Millet CEO Lei: "Hunger marketing" is a false proposition

At the end of 2012, Lei was very red. This month, he has even won the "2012 Chinese Economic Leaders", "2012 China's annual entrepreneurial figures." The previous award, Lei, was elected as a result of the innovative Internet phone marketing model; the latter award, because Millet only in the past fiscal year (as of November), to create 10 billion yuan in sales.

5th, Lei through the phone to accept this reporter's interview. Interestingly, his judgment is very different from the "popular aesthetic".

Due to insufficient capacity: there is no sale of goods against commercial logic

Almost do not advertise, only on the official website limited sale, snapping, breaking goods often happen, where customers, Jinshan and other IT enterprises high level free platform publicity ... 2012, Millet's alternative marketing method, has achieved a decent effect. According to Lei estimates, the end of this year, Millet mobile phone sales will exceed 7 million units. But some people in the industry pointed out that millet is just imitating Apple's "hunger marketing."

"' Hunger marketing ' is a pseudo proposition," lei to reporters: "What does it mean to have a product that doesn't sell?" A millet mobile phone price of 2000 yuan, 500,000 is 1 billion yuan, frequently broken goods, but also to consumers bring bad experience. For which company, it is a violation of business logic; In general, the supply cycle of millet mobile phone is 3-4 months. In other words, in the first 4 months of a mobile phone to make good, it is necessary to pay the payment to parts suppliers. In order to ease the capital pressure, the faster the goods flow better. ”

Lei limit, the reason for the break down to the supplier's capacity is insufficient. "The main is the CPU supplier Qualcomm's limited capacity." Now that the problem has been solved, since December, the monthly production of Millet has been raised from 300,000 to 1 million units, consumers in order to get the phone within 7th. ”

In Lei view, the essence of Millet success is open: "The system research and development platform MIUI is open, developers can develop a variety of programs, sales platform is open, consumers can put forward their own software requirements, the development of millet developers immediately." It can be said that consumers are also the producers of millet. ”

Steve Jobs's idol: the "Product Manager"

Before 2007, Lei was hailed as "it idol". After graduating from Wuhan University, he joined the Jinshan Company in 1992, and has been in the position of President in 2000. After the 2007 departure from Jinshan, for a long time, Lei are "angel investor" status, appear in the industry.

Last month, Lei invested in a successful IPO in the United States, not only his dream of IPOs, but even more profitable returns. According to statistics, Lei invested in more than 20 IT companies. From the new media Lei Feng Net, to the entrance Jinshan UCWeb, and then to the electric business van, there are insiders pointed out that Lei has been cleverly with the help of capital, complete the mobile internet industry chain layout, and millet, yy together, forming a "lei department."

Now, the millet mobile phone has been used yy voice chat function, Jinshan cloud function; before, more see and millet integration has been completed. In the future, will the "Lei department" have more integration? "It's not about incorporating all the companies into millet," says Lei. To see how cooperation, greater synergy, but also to respect the wishes of the founders of the company. ”

If the venture is Lei's "hobby", then Millet is his "lifeblood".

"He is an out-and-out product manager!" "Follow Lei 10 millet public head Liu told reporters. The Lei of jobs as an idol is also quite similar to the obsession with products.

"In Lei's office, there is a safe, with about 30 handsets and pad in the cupboard," he said. In order to ensure that the size of millet suitable for the user's use habits, Lei personally take a ruler more than 30 machines long, wide, thickness. Liu said: "He is very persistent in every detail of the product." Every major new product on the market either he buys it himself or the staff buys it. Iphone5, Lei from the United States to bring back 5 parts. ”

Millet strategy: Use the mobile phone circle person, use the software to make money

December 4 night 10 o'clock, Lei is still in the meeting with the radio and television sector. "When the millet box can be listed is not easy to say, but we will comply with the relevant regulations." "Lei said.

Millet box, this is to connect millet hardware, software services, an important link. November 23, Millet suddenly announced the full refund of the deposit, suspended the release of Millet box. Millet people confirmed that the main reason is that the millet box to try to put PPS and other non-Internet TV licensee's content, projection to the television, there is a "step over the line" suspicion, and was the SARFT emergency stop; it is revealed that the millet box is likely to return to the second, stripped of the contents of the licensee, the listing again.

But the loss of "set-top box" function of the millet box, at best only for a mobile phone accessories, "lethal" immediately cut; more importantly, the millet can use the box to occupy a TV screen, so that the Millet software services have another "entrance." Box is forced to "thin body", mobile phone terminal face Huawei, the family and other domestic brothers challenge, millet layout can be successful?

Lei does not seem to worry: "As long as the millet mobile phone is good enough to continue to attract consumers." When the user reaches certain scale, the software application will produce the scale effect, thus forms the millet ecology net. More than enough users, will naturally form a profit model, QQ selling a blue diamond can not be money? A survey shows that the users of millet mobile phones in the system platform, active degree is quite high. This is the biggest difference between an IT company and a hardware company. ”

Use the mobile phone circle person, use the software to make money. The question is, is the phone alone attractive enough? Users of the stickiness will be Tencent QQ, Baidu search engine, Alibaba Taobao electricity business so big? Lei said the stickiness of the premise is sufficient user volume. How much user capacity can support the millet ecology? Lei said: "We are also groping." ”

At least for now, Millet can't sit still.