Eva Dou > Quotes

“On January 28, 1996, Ren Zhengfei held Huawei’s first “mass-resignation ceremony.” Each head of a regional sales office was told to prepare two reports: a work summary and a written resignation. “I will only sign one of the reports,” Ren said.[1]”
― Eva Dou, House of Huawei: The Secret History of China's Most Powerful Company

“Ren had grown up in the Mao years, when there was no such thing as private-sector sales. Now he presented sales to his young followers in rousing terms, almost as a mystical vocation. “Sales work is special, complex, and noble,” he told them. “You need the intelligence of a scientist, the insight of a philosopher, the eloquence of an orator, the ambition of a social reformer, and the optimism and persistent spirit of a religious man.”[8] He said that the sales profession was a battlefield, even if there wasn’t gunpowder or smoke. It was winner takes all, no mercy for losers. “Haven’t you been dying to have a go?” he asked. “Haven’t you been seeking all along your self-fulfillment? Then stand up bravely. This great era calls for unique heroes.”
― Eva Dou, House of Huawei: The Secret History of China's Most Powerful Company