You Erping: From Outsider to Tobacco Industry Professional

 Introduction: “The peach and plum trees do not speak, yet a path forms beneath them.” In February this year, during the city system’s ninth round of democratic recommendations for human resources reform, You Erping was elected with a high vote count as head of the market service division. Over the past six years, You Erping has grown from an “outsider” to the tobacco industry into a capable mid-level manager able to take charge on his own. It was his passion, persistence, and sincerity that enabled him to achieve extraordinary results in an ordinary position and write a remarkable chapter of unremitting奋斗 in his life.

  Heated Tobacco News reported: His name is You Erping. In August 2008, after passing a selection examination from his rural hometown in Xinhua, Hunan, he was hired by the Chengbu County Tobacco Branch as a customer manager. He knew this job had not come easily and treasured it deeply. During nearly six years at Chengbu Tobacco, he always remembered that he was a tobacco professional and faithfully fulfilled the responsibilities and duties that came with that role.   Rooted on the Front Line, Diligent in His Work   When he first took on the role of customer manager, You Erping did have some doubts and went through a few difficulties, because he had majored in computer science in college, which had little to do with marketing. To become familiar with the business as quickly as possible, he started from scratch and willingly became a “student.” At the beginning of his job, the area he served included the Nanshan region, 80 kilometers from the county seat. The mountains were high, the roads long, and the service area extensive. After a full day of visits, he would travel dozens of kilometers, sometimes more than 100 kilometers. He still remembered his first trip to Nanshan, when the winding mountain roads gave him a harsh introduction—despite never having suffered from motion sickness before, he vomited badly…… At first it was hard to endure, but he gritted his teeth and persevered. In the days that followed, whether under the blazing sun or in wind and rain, he insisted on spending four days each week visiting the market, speaking in depth with customers, and mastering the most detailed and reliable customer information.   Service with Heart, Dedication to Study, and Courage to Innovate   “There are no bad customer relationships, only a lack of attentive service,” was a phrase You Erping often repeated. Among the 236 customers under his management, he knew clearly where each customer came from, what their main business was, and what their specific needs were…… Faced with generally low education levels among customers, he patiently guided them step by step in placing orders, analyzed situations together with them, kept retail guidance prices for cigarettes updated at all times, and served as a trusted adviser. In his work, he focused on strengthening emotional communication with customers, answered every question patiently, and never brushed anyone off with vague responses like “I’m not sure” or “I don’t know.” Hard work brought rewards. Over the years, his area consistently ranked first in the county in cigarette sales, out-of-province cigarette market share, and customer satisfaction.   “Blind faith in books is worse than having no books; blind faith in teachers is worse than having no teachers.” As his professional knowledge and work experience gradually increased, You Erping did not remain bound by convention. Instead, he worked hard on theoretical research and explored new working methods. He emphasized applying what he learned, integrating study with research, and actively offering suggestions for enterprise development. In just over five years, he published more than 40 professional academic papers on various industry websites and media platforms, and repeatedly won awards in paper competitions organized by tobacco societies in the central-southern region and at the provincial and municipal levels.   Willing to Contribute, Putting the Greater Good Above His Family   “Be proactive, selfless in dedication, and become someone truly committed to the cause.” You Erping understood that choosing tobacco sales meant choosing responsibility and dedication. Every January is the critical period for securing a strong start in cigarette sales. In 2012, his unit’s sales target increased significantly year over year, while the sales cycle became shorter. On top of that, temperatures remained low, mountain roads froze over, and the pressure on cigarette distribution increased sharply, making the “strong start” task extremely difficult. At the time, You Erping was responsible for managing 240 urban customers as well as county-wide supply allocation. He knew the responsibility and pressure he was carrying. To avoid affecting work, he fully demonstrated the exemplary role of a Party member and threw himself wholeheartedly into the job. Just as he was fully engaged in the tough battle of cigarette operations, on the night of January 2, 2012, his wife gave birth to their son by cesarean section. With their home in another place and his parents not by their side, only his mother-in-law was available to care for the mother and child, and for a time he was overwhelmed trying to juggle everything. Before he could fully enjoy the joy of becoming a father, he weighed the situation again and again and resolutely returned to work. When colleagues asked why he was not staying to care for his wife and child, he joked, “How can I be absent at a critical moment?” During his wife’s hospitalization, he did not take a single day of nursing leave. At work he kept himself constantly busy, and after work he dragged his tired body home to help his mother-in-law take care of his wife and child……   Undaunted by Hardship, Balancing Study and Work   In March 2012, through his own efforts, You Erping was selected by his unit to pursue a master’s degree in logistics engineering at Central South University. At that time, the customer service division was facing its greatest staffing shortage. The entire department, including him, had only four customer managers, and one of them had been transferred for closed training for the provincial marketing skills competition. Before leaving to report to the university, he felt both excited and conflicted about the year-and-a-half of full-time study ahead. What worried him most was that more than 230 retail customers under his management had not yet been reassigned. Considering the department’s actual situation, he voluntarily asked his leaders to let him continue taking on customer management responsibilities concurrently. During his full-time study period, he focused on classes during the day and, at night, patiently handled order guidance, online ordering reminders, cigarette price information collection, and market analysis. Every weekend and during winter and summer breaks, he returned to the unit in time to carry out work. During that year and a half of full-time study, he gave up 48 weekends of rest. In return, he successfully completed all the theoretical coursework for his master’s degree as well as a year and a half of concurrent customer manager duties. But only he truly knew the hardship he endured during that time……   “The peach and plum trees do not speak, yet a path forms beneath them.” In February this year, during the city system’s ninth round of democratic recommendations for human resources reform, You Erping was elected with a high vote count as head of the market service division. Over the past six years, he has grown from an “outsider” to the tobacco industry into a capable mid-level manager able to stand on his own. It was his passion, persistence, and sincerity that enabled him to achieve extraordinary results in an ordinary position and write a brilliant chapter of tireless奋斗 in his life.      #p#Page Title#e#