The Secret to Social Selling E-Cigarettes Is Hidden in the Lines of Dying to Survive

What is the hottest movie recently? I think everyone would say it’s "Dying to Survive." Even those who haven’t seen it have heard about it through various channels.

So what insights does the success of this movie give us? Why do I say that the secrets of social selling e-cigarettes are hidden in the lines of "Dying to Survive"? Do you know what pain points and needs e-cigarettes solve for users? Here are my thoughts.

–  I  –

"Discovering needs, meeting needs, and solving pain points"—that is the beginning of success.

Why has this movie attracted so much attention? It touches on pain points that resonate with everyone, as these pain points have become social issues.

Isn’t there a line in the movie that says, "Aren’t you sick? What will you do if you get sick? Aren’t we pitiful?" Pain points create needs; those who can discover needs and meet others' needs are the ones who succeed.

"Pain points are profit points; niche markets can also create big brands."

The emergence of a blockbuster product will inevitably lead to a surge of imitation products in a short time. How to ensure that a product is not imitated, or how to create copy that targets imitation products, is now a focus for many agents when choosing products. If the brand cannot solve this problem, the initial efforts may be in vain. After all, the trend of following the crowd is intensifying.

–  II  –

"Good wine fears no alley"—no matter how good a product is, if it’s not marketed well, it will still fail.

To better treat his father and pay for the surgery, Cheng Yong was forced to embark on the path of smuggling Indian generic drugs.

After obtaining the Indian medicine, Cheng Yong and Lu Shouyi’s first stop was the hospital, where they scoured every corner, but ended up not selling a single bottle and were even chased out by the hospital security.

Feeling disheartened, Lu thought of someone, the group leader Si Hui, who believed in them and gathered the group leaders of chronic myeloid leukemia patients from various hospitals. Thanks to Si Hui’s recommendation, everyone trusted them, and Cheng Yong’s medicine sold out, making him the exclusive agent for the Indian "Gleevec."

Does this experience sound familiar? You’ve probably gone through a phase of crazy selling too. Learning to "leverage" makes it much easier to open up the market.

"Solving user trust issues is half the battle."

In life, many salespeople only talk about how good their products are, but many come from their own perspective, without realizing the thoughts and needs of the buyer. Only by considering others' perspectives can one be accepted.

"Connections are traffic."

The value of influencers, internet celebrities, and operators is self-evident. Big brands invite celebrities and media to promote their events. Without connections, even if the market is right and target customers are identified, products may not sell. Building key connections naturally brings traffic. Many brands that join landing events are not just targeting customers; they are there to build connections.

"Precise follower acquisition yields better results."

Many people around me talk about gaining followers and traffic. They invest heavily in it, but the results are often disappointing. Why? Because any traffic acquisition that doesn’t aim for conversion is just a waste of time! Promotions like giving gifts for adding friends or samples for following often lead to "general followers" who are either deleted or become inactive. It’s essential to filter and focus on key customers.

–  III  –

"The consequences of stockouts are severe"—good supply chain management is essential for building a brand.

In the film, three types of "Gleevec" appear: genuine imported drugs, Indian generics, and the fake drugs sold by Zhang Changlin. Due to the high price of genuine drugs and the Indian government's lenient attitude towards generics, this has allowed generics and fakes to thrive.

Similarly, if a product sells out but the supply chain cannot keep up, it can lead to significant issues, especially for brand owners, potentially leading to brand extinction.

"Selling out is definitely not a good thing."

What are the consequences of stockouts? The most direct is a halt in sales; without sales, performance drops significantly, agents lose income and may leave, and customers are lost. However, this is not the most critical impact.

"The most severe consequences of stockouts manifest after the fact."

Price wars among agents, competitors following suit, a flood of imitation products, similar products flooding the market, and fakes taking advantage of the situation... these consequences can lead to rapid brand extinction, so the supply chain must keep up.

–  IV  

"Mastering community conversion is key"—if you don’t maintain your traffic, one mistake can lead to total failure.

In the movie, after witnessing a friend’s death, Cheng Yong returned to selling drugs. Although he had retired for over a year, he kept the list of patients who had bought his drugs. This is interesting; while he was afraid of being caught and intimidated by the fake drug dealer Zhang Changlin, he was ruthless during the farewell dinner but didn’t throw away the list.

Imagine if he hadn’t saved that list. Similarly, for those in e-cigarette social selling, maintaining personal connections is crucial; losing them means starting over. Therefore, it’s essential to be a "mindful person" and learn to "backup" your connections. Relationships between people are also fascinating; even in business, feelings can develop over time. The purpose of engaging in communities is to preserve connections, deepen relationships, and build networks.

"Fans engaging in communities will lead to continuous output."

After operating public accounts and other new media accounts for a long time, many have faced total loss due to a single mistake. Accumulating followers takes time and effort; having followers and orders doesn’t mean you can only do one-time business. Find ways to direct followers to customer service on WeChat, and once you have a foundation, you must build a community.

Many newcomers to community building often make the mistake of fearing to offend others, leading to tolerating ads and spam. Unknowingly, this turns the group into an ad group or leads to its demise after a few days of spam. You can’t please everyone; you can only keep those who resonate with you. What you need to do is set clear group rules and remove those who don’t follow them. If the community is valuable to them, they will find a way to return.

"Build relationships before discussing business."

When you interact with fans, engaging with them and having fun together makes it much easier to sell any product. By bridging the gap, respecting them, and giving them a sense of belonging, they will naturally help promote your product and even introduce friends, making marketing activities effortless.

"The ultimate secret to community operation: provide reliable products and services!"

Do a good job with your products! Provide excellent service! Ultimately, you still need to rely on products and services to make money; if the foundation isn’t solid, everything else is just a castle in the air.