Watson and his son: the struggle history of IBM

Watson and his son: the struggle history of IBM. When it comes to electronic computers, people will think of the household name "IBM". IBM, American International Business Machines Corporation, is not only the United States, but also the largest computer company in the world. It developed from a small company with less than 1000 employees in the 1920s to one of the largest enterprises in the United States in the 1970s. From 65438 to 0986, IBM's annual sales reached $88 billion, ranking first among the world's 100 largest companies. At present, the company has more than 200,000 employees worldwide and its business covers more than 65,438+050 countries and regions. Its great success is inseparable from the management of its founders and managers. Founder Thomas Sr? Watson was born in poverty. In his early years, he sold sewing machines door to door. He suffered many setbacks and hardships, but he finally built a great career. The second generation Thomas Jr.? Watson inherited his father's career, seized the opportunity and took the lead in putting the enterprise into the emerging computer industry, which made IBM develop by leaps and bounds. The family history of Watson and his son is a successful business history. Let's take a look at how Watson and his son worked hard to beat their competitors and dominate the world. , 1874, old Thomas? Watson was born in a poor peasant family in northern new york. My father is an immigrant from England. He lives by logging and farming. /kloc-when he was 0/7 years old, Watson rushed to the farmer's house to sell sewing machines, pianos and organs for his boss. He runs around the rugged country road all day, selling from door to door. At first, he was quite satisfied with the salary of $0/2 per week paid by his boss. Later, he learned from another salesman that he was actually fooled by the boss, because other salesmen usually get commission instead of salary. If calculated according to commission, he should get 65 yuan a week. That night, he tossed and turned, angry in his heart. The boss really bullies others. The next day, he quit his job and went to Buffalo by train, hoping to find a job as a salesman who paid by commission. It is quite difficult to find a job in the city when the economy is depressed. Two months later, he was hired by a company and became a salesman selling sewing machines. Later, he promoted stocks, and finally accumulated a sum of money and opened a butcher shop. But it didn't last long. His partner swept away all his funds in one morning. The butcher shop went bankrupt, and Watson went bankrupt, so he had to go back to his old job and do sales. He works as a salesman in the national cash register company. Watson, who suffered setbacks, never imagined that this was the starting point of his luck and success. John, president of the national cash register company? Henry. Patterson is an outstanding pioneer of modern business and the originator of modern sales technology. Watson has worked under him for 18 years, and his sales promotion art and management methods have had a great and far-reaching impact on Watson. Under Patterson's strict training, Watson was like a duck to water and gave full play to his potential. In just three years, Watson became the star salesman of the company, and his commission reached a record of $65,438 +0.225 a week. 1899, Watson was promoted to branch manager. By 19 10, he has become the second person in the company after Patterson. But after that, bad luck came to him again. Paterson, who is famous for his arbitrariness, always disdains employees who have made contributions but may pose a threat to him. 19 13 in the summer, Patterson listened to a vice president's slanderous remarks, thinking that Watson was trying to form a clique and foster cronies, and decided to dismiss him. Watson tried his best to defend himself, but in vain, he resigned angrily in April of the following year. Vowing revenge, when he walked out of the company office building, he turned to a friend and said, "I helped build all the buildings here." Now I want to start another enterprise, which must be bigger than Patterson's! "However, it is difficult to start a new career. Although Patterson gave him a $50,000 breakup fee, Watson lost his livelihood, lost his job and was almost 40 years old. He had to take his new wife and a hungry son to new york. Two months later, Watson met Flint, the founder of IBM. Flint is the most prosperous financier on Wall Street and is known as the "King of Trust". He had long heard of Watson's talent and immediately hired him as the manager of the computing and tabulation record company. This Flint company, which mainly produces scales, scales, clocks and tabulators, is on the verge of bankruptcy due to poor management. Watson is interested in this company mainly because of its products. He believes that clocks and watches and tabulators are tools of office automation and have broad business prospects. When Watson took over the company, he borrowed $50,000 to develop new products. As a result, the tabulator has been greatly improved and has become a best seller in the market. Watson adopted a set of methods he learned from Patterson and launched a large-scale marketing campaign in the late summer of 19 15. The company's sales increased from $4.2 million in 19 14 to $8.3 million in 19 17, almost doubling. At that time, the company had 65,438+0,200 employees. Due to the bad internal atmosphere and disunity among employees, many old employees prefer to bully new employees. In view of this shortcoming, Watson put forward three requirements: first, everyone must be respected; Second, we must provide users with the best possible service; Third, we must create the best and best results. He personally wrote company slogans and songs, and founded company tabloids and schools. On the company wall, slogans can be seen everywhere: "Now is the time, never come again"; If you want me to learn, it is equal to zero; I must learn to be a useful person. The reputation of a company is determined by what kind of people there are in the company. We have different ideas and different jobs, but when we start working, there is one thing that must be handled well-that is, interpersonal relationship. The hero of the company is the sales representative, and the sales staff is a big shot. These measures have greatly aroused the enthusiasm of all employees for unity and progress. Today, Watson's three requirements are still unswervingly carried forward in IBM, thus forming IBM's entrepreneurial spirit. At the end of World War I, the demand for tabulators surged. Almost every major insurance company and railway company has used Hollely tabulator made by Computer Tabulation and Recording Company. Soon, the * * * department also adopted it. Watson introduced a new type of printing and tabulation combination machine in time, which was welcomed by customers. Orders are piling up and products are in short supply. 19 19 years, the company's sales reached130,000 dollars, and its profit also rose to 2 10/0,000 dollars. 1924 In February, Watson, as the general manager of the company, decided to change its name to International Business Machines Corporation (IBM). That year, Watson just turned 50. In the early 1930s, IBM began to enter the typewriter industry, producing typewriters, punched cards, punching machines, sorting machines, accounting computers and other products, and introduced new products such as electric typewriters and alphabet tabulators. By the end of 1930s, IBM's sales increased to $39.5 million, and its profit reached $965.438 billion, exceeding the sum of the other four large companies of the same type and becoming the largest commercial machinery company in the United States. 1933, Roosevelt became president of the United States. As the president of the American Chamber of Commerce, Watson actively supported President Roosevelt's New Deal and established a good personal relationship with him. Later, Roosevelt asked Watson to be his commerce minister and ambassador to Britain, but Watson declined politely. Because he didn't want to leave the IBM he founded. For more than 20 years, he founded an unparalleled scientific research and production organization and a well-known sales team, which was not only a model of commercial machine manufacturing, but also a model of American industry and even the world industry at that time. IBM's career is in full swing, and "IBM people" need to reach new heights under his leadership! Father and son