuan has no real competitors. People often say that certain big brand wooden doors are our competitors, but from my perspective, I have never regarded them as competitors. Maybe this sounds a bit arrogant, but compared to Qianchuan, they are not competitors—at most, they are potential threats. Moreover, the energy given to me by the company team is boundless. The smooth completion of a project cannot be separated from the care of company leaders, the support of various logistics departments, and the hard work of brothers and sisters in the workshop. These cares and supports are always remembered. General Manager Luo Botao has a unique approach to managing the team. He trusts us and dares to let us take charge, coordinating on pricing and production, giving us great support. He often attends major negotiations. Imagine, when senior company leaders participate in negotiations, it gives us more confidence. This care has played a positive role in helping us successfully secure project orders. Once the order is secured, the work mainly involves ordering, production, and installation. These tasks are difficult to complete without the active cooperation of all Qianchuan brothers and sisters. In fact, I am more like the head of a nail, leading from the front and breaking the ice. If the subsequent processes are not guaranteed, it is all in vain.

　　When General Manager Liu talked about the company team, he said: "I still remember when China Resources 24 City was competing for a model room, at 2 a.m., he was still rushing to the site with installation workers and project managers to secure the model room overnight. It should have been off work time, but the installation workers were still diligently rushing to complete the work. This moved me deeply and made me feel the company's team spirit and cohesion. Whether in production or installation and after-sales, it has shown strong combat effectiveness. Many times, when facing urgent customer demands, large production volumes, or large installation volumes, the company often exceeds expectations and makes the other party very satisfied. This makes me feel that at Qianchuan, the huge energy generated by team cohesion pushes me to keep moving forward." Finally, when talking about his growth in the company, he also expressed his gratitude: "Back then, I returned from Shanghai to Chengdu and then came to Qianchuan. Looking back over these years, Qianchuan has provided me with a platform to realize my value. Here, I have achieved a transformation in my career and life. I am very grateful for this experience. At Qianchuan, I have gained not only career success but also the realization of personal value. I thank Qianchuan, and Qianchuan's future will be even better."