What are the top ten most wise business secrets of ancient businessmen in China?

China people have a long business history and profound business culture. In the long-term business activities, they gradually developed the business strategy of "keeping your mouth shut" for China businessmen, which can be summarized as "Ten Tips for Doing Business".

First, know where to win and choose the place to make money.

"The Art of War" said: "The terrain is dangerous, and soldiers will block it." . Expect the enemy to win, calculate the danger, distance, and go to the general. He who knows this and fights wins, but he who doesn't know this loses. "Visible terrain is important to combat, and it is also necessary for generals to observe. Doing business is like fighting, shopping malls are like fighting, businessmen are like generals with thousands of troops, and wise generals often occupy favorable terrain and eventually win the war. As a great strategist in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Fan Li knew this well. From a strategist's point of view, he thinks that Tao Di is an ideal place for goods trade. So he chose Tao Di as the marketing point. Sure enough, in nineteen years, she became a world-famous woman, and the laudatory name of "Tao Zhugong" gained a reputation from ancient times to the present, leaving her name in history. According to Records of Historical Records and Biography of Huo Zhi, after the State of Qin destroyed the State of Zhao, the immigration policy was implemented. At that time, many people bribed officials, refused to move and asked to stay where they were. Only the wealthy businessman Zhuo asked to move to the farther "Wenshan Xia". He took a fancy to the fertile land, rich products, simple folk customs, residents keen on buying and selling, and good business development. A few years later, Zhuo became a world-famous rich man. This concept of "choosing not only the right time but also the right place" was accepted by later businessmen. Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, which is "the land to the left of Huai River and the beauty of bamboo creek", is located at the crossroads of north and south, with developed transportation, convenient water transportation and frequent cargo arrival. Its land is rich in tea, salt, silk and silks, and many businessmen come in droves. Once, merchants from the Qin Dynasty and Shanxi Province gathered here to settle down and operate. The famous Huizhou merchants started from here and dominated the rivers and lakes.

Second, buy when it is cheap and sell when it is expensive.

Fan Li and Bai Gui, the ancestors of Shang Dynasty, thought that "it is cheap to buy expensive; If it is expensive, it will be expensive, although it is already expensive. " It is emphasized that businessmen should be good at catching business opportunities, seize opportunities and seize the opportunity to buy and sell. The profit of business comes from the difference between buying and selling. Once you find the opportunity to buy and sell, you must make a decisive decision. In Wei Wenhou, China people pay attention to farming, while Bai Gui is willing to observe the changes of the times. When the harvest is good, he buys grain and sells silk paint. When silk came on the market, he bought a lot of silk and sold grain. He once said: "I am resourceful in business, such as Yi Yin and Jiang Taigong;" Good at judgment, such as Sun Bin and Wuqi; Good at law enforcement, such as Shang Yang. Some people's wisdom can't improvise, their courage can't be decisive, their kindness can't be chosen properly, and their stubbornness can't stick to principles. Therefore, I will not teach such people to learn management from me. " In this passage, his "punctuality" and "wisdom" in grasping the opportunity of buying cheaply and selling expensive are expounded incisively and vividly. Bai Gui's business principles and experience were praised by later businessmen. He used his own business strategy and carefully managed it, so that his family was exhausted.

Third, know from the bottom and predict wealth.

During the Spring and Autumn Period, Gou Jian, the King of Yue, was ashamed of his country's subjugation by snow. He worked hard all day. When he learned of the drought in Wu, he bought a lot of food from Wu. In the second year, Wu was short of food, and people's lives were difficult. The hungry people had no food to eat and complained, so the State of Yue took the opportunity to rise up and destroy the State of Wu. Hard work pays off. The King of Yue eventually became the overlord and became one of the "Five Overlords in the Spring and Autumn Period". Here, Gou Jian, the King of Yue, did a great thing. The wealth he created is not a treasure, but the hegemony of a country and the world. It is a successful example of the political application of the merchant's way. According to records, during the Song Dynasty, a fire broke out in Lin 'an City, which "damaged the fish pond", and a businessman named Pei's shop caught fire, but instead of putting out the fire, he used money to lure people out of the city to buy bamboo and wood bricks, reed rafters and other building materials. After the fire, everything was in a hurry, and building materials were in short supply in the market. At this time, Pei's businessmen took advantage of the situation and made a fortune, earning dozens of times the value of the store and meeting the needs of the market and the people. "Looking at a leopard in a tube", keen observation and accurate judgment are the source of wealth for businessmen, and they are also one of the necessary abilities for businessmen.

Fourth, small profits but quick turnover, no one dares to live expensive.

Ji Ran, a great business theorist in the pre-Qin period, thought that "being expensive is anti-cheap, while being cheap is anti-expensive" and advocated that "being expensive is like dirt, while being cheap is like pearls and jade". Sima Qian once said, "Buy for three dollars, buy for five dollars cheaper", that is to say, greedy businessmen can only make a profit of 30%, and businessmen with small profits but quick turnover can make a profit of 50%. According to "Biography of Li Yu", there are three businessmen dealing in the same commodity in the market together. One of them sold at a reduced price, and there were many buyers. They make a lot of money a year, while the other two refuse to sell at a reduced price, resulting in far less profit than the former. Sean, the counselor of Emperor Gaozu Liu Gang, sold scissors to people during the day and came back to study at night when he was studying in Huangshigong in his early years. Later, he felt that he didn't have enough study time, so he divided the scissors into three classes: upper, middle and lower. The price of first class is unchanged, the middle class is one penny less than the original price and the lower class is two pence less. As a result, it only took half a day, the number of scissors sold was twice as much as usual, the money earned was twice as much as before, and the time spent on study was more than before, so there was a folk proverb: Sean sells scissors-expensive and cheap.

Five, carve red and green, and be a partner with customers.

"Yanjing Miscellanies" contains: "The shops in Beijing always talk about the situation, carving red and green, and embroidered gold windows." In some shops, signboards are hung high, and colorful brocade lanterns are lit at the door of every house at night, making the streets look like daytime. Some shops hang commodity propaganda calligraphy and painting, celebrity calligraphy and painting, which is arty. In order to sublimate the taste of the store and improve the customer's return rate. There are also some tea shops, restaurants and hotels that specially arrange musical instruments and tell stories to entertain guests. In the noodle restaurant in Hangzhou, Kyoto in the Song Dynasty, as soon as the customer entered the store and sat down, the waiter immediately came over and asked the customer what he needed, saying, "Do whatever the customer asks, and don't make mistakes." Operators are well versed in the luxury of decoration, which reflects the strength of a store. Therefore, the design of the store is all painted columns and carved beams, antique and magnificent, catering to the consumption psychology of powerful ladies as much as possible. During the service, I greeted you with a smile and then went out to doze off. These respectful practices and noble and elegant decorations have made many customers "sit in the spring breeze" and "fall in love at first sight", thus staying and never paying attention. Sixth, take righteousness as benefit, pursue righteousness and avoid wealth.

In the Qing dynasty, there was a businessman named Shu Zungang, who was good at calculating and weighing. In his spare time in business, he likes to read four books and five classics and apply the truth in the book to business. He once said, "Money is like a spring." He also said: "For people, there is a way to make money, taking justice as a benefit and not taking advantage of it. The country is like this and the situation is excellent." Li Dahao, a businessman in Huizhou, warned his successors that "wealth follows the Tao, and benefits are beneficial" should be strict with self-discipline, so as to "treat injustice with wealth like a cloud". Confucius said, "A gentleman loves money and takes it wisely." . Righteousness leads to virtue, while righteousness leads to profit. Without righteousness, there is no profit, and businessmen should take it as a warning. "If there is a good house, there will be Qing Yu. There is more than one bad house. " If an operator has long-term rationality and wisdom, he will not use bad and despicable means to make profits; Doing any business by unscrupulous means will eventually lose the profits that have been made.

Seven, good at long sleeves and good at financial management.

"Five Idiots of Han Feizi" said: "There is an old saying:' Be good at dancing with long sleeves, and have more money to be a good wife'. This statement is how easy it is to use money. " What is emphasized here is the word "goodness". If the funds are insufficient, we should make good use of them, and the purpose of using them is also to make profits. Only when funds and commodities are constantly circulating can profits roll in. Treat the goods as "finished products", that is, the stored goods should be in good condition, "do not leave spoiled and eaten goods"; Dealing with funds should be "interest-free", that is, money cannot stagnate and "money moves like water". When money and commodities circulate, business lives. For example, Shen Kuo in the Song Dynasty said: the capital of 100,000 yuan will not be turned over, "although it is 100,000 in a hundred years"; If trade flows and turnover accelerates, "it will benefit millions."

Eight, seek victory, seek wealth.

Military strategists often say: "There must be no magic soldiers in the three armed forces, and they should not compete with others for profits", and "whoever fights wins by surprise". Sima Qian's Biographies of Historical Records and Huo Zhi said: "The way to govern life is also right, and the rich must win by surprise." The book also lists Yongbo, who sells oil, and Zhuoshi, who sells meat products. They all got rich by mastering a skill and dealing in imported goods. So did the later "Zhang Xiaoquan Scissors Shop". In the Qing Dynasty, a businessman in Cao Shi, Taigu County, Shanxi Province, was surprised to see sorghum grow tall and full of flowers one year. When he looked at it, he broke a few roots and found that there were pests in the stem. So he arranged for a large number of purchases of sorghum overnight. At that time, most people thought that a bumper harvest was in sight, so they reserved a lot of sorghum. As a result, the sorghum was bitten to death by pests when it was ripe, and the sorghum failed to harvest. Cao Shi businessmen, on the other hand, have made a lot of profits.

9. Be prepared for the surplus in times of peace.

There is a cloud in the Book of Songs: "Be prepared for danger in times of peace, be prepared for danger in times of peace." There is a saying in Han Shu's Biography of Xi Kung Fu: "Although the world forgets the war, there will be danger." Li Zuli, a businessman, "is meticulous and diligent, and the tiny bamboo scraps are all useful." The industry started in Japan and the home burned to the ground. " At the end of the Qin Dynasty, there was a businessman in the Stone Man who "cut corners" and asked his family not to drink, eat or eat meat until the business was finished. The ancient records about business and financial management also include: "Be diligent in business, not lazy, laziness will waste everything; Spend frugally, but don't be extravagant, for extravagance will exhaust your money. "It can be seen that businessmen are prepared for danger in times of peace, and diligence can make up for it." Pay attention to safety and don't forget the danger. " Less happiness and more troubles will make business people enter a better place.

Ten, choose people, choose people with sincerity.

Sun Tzu said, "It is the general trend to listen to what he says in order to help others. Those in power control power for profit. Therefore, a good fighter must seek the situation without complaining, so that he can choose people and follow the trend. " During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there was a businessman named Dao Xian in the State of Qi. Businessmen at that time were generally reluctant to hire people with flexible minds to do things, but Tao used such people specially, giving them rich rewards and full trust and letting them do it boldly. These employees work very hard and well. In the Ming Dynasty, there was a grocery store named Sun Chunyang in Suzhou, which was divided into north and south cargo rooms, sea cargo rooms, bacon rooms, sauce cargo rooms and candle rooms. "The ticket seller took a ticket from the counter and sent it to each room. The manager is responsible. A summary every day and a big knot every year. For more than 200 years from the Ming Dynasty to the Qing Qianlong period, children and grandchildren still benefited from it, and none of them were called Dingdai. " Like Suzhou, where there are many shops, Sun Chunyang's grocery business has flourished for more than 200 years. The secret of its success lies in the sincerity of employees and strict store rules. Guizhou businessman Hu Rong was ordered to do business in Jiangxi for more than 50 years. Because he was honest with others, childlike and famous, he went on strike in his later years and returned to his hometown. Someone asked him to "rent his name with a lot of money", but he flatly refused, saying, "If he is honest, why is he called by his name?" It can be seen that "sincerity-oriented" is the traditional virtue of China people in doing business.