What kind of brother is the best brother?
It's someone who can handle many things for you when it's inconvenient for you to show up, and even if his original intention was just to see you get into an awkward situation, it can still be considered a divine assist.
Zhang Xupeng was exactly like this.
He wanted to see Tan Jincheng's discomfited expression, little did he know how happy Tan Jincheng was inside at this moment.
This idiot did a great job!
"Sister-in-law, I didn't know you were coming before, and Xiao Tan didn't say anything in advance, so I only booked one room. Just make do for now. The Canton Fair makes rooms quite tight right now, and if you try to book last minute, you won't get a room on the same floor, which isn't very safe."
"Xiao Tan didn't tell you, did he? The public security here is much worse than in Yongcheng."
Gu Qingqing, meanwhile, glared fiercely at Tan Jincheng, believing he was behind it.
Tan Jincheng helplessly waved his hand and said to Zhang Xupeng,
"Hurry up and scram to mind your own business."
"Then how will you two get to the Canton Fair later?"
"I can take a taxi. Now get out of here."
Seriously, why are you still watching the show at a time like this?
Shouldn't you be quietly taking credit for your deeds?
After driving Zhang Xupeng away, Tan Jincheng said with a cheeky grin to Gu Qingqing,
"This really has nothing to do with me. He acted on his own initiative."
Gu Qingqing rolled her eyes at Tan Jincheng and said nothing, going to pack her things.
Fortunately, because of the rush, Zhang Xupeng didn't clarify things with Liu Wenbin, which resulted in him booking a standard room.
If it had been a king-size bed room, it would have been even more awkward, and Gu Qingqing probably would have booked another room.
After a short break, Tan Jincheng took Gu Qingqing to the Canton Fair site.
After all, this was one of the real purposes of their trip.
Upon entering the venue, Gu Qingqing looked at the bustling exhibition site with a curious expression.
"So many people, and so many foreigners! I've never seen so many foreigners before."
Compared to the period when the internet officially became popular, the Canton Fair, known as "the world's foreign trade looks to China, and China's foreign trade looks to Guangdong," was a tremendous shock to individuals and enterprises participating for the first time.
People of all skin colors from around the world gathered here.
For foreign trade practitioners of this era, this was where dreams began.
The Pazhou Guan had started being used this year, and the Liushui Guan would gradually cease operations.
Compared to last year, this autumn's Canton Fair saw significant changes.
Middle Eastern magnates were observing Ramadan, so the number of exhibitors this time decreased significantly.
There were many more European clients, and the Euro was still very strong during this period.
Earning US dollars and Euros were both excellent choices.
In 2005, one Euro could be exchanged for approximately 10.19 RMB.
Jinpeng and Jinyi's main customer bases were primarily in Europe and America.
For foreign trade during this period, it was sufficient to secure European and American clients.
In fact, during this period, import business was somewhat easier to do than export business.
In the early 2000s, there was no concept of "supporting domestic products."
The thinking of the last century still influenced Chinese people today.
Coupled with domestic goods being full of counterfeits and substandard quality, imported goods were more popular these days.
"How do they take orders?"
Gu Qingqing asked, somewhat curious.
"Mainly through communication. For example, when a customer comes to your booth and asks about your products, you need to seize this opportunity. Try to be sincere, describe what your product is really like, and don't be too extravagant."
"Oh, so it's similar to when we go to a store to pick out clothes?"
"Yes, you can understand it that way. For women's clothing, you need to have good taste and create attractive styles."
"It sounds simple, but it probably isn't easy to do, right?"
"That's true. It's just that due to the large shipping volume, many companies can get a share of the profits. Once the market capacity reaches a certain level, things won't be so easy."
This year is a prime example.
The environment this year is complex, and arbitrary, disorderly expansion could very likely lead to failure this year, especially in the apparel industry.
Due to seasonal reasons, clothing "expires" very quickly, and the pressure from inventory can largely crush a factory.
This is also why so many OEM factories don't directly engage in foreign trade.
One strategic mistake can lead to a very passive situation.
It's also why there have been so many clearance sales of leftover foreign trade orders in rural markets over the years.
Jinpeng Trading also had more or less some leftover orders from each batch of goods, but these were all well absorbed by Taobao stores.
These days, people who dared to go online were looking for novelty, and also had certain economic means.
Those brave enough to shop online were truly pioneers.
As long as the price wasn't too outrageous, they were genuinely willing to try.
In those special times, some inconspicuous places were truly quite profitable.
For instance, in some northern villages and towns, there would be several large markets each month.
They would bring in a batch of leftover foreign trade footwear and apparel.
If bought in large quantities, a pair of shoes could even be acquired for a few yuan and sold for around thirty yuan.
Deducting stall fees, labor, and fuel costs, almost all of it was profit.
Making 20 yuan profit per item was no problem at all.
This was a relatively legitimate way to make money by exploiting information asymmetry.
There were also some illicit methods.
For example, Tan Jincheng had heard of people using magnets to collect iron filings by the Yellow River, continuing until Guo Jia explicitly banned it in 2008, showing how profitable it was.
Walking slowly along, Tan Jincheng introduced Gu Qingqing to the ins and outs of various booths while recounting some interesting anecdotes he had heard.
Soon, they arrived at Jinyi Industry's exhibition area.
"Boss, why are you here? Why didn't you say something in advance so I could pick you up at the airport?"
"I had some other business in Yangcheng, and since I was already here, I thought I'd stop by and take a look. This is Gu Qingqing, my girlfriend."
"Oh, hello, Boss's wife."
What a sweet talker.
The speaker was Qin Junchao.
He was the team leader for Jinyi Industry at this Canton Fair and also the head of Jinyi Industry's business department.
Incidentally, he was also Lin Yumin's apprentice.
A few years earlier, he had worked in the petrochemical sales division.
Later, he was fired for fighting on behalf of someone else.
After leaving, he could only drift among small and medium-sized private enterprises, which also led to him not doing very well in recent years.
Before the establishment of the Shanchi marketing department, Lin Yumin and Wu Zhenping had spent some time familiarizing themselves with Jinyi Industry.
Qin Junchao was recommended by Lin Yumin at that time.
Being impulsive and suffering losses early in youth isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Brother Ma had received an early setback due to the Q-coin issue back then, but didn't he live comfortably afterward?
Qin Junchao was also like this.
After experiencing setbacks, his personality became much more steady.
After evaluation, Tan Jincheng decided to keep him at Jinyi Industry as a person in charge.
Compared to employees hired through recruitment, people like him were more trustworthy.
Currently, Tan Jincheng's main team was still primarily composed of fellow townsmen.
Sun Yuming from the procurement department was from Luzhou, Wu Zhenping was from Wuhu.
Lin Yuzhong and Qin Junchao were both from Yicheng.
His assistant was even Zhang Xupeng's cousin.
Shanchi Technology, to be blunt, was currently still an assembly factory.
Its technical content was average, so operationally, there weren't many difficulties.
For some non-technical yet relatively critical positions, the requirements for talent were actually not high.
Obedience, loyalty, and not being too greedy would suffice.
Besides these people, Tan Jincheng would also arrange some trustworthy relatives for future grassroots positions.
Family businesses were undesirable, but a factory definitely needed its own trusted associates, especially for some grassroots positions.
Relatives were not unusable.
Relatives who were capable, obedient, and willing to work would definitely be more beneficial to the factory's management than others.
This was undeniable.
In fact, many family businesses developed very well precisely because of this.
After returning, the first person Tan Jincheng planned to arrange into the factory was Zhang Qingliang.
Zhang Qingliang, in his thirties, was the most stable in character among his uncles, the most dedicated in his work, and also the one who understood his position most clearly.
After decorating several houses, Zhang Qingliang had never, in front of Tan Jincheng, used a senior's perspective to dictate terms.
For renovations, he strictly followed the "master's" wishes, and even if a request seemed unreasonable to him, he would not refute it directly.
Working for a junior in the capacity of a senior, and always recognizing one's own status—this was extremely rare in Tan Jincheng's eyes.
Few people could humble themselves to that extent.
After the car accident, his leg was affected to some extent no matter what, and he might not be suitable for working as a renovation worker in the future.
This was a good opportunity to let him join the new factory, starting from the most basic level.
In the future, he might even be able to serve as a team leader or even a workshop director.
Ancient times emphasized the saying,
"When one person achieves enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven."
Although this saying doesn't exist in modern times, and even a decade or so later, the three views (worldview, values, outlook on life) underwent immense changes, with everyone being self-centered.
However, relatives who are not bad in character and capable of doing work can still be helped.
Moreover, this also benefits himself.
Placing them at the grassroots level would also be like having an extra pair of eyes for himself.
"How was the customer traffic today?"
Tan Jincheng asked.
Qin Junchao replied,
"Customer traffic is alright. There's a noticeable increase in customers from Europe. I estimate that most of our clients in the second half of the year will be concentrated in this region. Additionally, I think we could appropriately develop this region."
He had previous experience attending the Canton Fair, so he understood some of its intricacies.
"Hmm, that's a good suggestion. Later, we can focus more on European clients when receiving customers."
Tan Jincheng nodded.
The Euro was still very strong these days, and the Eurozone also had the intention of competing with the US dollar.
Qin Junchao's suggestion was indeed perfectly valid.
As for customer groups from other regions, let's just go with the flow.
Although the magnates pay generously and profits are high, most of their products require customization, which is quite troublesome.
If they cancel an order, the losses would be even greater.
Furthermore, although A-San is also a major importing country, with a huge market space, Tan Jincheng has had no interest in this market so far, nor will he have any interest in the future.
A-San dares to swindle anyone.
(End of Chapter)