BEIJING, Nov. 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On November 18, Mingya Insurance Brokerage's 20th anniversary celebration was successfully held at Beijing Yanqi Lake International Convention and Exhibition Center. Wang Peng, Vice President of Mingya, delivered a wonderful speech at the celebration. The following is the content of Wang Peng's speech:
On the occasion of Mingya’s 20th anniversary, the marketing department planned to publish a commemorative photo album. To provide materials, I sorted out a large number of old photos. When the memories of light and shadow traveled through time and space and appeared before my eyes again, I was pulled back to those special moments again and again. Many moments are still clear after many years, and I can even remember all the details of that moment; but some are blurred, and some once familiar faces can no longer be named. Maybe this is the mark of time!
Wang Peng, Vice President of Mingya Insurance Brokers Co., Ltd.
Whether in reality or in my mind, some people are always there; some people leave but leave their mark; some people are slowly forgotten. And I want to say that although it is difficult to remember all the people, we still have to thank everyone who has been here. It is the gathering of each individual that makes Mingya what it is today.
On the 20th anniversary of Minya, what should we look back on? What should we look forward to? Socrates had three famous questions: Who am I? Where do I come from? Where am I going? In the past 20 years, Minya has grown from nothing to something, from small to big, from weak to strong. It seems that we are on the road to success, but at this moment, perhaps we are at an important crossroads. We need to stop for a moment, look back, examine the present, and look into the distance, just like we have done many times.
I agree with what Feng Ji, the creator of Black Myth: Wukong, said: "When you are at the peak of confidence, you are also at the abyss of ignorance." The more prosperous it seems, the more we need to stay awake. So I would like to apply Socrates' questions here and talk about: Who are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going? I will slightly adjust the order of the answers and summarize this important node!
Looking back
Where We Come From
"Twenty" and "nian" have the same pronunciation, and Mingya's "twenty" journey originated from the initial "nian".
I once asked Mr. Yang very seriously, why did you start Mingya? His answer at that time was "a certain coincidence". He said that he studied finance and had worked in the banking and securities industries, but had never been involved in insurance, which was just in its infancy. In addition, another main founder, Ms. Hu Zhongbing, "lobbyed" him, so he chose insurance brokerage. They both believed that this was a vast blue ocean and Mingya had unlimited prospects.
I am not the founder of Mingya, but I am perhaps the most determined follower. Two years after Mingya was founded, I met Mr. Yang by chance and joined Mingya by chance. Who knows if there is a destined "necessity" behind a series of "accidents" in life? In short, eighteen years have passed to this day. At that time, as a practitioner who had fought in the front line of insurance marketing for eight years and had worked in three Chinese and foreign companies, I firmly believed that this was a vast blue ocean and we would swim freely.
However, the fact is that the "travel" of "travel" has turned into the "suffering". "Suffering" has become the main theme of Mingya's development. Fortunately, we have survived until spring comes and flowers bloom. So there is a question: Is today's prosperity due to excellence or luck?
I think we are lucky first, and I firmly believe that all successful people, no matter how many inspiring stories there are, actually have a considerable amount of luck. We are lucky that the changes in the market are exactly in line with our expectations.
First of all, customers' needs have changed from passive to active. When they are "passive", following the recommendations of acquaintances is often the best option, while when they are "active", comparing products from three stores becomes an inevitable need.
Secondly, the supply of goods has changed from being relatively single and highly homogeneous to being rich and diverse. The increase in the number of insurance companies, the differences in their market positioning and product strategies, and the marketization of scheduled interest rates have all accelerated the pace of product innovation and iteration.
More importantly, the huge changes brought about by the rapid development of science and technology have affected the entire society, and of course, the small insurance industry. Smart phones, various online social tools, massive amounts of information, algorithm push, etc. have completely overturned the traditional way of information transmission and acquisition. Coupled with the above-mentioned changes in supply and demand, the positions of buyers and sellers have been interchanged. Insurance marketing has quickly and irreversibly moved from the absolute seller-dominated model to the buyer model.
In this process, the natural attributes and advantages of insurance brokers have been highlighted, and we have also transformed from slightly ahead-of-the-time mavericks to leaders who have a firm grasp of the market pulse.
Of course, there is no need to belittle ourselves. Fortunately, we are indeed excellent. The key is that we chose a direction and never wavered. It was later proved to be the right direction, but at the beginning of the choice, no one knew how far away and how difficult the road would be. When there is only self-inference but no market evidence, only vague direction but no clear goal, it is actually very difficult to persist. If the road ahead is confused and life and death are at stake, it is even more difficult to persist.
In the past 20 years, there have been many important nodes, and we have been making choices under such circumstances. Sometimes I feel that the path of life and the development of the company are actually a collection of countless choices, big and small. Some choices are insignificant, such as what to wear and what to eat today; some choices are crucial, such as whether to do everything as long as it is profitable, or always stick to the bottom line, not to bend for a few dollars, or to be a mother who feeds you. The persistence in making choices, and even the willingness to live for death, may be the excellence of Mingya!
It can be seen that one thing originates from one thought, and one thought also runs through one thing. In summary, our "good luck" comes from two points: choosing the right direction and waiting for the right time. "Choosing the right direction" is not just because of a unique vision. On the long journey, it is often easy to know but difficult to do, and easy to do but difficult to persevere. Mingya's business barrier is not the model itself, but lies in faith and perseverance. And "waiting for the right time" may have always been the market's reward for those who believe and persevere!
However, everything has become the past. We look back on our past more objectively in order to have a clearer understanding of the present and to make the right choices for the future again.
look into the distance
Where we are going
The future has always been difficult to predict, and it is even more difficult now. The pace of human society development is accelerating. The changes in the last 200 years have far exceeded those in the previous 2000 years, and the changes in the last 20 years have exceeded those in the previous 200 years.
Once upon a time, people still needed to learn about current affairs through various newspapers and magazines, but now no one watches TV news, and various self-media platforms and short videos have become the main sources of information. When we were young, at least my generation, we still liked the beauty of letters and were used to sending letters, but today's children may not even know what stamps are.
From PCs to mobile terminals, from the Internet to the Internet of Things, from blockchain to the metaverse, as well as big data models, quantum computing, generative AI, brain-computer interfaces, etc., the leaps in technology are overwhelming, and even it has become difficult to fully understand each term and concept. This is the future that each of us will face.
Wang Peng, Vice President of Mingya Insurance Brokers Co., Ltd., delivered a wonderful speech
For the entire human social activities, the insurance industry may not even be the tip of the iceberg, and Mingya is even more like a drop in the ocean. With the changes of the times, when we look up at the stars and think about the future, the first thing we need is to know our insignificance and be in awe. Our achievements today are due to our own efforts and the favor of the market. Facing the future, all we can do is to work harder, and continuing to be favored is something that can only be encountered by chance.
It is really hard for us to imagine what the world, life and insurance will be like in 10 or 20 years. When driverless cars are widely used, auto insurance, which accounts for most of the property insurance market, will disappear, and may not even evolve into product liability insurance. When cancer and more diseases are conquered, the definition of critical illness insurance may be completely updated. The huge changes in the life cycle table will bring about huge changes in rates, as well as the reconstruction of the form and meaning of survival insurance and death insurance. Big data and information sharing will greatly improve efficiency and make many weak connections visible, thereby changing the underwriting methods and rules. The development of artificial intelligence and robots will reduce labor costs and make nursing and elderly-friendly services more standardized, which will not only bring opportunities for the development of long-term care insurance, but also have a major impact on the future's biggest cake - the pension insurance market. For example, the competition between the "community" and "home" pension models may present an unknown direction.
In short, today's future is more uncertain than ever before. But this may not be a bad thing for the insurance industry. Insurance deals with risks, and one of the main characteristics of risk is "uncertainty". The increase in uncertainty means the increase in risk, and the increase in risk can better reflect the significance of insurance.
At the macro level, the mutual assistance of the masses is a perfect mechanism to transfer the unbearable burden of individuals to the group. This is the original value of insurance, and it is also a great invention of mankind and an important symbol of modern civilized society. It is human nature to seek benefits and avoid harm, and to hate risks. Therefore, insurance will not only not decline, but will also accompany the development of society, constantly bringing forth new ideas and helping people resist various risks. As we have seen over the past few hundred years, insurance types have developed from the initial "marine", "fire" and "death" to the current all-encompassing, covering almost every aspect of production and life.
At the micro level, the richer the products, the less likely it is that a single supplier will be able to provide all services. Differentiation will become an important strategy for insurance companies to compete. At the same time, demand will become more personalized, and the development of technology will make individual pricing possible.
In this context, as long as we insist on being objective and diversified information providers, independent and more professional consultants, and as long as we can provide more diverse solutions to all uncertainties, we will always maintain our own value. Personal returns are always the true reflection of their own value. They may be temporarily high or low, but the market regulation mechanism will not cause them to deviate for a long time. The market regulation here includes both the efficiency competition between different channels in the industry and the opportunity cost competition between various industries at the social level.
Therefore, perhaps the most correct attitude towards the future is not to seek prediction and control, but to always embrace and accept. If you encounter good times, you might as well be more grateful and humble; if you encounter bad times, you need to be less resentful and disappointed. Now, and even in the future, there will be a new round of competition. Just like before, the core of the competition is not the wisdom in making choices, but the calmness and courage when waiting for the flowers to bloom.
Self-reflection
Who we are
Finally, let me talk about who we are. We used to be a "disruptor". When the seller model was popular, we chose to represent the buyer and put customer interests first. When the theory of "obeying and doing as told" dominated marketing management, we chose a democratic, equal and open model, changing company-driven to self-driven. When rapid expansion and human-wave tactics showed their power, we chose to be better off with less than sloppy and prioritize quality. But in fact, we should know that there have always been similar "disruptors" and even more "explorers" with different paths. It is not that we have disrupted or changed anything, but that the development of society, industry and market has brought changes. We are at the right time and stand at the forefront of change.
When new changes come, can we still stand at the forefront? Or will we also become the object of "subversion"? At this time, perhaps what we need most is self-reflection.
Over the past 20 years, Mingya has inevitably developed many characteristics and has been labeled with many labels. Different people have different opinions. Whether it is external praise or slander, it is not important. What is important is how to make our hearts more rational and clear through reflection. The following is my thinking, just as a starting point!
1. Inner pride
Why do I say that? Because we were once "minority" and "lonely", and this "lone hero" status inspired our inner pride and attracted more proud hearts. Now we are successful to a certain extent and have become a benchmark for the industry. The first thing we need to guard against is that pride evolves into arrogance. We can still be proud in our hearts, but we should not be arrogant and rude, we should not blindly flaunt ourselves and exclude others, and we should learn to appreciate the success and excellence of others, even competitors - whether external or internal.
Wang Peng, Vice President of Mingya Insurance Brokers Co., Ltd., delivered a wonderful speech
2. Study Committee Member
As we all know, Mingya people are a group of very studious people, and Mingya's learning atmosphere and enthusiasm have always been recognized in the industry. We can call ourselves "learning committee members", but we should know the difference between systematic learning and fragmented knowledge. We should also see how big the boundaries of our ignorance are as our cognition continues to expand, so as to avoid being complacent and overestimating ourselves. We must be more careful not to fall into the "information cocoon" in this era of algorithm push, and don't let yourself or even Mingya become anyone's "information cocoon".
3. Involution and Lying Flat
We - perhaps only some people - are sometimes called "roll kings". "Roll" and "lying" may have always been two sides of life. We can roll inward, as long as we enjoy it and use the pursuit of better as the driving force, rather than being dominated by jealousy and excessive desire to win or lose; we can also lie flat, because life is originally too futile, but we should not only see nothingness through "futility", but should still maintain optimism in reality after seeing through all the futility, and cherish all the beauty we have. As Romain Rolland said: "There is only one kind of heroism in the world, that is, to love life after recognizing the truth of life."
4. Independent thinking
We emphasize independent thinking, but that does not prevent us from believing. People always have to believe in something, but never be credulous or blindly follow others. We should learn to explore different answers from different perspectives. The final belief should be based on multiple analysis, rational thinking and logical judgment. We should dare to question, especially learn to question power and authority. Questioning is the embodiment of the scientific spirit, but questioning should also avoid being coerced by narrow-mindedness, ignorance and selfishness, and become an excuse to flaunt oneself and overthrow everything. The purpose of questioning is to pursue the truth.
5. Freedom and equality
We advocate freedom and equality, but we must know that freedom is not the will of an individual. Its limit is that it cannot harm the freedom of others, so as to ensure everyone's freedom from harm. Equality pursues equality in rights, rules, and processes, not equality in results such as resources and wealth. It should protect everyone to pursue greater interests under equal rules, and of course, ensure that people of different achievements and statuses are equal in basic rights and personality.
6. Individual Success
We encourage the success of each individual, which may be more worthy of attention than the overall grand ideal. Many economic theories have repeatedly explained why people, while constantly pursuing the maximization of individual interests, also promote the rational allocation of resources and social development. We can even be selfish, because no one is absolutely selfless, but while being selfish, we must maintain the bottom line of morality and law, and we should also maintain basic empathy and tolerance, and we must be more vigilant against becoming sophisticated egoists who often use grand excuses as a pretext.
Speaking of tolerance, I thought of something interesting. I accidentally discovered that November 16th is called "International Tolerance Day". Tolerance may be a very important virtue of human beings, and even one of the driving forces for the continuous development of human society. So I hope that every Mingya person can have a tolerant heart.
The above are my thoughts on Mingya culture. I don't know how many people will agree with it, and how many people will disagree. Today's society and even the world are undoubtedly becoming more and more diverse, and even more and more torn. With the increase in the number of people in Mingya, it is becoming more and more like a small society. The pursuit of unity of thought has never been Mingya's goal, but the consistency of certain basic values is the foundation of civilization. Culture can be diverse, but civilization must be common. Similarly, ignorance and evil are often similar. I hope that everyone's bottom line is at least to become a guardian of civilization.
After two eighteen-year periods in my life, I came to Mingya and spent the third eighteen years here, which is also the most important, fulfilling and fulfilling eighteen years. Eighteen years or twenty years is a long enough period from birth to adulthood. I think I am destined not to complete the fourth eighteen years here, not because I can't bear to leave, but because I need to respect the laws of nature. I firmly believe that Mingya still has a long way to go, just like the theme of the 20th anniversary - "The first twenty years are the beginning, and the mountains are endless", but the future always belongs to the young.
On the 15th anniversary of Mingya, I wrote a poem "Lang Tao Sha" to express my feelings. Now five years have passed, and both Mingya and the industry have experienced considerable changes. When people enter middle age, their state of mind is also different. Combining the above "looking back, looking into the distance, and introspection", I will write another poem "Xijiang Yue" to express my feelings!
The past is best remembered with strong wine, and I am not afraid of the autumn chill for half my life. My heart is at peace, and I don't care about others' praise or slander. I only regret that my talent is short and my time is short, and I feel that the road is long and my years are long. What's wrong with a thick waist and a thick hair? There will always be waves behind me!
