"This kid has some nerve. And here I was even introducing him to Yongda University for further studies,"
Ni Jie said with a chuckle.
Today's Qianjiang Evening News published an interview with the chairman of Shanchi Group.
In the article, Tan Jincheng highly praised Lvyuan's recently launched consumer service initiative, showering Lvyuan with compliments.
He also stated that Shanchi, as a latecomer, would fully follow up on Lvyuan's services, and additionally, introduce a used battery recycling program to support environmental protection.
"Learning from our predecessors, Shanchi is committed to diligently serving consumers."
This was the article's title.
Ni Jie didn't realize that in over a decade, this tactic would be called "riding the hype," a common method in business warfare.
Tan Jincheng's interview press release was not only published in the Qianjiang Evening News that Ni Jie was reading, but also reprinted by influential print media in all 11 prefecture-level cities of Zhejiang Province.
Xu Qihua's review after her failed headhunting attempt was correct; Zhou Ao, unrelated to Tan Jincheng, was certainly capable of quickly rising through the ranks.
This follow-up Lvyuan service promotion plan was orchestrated by him.
The interview with Qianjiang Evening News was also arranged by Zhou Ao.
Compared to Tan Jincheng's preference for the internet, which inadvertently led him to overlook print media, Zhou Ao, as a man of his time, deeply understood the current standing of print media among consumers.
Tan Jincheng provided the promotional plan, and Zhou Ao cooperated by adding details.
Zhou Ao would also identify and fill in any gaps that Tan Jincheng, due to force of habit, might not have thought of.
In the Zhejiang Province market, wherever Lvyuan promoted, Shanchi followed.
While consumers saw Lvyuan optimizing its services, they also saw Shanchi's follow-up and further optimized strategies.
This tenacious, "plaster-like" approach made Lvyuan, which was already not skilled in marketing, appear extremely uncomfortable.
Before this summer, Shanchi had not done much promotion in the Zhejiang Province market, and thus its competition with Lvyuan was relatively mild.
This time, however, marked direct competition.
Ni Jie had previously learned about the competition between Shanchi and Xinri for Olympic sponsorship and had also heard Zhang Congxun complain about Tan Jincheng's tactics, but without personal experience, his perception wasn't strong.
This time, he truly experienced it.
Meanwhile, Tan Jincheng quietly appeared in Changzhou.
After privately discussing with company executives and stabilizing the crucial rear, Shanchi's expansion was set to continue.
Aima's high-profile launch made Tan Jincheng realize that the inertia of history was unstoppable.
As a renowned brand from his previous life, the Aima family, with its strong foundation, would likely not develop too poorly even without Jay Chou's endorsement, remaining a formidable opponent.
According to this year's sales trend, Shanchi's annual sales are very likely to exceed 400,000 units, doubling the previously set expectation.
Similar to last year's total sales of 38,000 units, this 400,000-unit sales forecast is still based on insufficient production capacity.
The electric vehicle market has entered a phase of rapid development.
By 2008, when the Tianjin base is fully completed, the combined maximum annual production capacity of the two industrial bases, Beicang and Tianjin, will reach approximately 2.2 million units, but this is clearly still not enough.
In this rapidly exploding market, starting from 2007, sales can no longer be hampered by insufficient production capacity.
Tan Jincheng's plan was that before the official release of the new national standard in 2009, Shanchi's annual production must reach 5 million units, and annual sales must exceed 1 million units.
After the new national standard is released, a large number of small and medium-sized enterprises will be eliminated.
Shanchi, which has always been preparing for the new national standard, will naturally seize market share during this period of industry policy change.
Expanding production capacity and aiming for the largest share in the electric vehicle market will be Shanchi Technology's new five-year plan!
Once sales exceed 1 million units, Shanchi can pursue a listing plan.
The timing was also just right.
The stock market had been booming for the past two years, and by next year, it might even climb to its historical peak of 6124 points.
However, Tan Jincheng knew that with the advent of the 2008 global financial crisis, the stock market would plunge to an extremely low point.
Although IPOs would be suspended, Shanchi could pursue a backdoor listing.
In a plummeting stock market, the market capitalization of many companies would hit rock bottom, making the cost of a backdoor listing not high.
From 2005 to 2009, exactly five years, Tan Jincheng would perfectly fulfill his original promise to Beicang District, bringing another listed company to the jurisdiction.
And Tan Jincheng used this "listing pie" to entice the company's management.
Unlike grassroots employees, salary increases no longer held as much allure for management.
An extra few tens of thousands of yuan in annual income was clearly less advantageous compared to Aima's lavish headhunting approach.
Take Lin Yumin and Wu Zhenping, for example.
Even if their relationship with Tan Jincheng was extraordinary, if Aima truly offered an annual salary of a million, Tan Jincheng genuinely didn't believe they wouldn't be tempted.
The same went for Zhou Ao; his lack of temptation was simply due to too many concerns or insufficient leverage.
Listing, however, was different.
Listed companies must have 25% public shares, of which employee shares before listing are a part.
Generally, employee shareholding would be around 10%.
What Shanchi's goal of pursuing a listing plan within the next three years meant for management was self-evident.
The employee shareholding portion would definitely be offered to management first.
This pie must be eaten; it's only three years.
Within three years, even if there was an opportunity to subscribe for less than 1% of the original shares, once the listing plan was completed, it would mean the arrival of immense wealth!
Young managers like Zhao Xinyi and Zeng Jixiang didn't seem to realize anything.
They lacked extensive work experience and social exposure, and with decent current salaries, they simply followed the boss.
But for experienced middle-aged individuals like Lin Yumin and Wu Zhenping, this pie was simply too tempting; they might even be able to retire within three to five years!
To live a retired life in their 40s – they wouldn't even dare to dream that big!
Those who made it to management were not foolish.
With substantial benefits like company-wide raises, company cars for management, and improved management compensation, coupled with the announcement of the listing plan "pie," no one would consider working for a startup car company at this point.
By this point, Shanchi's foundation was considered completely stable.
The first to notice the company's movements were the middle-level employees under management.
The boss spending a whole day in the company was already relatively rare recently, and individual interviews with executives were even more surprising.
Some middle-level employees had received calls from Xu Qihua, and quite a few were tempted.
Being heavily relied upon and receiving significant salary increases upon joining – who wouldn't want to test their abilities?
A year ago, Shanchi was also a startup, and most of them had joined Shanchi in the same way.
In this industry boom, it wasn't just the bosses who benefited; capable professionals like them were also beneficiaries.
A headhunting offer could lead to several salary jumps, making their resumes more impressive.
The electric vehicle industry now, and the internet industry in a few years, were both like this.
However, the boss's unusual behavior, coupled with the recent frequent secretive meetings between Director Zhou of the marketing department, Manager Chen of human resources, and the finance director, held behind closed doors, was no longer a secret within the company.
This made some middle-level employees, aside from those who had already submitted their resignations, hesitate.
"Could the company be making another big move? Should we wait a little longer?"
"It's the first anniversary. Last time we heard about an anniversary celebration. It shouldn't have much to do with our resignations, right?"
"An anniversary celebration meeting with finance is normal, and with HR it's understandable, but why the secrecy? That doesn't make sense."
"Indeed, when have our promotions not been high-profile? This is the first time it's been so secretive."
The private discussions among middle-level employees did not escape Tan Jincheng's notice.
After the interviews, the executives were unusually united, and it could be said that Tan Jincheng was clearer about the movements of the office staff than ever since Shanchi's establishment.
"Let them talk. You can reveal some things privately, but not the entire content. Just say it's related to the anniversary celebration, and it's best to involve grassroots employees in the discussion too."
Tan Jincheng was in Changzhou at this time.
Since Changzhou had extended an olive branch, Shanchi, intending to continue its expansion, naturally accepted it.
After the price war began in June and July, the primary goal for the Jiangsu Province market was to capture market share in the Changzhou area.
Therefore, the battle in Changzhou was the fiercest, making local small and medium-sized enterprises miserable.
The price point of around 1500 yuan after discount made the Shanchi series almost invincible in the low-end product market.
Even Xinri and Yadi couldn't compete, let alone those small and medium-sized enterprises in Changzhou that produced low-end products with mediocre quality control.
In an already intensely competitive market, encountering major manufacturers waging a price war, some businesses were struggling to hold on, hoping to recover after the price war ended, while some cleverer ones had already begun seeking transformation.
But the struggling small manufacturers didn't know that Tan Jincheng's current idea was that once cooperation with Changzhou was finalized, Shanchi would extend the price war in the Jiangsu Province market until the end of the year, aiming to completely capture the low-end market share in Changzhou and even the entire Jiangsu Province.
Once I've hurt you badly enough, everything else will be mine.
---
After Tan Jincheng's meetings with management, Xu Qihua discovered that the attitudes of some Shanchi mid-level personnel she had previously contacted began to become ambiguous.
A few days ago, several had explicitly said they would reconsider, but now they all stated they would wait.
Zhou Ao even stopped answering her calls.
After some inquiries, Xu Qihua realized that her headhunting plan had been exposed.
The situation was hopeless; there was no need to waste more time in Beicang.
What good would it do to poach a few mid-level employees, and how much money could be made?
Xu Qihua was very frustrated.
In the past, helping companies poach talent was easily achieved by offering attractive compensation and corresponding status, but this trip to Beicang had taught her a harsh lesson.
The first plan had completely failed, so she could only pursue the second plan.
"Let's go to Wuxi."
(End of Chapter)