Real business wars, at the level of bosses, are always harmonious.
Everyone happily sits together chatting, drinking, and attending meetings organized by the upper echelons.
For the several meetings on the 18th, Dong Jinggui and Tan Jincheng almost always attended together.
As a senior, Dong Jinggui even proactively helped introduce some industry insiders to Tan Jincheng.
See, a senior taking care of a junior, isn't that harmonious?
What if there were direct confrontations in both the CD and Southwest markets?
It wasn't uncommon for employees below to resort to petty tricks, such as deflating the tires of competitors' vehicles, while vying for advertising resources.
But these matters, everyone either truly didn't know, or pretended not to know, and no one would proactively bring them up.
Zhang Congxun was the same; even after Flash Electric Technology's sudden attack hit his major artery, he still maintained his composure when facing Tan Jincheng.
"If the electric vehicle market before 2006 was the embryonic and development stage, then all data indicates that starting from 2006, with policy support from various regions and the rising living standards of the populace, the electric vehicle industry will enter a period of explosive growth."
"I hope everyone, in the new year, engages in orderly competition, ensures quality control, and enables the public to confidently purchase the electric vehicles you produce."
Tan Jincheng listened intently.
Unlike the other entrepreneurs attending the meeting, he possessed memories of his previous life.
He could determine whether the experts were correct by analyzing their statements in conjunction with his past memories, thus allowing him to better grasp the overall situation.
This expert was probably right.
Electric vehicles, after several years of market cultivation, combined with policy support and increased restrictions on motorcycles.
Additionally, there was the increase in per capita income, but not yet to the point of buying cars, making electric vehicles convenient, practical, and cheaper than motorcycles.
Whether macro or micro, the electric vehicle market should be entering an explosive growth phase; if not this year, it will be next year, a fact evident from the sales figures announced by various companies in the first quarter.
Competition has intensified, but the overall sales of each company are rising, indicating that the market pie is growing.
"So serious? Didn't they say young people don't like these kinds of meetings?"
Tan Jincheng's attentive listening, even taking notes, caught the attention of Dong Jinggui beside him.
"I'm new to the industry, so learning more is always beneficial,"
Tan Jincheng replied in a low voice.
"There are many new entrants, but not many are qualified to attend such meetings."
"It's all thanks to the seniors being accommodating."
Dong Jinggui pursed his lips.
He had to admit that this young man was genuinely modest; there was nothing to fault in his character.
However, when it came to business, he was truly ruthless, not hesitating at all to seize market share.
Starting late last year, electric vehicle brands collectively exploded, with thousands of brands appearing on the market.
Flash Electric's exclusive spokesperson advantage from last year was gone, but they were still able to maintain rapid growth.
Actually, Dong Jinggui really wanted to ask Flash Electric Technology how many cities it had expanded into, how many stores it had, and how many service outlets it currently had, but he also knew that these were unanswerable questions.
Just as if Tan Jincheng asked him, he wouldn't tell either.
To find out these things, one either had to wait for competitors to announce them or investigate the market themselves.
At the same time, the various exhibition booths at the trade show were considerably quieter compared to yesterday.
Flash Electric Technology was doing a bit better because it had partnered with the Elderly Association for a donation event, so the number of people present was higher than other companies.
Since the boss was in a meeting, assistant Zhao Xinyi was fully in charge of the on-site donations.
A large exhibition can provide considerable opportunities for growth.
Zhao Xinyi felt that she had improved significantly through this exhibition experience; at least, the boss could now confidently entrust donation activities like the current one to her.
However, today's electric vehicle sales were far worse than yesterday.
Without the fan base, individual car buyers all had practical needs, and these people were relatively much more rational.
But it was already quite good.
Flash Electric Technology invested a lot in this exhibition, but yesterday's single day sales were enough to cover it.
Flash Electric Technology's investment in marketing was relatively large.
Aside from advertisements placed on CCTV, the current average advertising cost in county-level markets was around 10 yuan per vehicle, while in prefecture-level cities it was higher, approximately 70 yuan per vehicle.
To reduce marketing costs, boosting sales is the best method, as it allows for the amortization of more marketing expenses.
This exhibition was a good opportunity to amortize costs.
Too many foreign businesses will only look at the quality of your products; the order volume and price are also not comparable to the domestic market, and what's earned is US dollars.
To sell the vehicles, Tan Jincheng made a promise: for every vehicle sold at the exhibition, a corresponding commission would be given (except for Liu Yifei), and the commission share could increase if over 100 vehicles were sold.
This also led to the exhibition staff promoting with great effort; it was as if everyone was a salesperson, and even Zhao Xinyi, an assistant with not much time, managed to squeeze in two sales.
The good news for Flash Electric Technology at this exhibition was not limited to sales and on-site popularity.
Yesterday, news releases from several media outlets that interviewed Tan Jincheng, such as Times Network and other online media, had already appeared on the internet.
Print media were also expediting manuscript review and printing.
This demonstrated the efficiency of online media; these free promotional resources were already being utilized even before Flash Electric Technology's large-scale online promotion had officially launched.
Of course, while said to be free, it wasn't entirely free.
Flash Electric Technology's marketing department would properly arrange the necessary travel expenses; otherwise, there would be no reason for them to rush the articles for you so quickly.
Additionally, later promotions would also involve collaborating with these media outlets.
Although highly professional media rarely face ordinary consumers, they possess unique authority within the industry, so maintaining good relationships with them is very necessary.
After the morning meeting, Tan Jincheng, who was constantly monitoring public opinion, saw photos of the Fengchi Guanneng series on Times Network, with the large headline "Flash Electric Technology's New Product Revealed for the First Time!"
The caption did not disclose the price of Guanneng, but there was no shortage of effusive praise, with the design of Guanneng being exaggeratedly lauded as surpassing competitors' designs and even establishing Flash Electric's design style.
"Promotion might have started. In addition to promoting according to the original plan, also extensively promote the name Guanneng, focusing on it as a tribute to the Olympics."
After seeing the article on Times Network, Tan Jincheng quickly issued an order to Zhou Ao, who was staying in Beicang.
The internal management system responded quickly, and soon Zhou Ao replied,
"Received!"
"Also, find connections to contact the agents of Zhou Jielun and Kobe. See who can be reached and present the Guanneng spokesperson proposal."
"Holy cow! Boss, is this for real? I love Kobe! Sign Kobe, sign Kobe, don't bother with Zhou Jieba!" Zhou Ao replied excitedly.
"Stop your damn loose talk. You're at least a middle manager in Flash Electric Technology's publicity department now. If those words get out, it'll affect the company. If you can directly secure Kobe 100%, then you don't need to contact Zhou Jielun; otherwise, do as I say."
"Okay, okay, I was wrong. I got too excited. I'll be careful in the future."
"Now that you know, go do it, and quickly. No matter who it is, as soon as they're contacted and show interest, immediately leak the news."
"Huh? Why such a rush? If we leak the news before signing, we'll be very passive, and we might have to spend more money."
"Just do as I say; don't ask so many questions."
"Okay, understood. But boss, can I have a little personal request? That is, to do everything possible to sign Kobe."
"You're allowed to have that personal request, but it must not delay the matter."
"Understood! Thank you, boss."
Zhou Ao happily jumped up from his seat.
That was Kobe!
The company actually intended to sign him as a spokesperson!
But why was the boss in such a hurry?
Leaking the news before signing clearly gave the other party room to raise their price.
"Who said leaking the news means we definitely have to sign? If their asking price is too high later, we'll just say, 'Due to conflicts in commercial value, we regrettably couldn't reach an agreement.'"
Facing the same question from Zhao Xinyi, Tan Jincheng explained with a proud expression.
"That's possible?"
This tactic might seem a bit outrageous, even shameless, now, but it wouldn't be new in the future.
It's just teasing fans; future businesses and celebrities will be pros at it.
The reason for such haste was actually an unintentional remark from Dong Jinggui earlier today.
Dong Jinggui shared with Tan Jincheng an amusing anecdote from yesterday when he and Zhang Congxun were watching in the Flash Electric exhibition area.
Zhang Congxun resentfully stated that what they lacked was a spokesperson, and this time they absolutely had to get a major spokesperson to boost Flash Electric and Yadi.
An unintentional remark from Dong Jinggui immediately made Tan Jincheng think of Brother Long.
Although this guy was often ridiculed by later generations for endorsing companies that subsequently went out of business, this hadn't happened yet.
In the early 2000s, Brother Long's influence was incredibly formidable, and he was also one of the Olympic image ambassadors.
An endorsement by a super popular international superstar would significantly boost Xinri's brand image, perhaps even influencing the selection of the official electric vehicle for the Olympics.
Tan Jincheng, who was equally determined to secure the official designated vehicle for the Olympics, immediately realized the crisis.
He had almost completed 99 steps; he couldn't fall at the last one.
If you have an international superstar's endorsement, I also need to find a spokesperson who is no less famous, popular, or influential than yours; at the very least, the gap between us cannot be too obvious.
The names Boss Yao, Flying Man Liu, Zhou Jielun, and Kobe quickly appeared in Tan Jincheng's mind.
These four were the most influential people Tan Jincheng could think of.
The first two spokespersons seemed beyond their direct control, requiring contact with the General Administration, and the process was very cumbersome; in fact, this applied to all national team athletes.
Moreover, Flash Electric Technology couldn't be too excessive in its promotions.
After all, they were national athletes, and using overly aggressive promotional language could easily draw criticism.
As for the latter two, they had no such concerns.
Zhou Dong, as CCTV's favorite son, had undeniable influence, and his identity as a singer made him easier to promote.
As for Kobe, he was a super popular international superstar, and this was still the era of the global village, so there was even less fear of public backlash.
After figuring things out, Tan Jincheng left quickly, saying "Thanks, old buddy," leaving behind a bewildered Dong Jinggui.
"What did I say? And he thanked me?"
(End of Chapter)