"Good, good, good, this money wasn't wasted, Xiao Tan really has some skills."
Ying Jianren, who was temporarily in charge of Zhongtai's affairs, burst out laughing in his office as his secretary shared with him the online buzz about Zhongtai.
In just three days, Zhongtai Motors had already climbed to the top of Baidu's search results.
Whether in car forums, major internet communities, or even in games, netizens were actively discussing Zhongtai Motors.
As Zhongtai Motors' Baidu search ranking climbed to first place, two other hot search terms also emerged online.
The first hot search term was: "It's already 40,000 yuan, what more bicycle do you want? Isn't this price enticing?"
And the second hot search term was: "Buy him!"
Both of these were derived from the Zhongtai Motors topic.
Compared to the first one, Ying Jianren preferred the straightforward second one: Everyone buy, go buy him!
Ying Jianren, who didn't have much research into the internet, didn't know how much sales volume such popularity could convert into, but it was undoubtedly a good thing to have so many people discussing it, especially netizens who were mostly young people.
These were all Zhongtai's target customers.
It's said that our country now has over 100 million netizens.
If one-tenth of them participated in the Zhongtai Motors discussion, that would be 10 million people.
Among these 10 million people, even if only half were young people, that's 5 million.
If we further filtered out one percent as buying customers, that's still fifty thousand potential users.
Holy moly, I can't even imagine, I can't imagine, I can't dream like that!
"Just speaking of the effect over these three days, it should be considered worthwhile. According to General Manager Tan, this wave of promotion has secured at least tens of thousands of potential users for Zhongtai. Even if they don't buy this time, the probability of them buying a car next time is very high."
"Hmm, not bad, not bad. Young people really know how to play. You can let the marketing department take over later. If they mess up playing by this script again, then they can all get lost."
"Okay,"
The secretary chuckled softly.
It wasn't that the boss didn't want General Manager Tan's team to continue operating, but he couldn't afford them.
For just these three days, General Manager Tan quoted 10 million yuan, and confidently stated that his team and ideas were worth that price.
The boss was scared at the time.
After some negotiation, they settled on 8 million yuan, and General Manager Tan also said this was a friendship price given his consideration of also being a shareholder of Zhongtai.
They were only responsible for three days.
If there was no effect after three days, the money could be refunded.
If there was an effect and they wanted to continue, that would be a different price.
Hmm, the other prices were 1 million yuan per day, 6 million yuan for a week, and 20 million yuan for a month.
Clearly, the boss was scared by this price, even though 20 million yuan a month would only be considered a part of the overall promotion.
But based on the principle of saving money where possible, and besides, this matter couldn't keep bothering General Manager Tan's team; they also had their own work to do.
In terms of professionalism, they certainly couldn't be as powerful as General Manager Tan's team, which managed to heat up the topic in just three days.
But the company's marketing team should have no problem maintaining the situation created by General Manager Tan's team, right?
"Speaking of playing the internet, it still has to be young people like Xiao Tan. It's just that the asking price is too steep. I thought I could get his advice for free, but I didn't expect him to ask for 10 million right away. How many cars would I have to sell?"
Was 8 million expensive?
Not expensive.
Compared to the entire promotion plan, and indeed, just as Tan Jincheng said, it was truly a friendship price.
As Zhongtai's first model, establishing its reputation and becoming an instant hit was crucial.
Tan Jincheng took only three days to raise Zhongtai's brand awareness to a height unreachable by ordinary promotional methods, and it was specifically targeted at the target customers.
Ying Jianren understood very well that if it weren't for their existing cooperative relationship, asking for twenty or thirty million for this plan wouldn't be too much.
Just that one phrase, "The first SUV for young people," was worth more than 8 million yuan.
But how could anything be better than getting it for free?
Ying Jianren originally had the mindset of getting it for free, so the psychological gap was huge.
"Transfer the money to Xiao Tan. Transfer 8 million to Orange Technology, and another 2 million to General Manager Tan's private account, under the name of consulting fees."
"Wasn't it 8 million?"
The secretary asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Heartache is heartache, but Xiao Tan handled this beautifully, and we can't be petty. 2 million isn't much for us or for Xiao Tan, but we need to show our appreciation."
Bargaining is business talk, and getting things for free if possible is also part of it.
But how you express gratitude afterward is a matter of your emotional intelligence as the boss.
The previous 8 million yuan contract was signed in the name of Orange Technology.
In the future, the accounting for the online "water army" operations will also go through Orange Technology, ostensibly for information services, technology development, and the like.
Currently, this area is still a gray zone.
IP addresses are scattered across the country, and many people used to create game cheats, but they have all been recruited by Tan Jincheng.
They will still be needed when Kaixin001 and Kaixin Farm launch.
Tan Jincheng wouldn't dare say that the people he nurtured were the earliest "water army," but they were definitely among the most professional.
They were several levels above those in the entertainment industry who only knew how to control comments.
"Okay, I understand. I'll have the finance department arrange it right away."
The secretary nodded.
This must be the most cheerfully the boss has ever paid, right?
In the afternoon, Gu Qingqing received information from the finance department via internal software: Zhongtai Motors (Yongkang) Company had already transferred 8 million yuan in cash to the company's account.
This speed surprised the finance department; they had never seen a client pay so cheerfully.
Before three days were even up, Orange Technology's first income since opening had arrived.
8 million yuan was enough to support all of Orange Technology's initial development projects, and even frugally spent, it would be enough for promotion.
Gu Qingqing was also stunned.
Was making money this easy?
She had signed the contract, and she knew the inside story better than anyone else at Orange Technology.
From the very beginning with QQ Zone, Gu Qingqing knew that Shanchi Technology had a group of off-payroll "employees," some of whom she even helped contact.
Before, these people were privately supported by her brother.
A sum of money was transferred to them every month to write advertorials and post comments.
As for how much effect it had, stretching the timeline made it hard to see any significant impact.
Furthermore, except during periods of intense promotion, not everyone would be mobilized, but this time, the promotion for Zhongtai Motors involved everyone, and the combined effort was very effective.
Gu Qingqing had never imagined that this group of people would one day bring income to the company, and such a large sum at that.
They made money just like that? Isn't that a bit too simple?
Is this how the internet is played?
Not only was Gu Qingqing bewildered, but even Cheng Hao, who later learned the news, was a bit confused.
Wasn't this just a "shill" type of operation?
He knew that shills existed in both traditional industries and the internet.
Even Pig Farm used to find some shills to say good things, praise themselves, and badmouth competitors when launching new products.
These were all standard operations and nothing special.
But he had never encountered anyone like the boss, who played it so elaborately, even using these "shills" to generate income.
And the demands were so high; they asked for 8 million yuan in three days, and the key was that the other party actually paid cheerfully.
For a moment, Cheng Hao, who specialized in technology development, didn't know what to say.
"Is the boss really in traditional industry? Why does it feel like he's better at playing the internet than us?"
Cheng Hao said, feeling a bit speechless.
Before, he only thought that although the boss didn't understand any technology, his ideas were wild and imaginative, and these ideas were all feasible.
He never expected him to be so proficient in internet marketing.
He had just looked up information about Zhongtai online as well, and the popularity was indeed extraordinary, completely seizing the users' pain points.
"It should be learning and applying flexibly,"
Gu Qingqing chuckled.
"General Manager Tan started with marketing, and his marketing prowess in the electric vehicle industry is widely recognized."
"This combination of the internet and physical entities is indeed quite novel. Later, I'll have our marketing team analyze General Manager Tan's ideas to see if we can learn something that can be used for the promotion of Kaixin001 and Kaixin Farm later."
Gu Qingqing nodded and said earnestly,
"We should indeed learn. Although Orange Technology has generated income, this is entirely General Manager Tan's credit and has little to do with us. Our team has received such good treatment, so we need to let General Manager Tan see our value."
At the company, she referred to Tan Jincheng as General Manager Tan, just like everyone else.
"That's true. Technical development isn't hard for us, but promotion is the challenge. We really should pay attention to this,"
Cheng Hao agreed wholeheartedly.
Now he saw it: even without Kaixin001, General Manager Tan could find a way to make Orange Technology profitable.
But without Kaixin001, Cheng Hao was nothing more than a middle-aged balding programmer.
He wouldn't have to go be a shill too, would he?
Tan Jincheng's unintentional move created a certain sense of urgency for Cheng Hao.
Although he wouldn't hold Tan Jincheng hostage with Kaixin001's technical development, he did have a certain intention to ask for more benefits once development was successful, leveraging his team's advantages during the promotion phase.
For example, options and equity, to fight for greater benefits for himself and his team.
Now it seemed that with such a team and his brains, General Manager Tan didn't need to worry about promotion at all.
What he really lacked were just some programmers.
After chatting with Gu Qingqing for a few moments and getting her permission, Cheng Hao decided to inform the employees of both major teams about the 8 million yuan income.
On one hand, it was an incentive – the company had money again, so everyone didn't need to worry about the future.
On the other hand, it was also a warning to everyone: if they didn't do their jobs well, General Manager Tan wouldn't need them at all.
The internet had no shortage of entry-level programmers.
"I have something to tell everyone: General Manager Tan earned 8 million yuan for Orange Technology in three days. Firstly, everyone doesn't need to worry about the company's financial issues. Secondly, everyone should work hard to get Kaixin001 and Kaixin Farm into internal testing as quickly as possible, so General Manager Tan can see our value."
"Work overtime! We'll calculate based on the projected completion days for the project. For every day earlier it's completed, there will be an extra incentive bonus."
"Ah? More? Boss, I've been sleeping at the company for half a month, my girlfriend almost doesn't recognize me anymore."
"...Is it possible she's no longer your girlfriend?"
"Stop bullshitting."
—
"How much? Not much, really. I only considered it because I'm a Zhongtai shareholder; otherwise, let alone 8 million, I wouldn't even bother with him for less than 30 million yuan."
"Hmm, the exhibition is over. I'll stay here in Wuxi for two more days before heading back, to visit the factories of our predecessors."
"See you on Saturday!"
"Your girlfriend?"
Asked Dong Jinggui, who was nearby.
As an experienced person, he could roughly guess from Tan Jincheng's expression when he answered the phone.
"Yes, my girlfriend."
"Zhongtai's advertisement is your handiwork?"
Recently, Zhongtai's first model launched for large-scale promotion in the automotive circle, and from the production of the advertisement film to its popularity on the internet, it had always been the focus of discussion.
Its pricing between 40,000 and 60,000 yuan, and being the first domestic compact SUV, both attracted consumers' attention.
Especially the phrase "The first SUV for young people" accurately targeted the consumer group, making the promotion twice as effective with half the effort.
"Yes, that's right. How is it? The effect is pretty good, isn't it?"
Tan Jincheng said with satisfaction.
This was the first time testing the power of the "water army" team.
The effect was roughly as he imagined.
A professional "water army" team, in today's internet era, was a dimensionality reduction strike against traditional car companies' promotional methods.
"Very impressive, worthy of your unique secret. 8 million yuan truly is a friendship price. But when did you become a Zhongtai shareholder?"
Dong Jinggui asked somewhat curiously.
The conversation just now didn't avoid him, so he didn't feel it was impolite to ask the question directly.
The young fellow countryman really wasn't bragging.
Having done marketing, he knew that 8 million yuan was truly no different from being given for free.
Asking for 30 million wouldn't be excessive at all; that single advertising slogan alone was worth more than 8 million yuan.
A classic advertising slogan can create the brilliance of an enterprise, such as the earlier "Only accept Brain Platinum as gifts" and "Drink Wanglaoji to prevent internal heat" from the year before last.
Zhongtai's "The first SUV for young people" will definitely be an important label for his company this year.
If the car sells well, from a long-term business perspective, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it's worth over a hundred million.
This is definitely a big gift.
"Saying I'm a shareholder of Zhongtai Company isn't entirely accurate. By a lucky coincidence, I invested in Zhongtai's Beicang branch. I'm a minor shareholder of the branch company, and taking on this advertising plan can be considered contributing as a shareholder."
Only then did Dong Jinggui remember Zhongtai's Yongcheng branch, which had been advertised in the newspapers in March, and he couldn't help but feel a bit envious.
"Oh, I did hear about that. I didn't expect you to be involved. Cars are a good business; we don't have the capability to get into it, but it's great that you have the opportunity to be a minor shareholder."
For such an important project as car manufacturing, even the Beicang District government let him participate.
Could this young fellow be someone's illegitimate child?
"Just a small stake, doesn't really amount to much. General Manager Dong, could you take me to visit your R&D center? I've seen most of the factory area already."
"What do you want to do?"
Dong Jinggui asked cautiously.
Dong Jinggui reacted so strongly that Tan Jincheng couldn't help but laugh:
"It's not that serious, not that serious. If I really wanted to poach people, I wouldn't do it in front of you. I genuinely just want to learn."
Many of Yadi's products were self-developed, using their own R&D.
If you were to ask which electric scooter company had the strongest technical strength and lowest costs today, it would definitely be Yadi.
They had their own battery factory, producing the lead-acid batteries needed for Yadi electric vehicles, and also their own motor and controller factories.
They could self-develop core components, giving them a huge cost advantage.
Shanchi Technology also wanted to establish its own battery, motor, and controller factories.
Visiting to learn about their factory management model would be much better than poaching a few technical staff.
"You said at the exhibition last time that next time you poach people, you'd poach from Yadi. I don't think you were just saying that."
"Haha, you still remember that. Frankly, if you have any recommendations, you can suggest them to me. Our company also wants to achieve self-development of core components."
"I thought of this long ago. Your company has already started researching batteries, right? Developing motors and such later is also natural. For an enterprise to survive long-term, technological R&D is indispensable,"
Dong Jinggui lamented.
"Yes, we really should learn from General Manager Dong in this regard."
Before Aima was established, Shanchi's target competitors were always top companies like Xinri, Yadi, and Lvyuan.
As for other brands, it wasn't that Tan Jincheng was arrogant, but he truly didn't pay them any mind.
Becoming one of the top three domestically has always been Shanchi's goal.
As for Aima?
Since it hasn't appeared, perhaps it should never appear.
Take Aima's path, leaving Aima with no path to take.
Considering the three competitors, plus Shanchi, in terms of vehicle quality during this period, Yadi was the best, and the Shanchi series was the worst.
Tan Jincheng admitted this, especially regarding the first batch of Shanchi series models launched.
There was no other way.
Whether it was the workers' skill level or the break-in of various components, Shanchi's foundation had shortcomings compared to its competitors.
It was also criticized for a period right after its launch.
This was somewhat similar to the reputation of Xiaomi 1 when it first launched.
However, the solution Tan Jincheng thought of was to compensate for quality issues with service: if a vehicle had a problem, he would respond as quickly as possible and do everything possible to repair it or replace parts in the shortest amount of time.
To this end, Shanchi Technology established service outlets in all cities where its products were sold nationwide, categorized by level, with over 500 service outlets.
The number of outlets wasn't the highest, but considering Shanchi's sales volume, it allowed Shanchi to become the electric vehicle company with the best service.
Affordable, stylish, and good service became Shanchi's labels.
Next, Tan Jincheng's goal was to shed Shanchi's reputation for poor quality.
After this exhibition, visiting Yadi and Xinri was also for learning.
Ultimately, everything still has to speak for itself through quality.
Furthermore, Tan Jincheng planned to acquire a motor and controller R&D company in Jiangsu Province.
Jiangsu Province has three major electric vehicle industrial bases: Wuxi, Gusu, and Changzhou.
There are countless parts factories here, and Shanchi Technology's motors were also procured from Jiangsu Province.
Directly acquiring one would be much easier than developing it from scratch himself.
Currently, Shanchi Technology uses motors and controllers from a Suzhou-based company named Bafang Electric.
This company was founded in 2003, and despite not being established for long, its motors' stability is quite good.
This company was Tan Jincheng's primary target.
(End of Chapter)