Rebirth begins with losing the white moonlight

Chapter 282
At 1:30 in the afternoon, Lu Chen once again boarded Line 9 from Songze University Town to the city.

From here, take 11 subway stops and walk for 20 minutes to reach IKEA's first mall in mainland China.

Perhaps because it was just after lunch, there were not too many people on the subway today. Lu Chen found a seat at random, which was rare for a line that was often so crowded that people couldn't get off the train.

"Mr. Lu, remember to tell me when you arrive at the parking lot."

Halfway through the trip, IKEA’s brand promotion manager also sent him a message in the group:

"Today's conference room is ready, and I will arrange someone to pick you up then!"

"it is good."

Lu Chen agreed immediately.

There’s no need to explain too much, like “I didn’t drive today.”

Based on his understanding of the two heads of public business and brand promotion of IKEA, plus their style of sending people to the school to deliver confidentiality agreements last time, if he knew that he was not driving today, he would even take the initiative to go to the university town. Or pick him up at the subway station.

This is too troublesome and inconsistent with etiquette.

More importantly, for a big city, when there are not too many people on rail transit, choosing the subway is much faster and more comfortable than taking a car.

"Mr. Lu, I'm going to the Vehicle Management Office to get my license plate right now!"

After returning to the entrepreneurial base to explain today's work, Zhang Honglei also sent him a message.

"Go, be careful on the road."

Lu Chen replied briefly, then fell back on the back of the seat and slowly closed his eyes.

There was another reason why he didn't take a taxi, and that was that he didn't want to get carsick. He needed to keep his mind absolutely clear.

The cooperation he wants to reach with IKEA this time is huge, big enough to bring him tens of millions in revenue in one fell swoop.

But the entry point for this cooperation is very small, as small as just an ice cream.

……

40 minute later.

As soon as Lu Chen entered the mall, he went straight to the restaurant and bought a representative IKEA ice cream at the counter.

Even though it was already December, logically it was no longer suitable for cold drinks, but wherever he looked, there were still many customers gathered around the dining area, and most of them were waiting for the same ones as he had in his hand. 12 yuan ice cream.

Some were wearing fleece sweatshirts, some were wearing woolen coats... and some were even wearing thin cotton-padded jackets.

But no matter what they are wearing, it seems that it cannot affect their desire to buy this signature IKEA product.

This is why IKEA is still doing this "loss-making business" ten years later, because its marketing team has accurately captured the psychology of the general public.

From the perspective of professional terms, this is a "peak-end law" for consumers.

"President Lu, this is..."

Although he said "arrange someone to pick you up", after receiving the news from Lu Chen, the head of IKEA's brand promotion personally greeted him.

With him was the person in charge of corporate business, Manager Xu, who had previously communicated with Lu Chen on WeChat.

Shiwu APP is a partner for IKEA's brand department, and Qimu Coffee Shop is a major customer for IKEA's corporate team. Naturally, the relationship with Lu Chen also needs to be maintained by these two people in charge.

What's more, the University Town branch of Qimu Coffee Shop will open on December 12th, so in the past few days, IKEA has been sending many of the goods that Lu Chen and Shen Wanning had ordered previously.

For a brand that attaches great importance to consumer experience, paying return visits to key customers and actively listening to their opinions is sometimes even more critical than simply selling a few items.

"Manager Yao, Manager Xu."

Lu Chen greeted the two of them with a smile.

As hosts, they originally wanted to ask Lu Chen why he came in without anyone picking him up, but when they saw the ice cream in his hand, they could only silently take back the words that were on their lips.

It’s not too much for a partner to come in early and have a 1 yuan ice cream, right?Doesn’t this mean that our experiential marketing is doing well?

"I didn't expect that the most attractive thing about our IKEA, Mr. Lu, would be the ice cream. If I had known, Manager Xu and I should have prepared it in advance.

Just show our employee ID to the bar and not only will the ice cream be free, but the drinks will also have unlimited refills. "

"Manager Yao, you're too polite."

Knowing that he was joking with him, Lu Chen also expressed his support:
"In order to save money, I deliberately didn't buy it for you today. It would be a bit inappropriate if you asked me to treat you to food again."

"Hahahaha!"

After listening to his words, the two IKEA managers laughed in unison:
"Mr. Lu is afraid that we are too old to eat cold food, right? Then you underestimate us. At that time, the headquarters originally planned to remove the ice cream in the restaurant from December to February every year, but I sent 12 emails in a row Persuaded."

"Yeah, I asked him why at that time, and he said it was to take care of those who like to eat cold drinks in winter. Later, after talking to the person in charge of the restaurant, I found out that he ate more than 12 drinks between December and February last year. indivual!"

"Manager Yao, please pay attention to your health."

Lu Chen couldn't help but laugh after hearing what the two said.

They each went to the bar to get an ice cream, and the three men ate and talked at the entrance of the mall.

It took almost seven or eight minutes for Lu Chen to finish eating the ice cream, Manager Xu to complete the return visit, and Manager Yao to ask Boss Lu for his opinion on these new IKEA products.

By the time they threw the packaging into the trash can, the relationship between the three of them had invisibly become closer.

"Then Mr. Lu, it's almost time for us to go in."

As the organizer of this meeting, Manager Yao glanced at his watch.

It was 1:47 when they met Lu Chen, and it was 1:55 after an "ice cream social". At this time, his leader, the person in charge of the marketing business who was higher than him, should be arriving soon.

"it is good."

Lu Chen replied without thinking.

When the meeting time was agreed upon, Manager Yao said that there would be a higher-level leader than him attending the meeting.

It is precisely because of this that Lu Chen is more confident that he can win this cooperation.

Yao and Xu are in charge of the brand promotion and corporate business departments, so they are relatively young.

Leaders at this level have the authority to make decisions for one- or two-time business, but if it is a long-term cooperation or an order worth tens of millions, it is no longer something they can easily control.

In fact, even for the 200 million service package provided by Shiwu APP last time, Manager Yao had applied to his leader beforehand.

Only in a cooperation at the level of 200 million, his opinion can play an 80% role. But once the cooperation amount rises to 2000 million, his opinion can only account for 20% at most, and the remaining 80%. Lu Chen needs to continue to work hard.

"Okay, let's go then."

Manager Yao nodded to Lu Chen.

He obviously didn't realize that he was the fish yet, and Boss Lu was luring him to the bait step by step.

It may be as big as the additional marketing ideas and nearly 70 pieces of poster copy he previously provided, or as small as the ice cream we just ate together in front of the mall.

Boss Lu would never do useless things or say useless words. Behind his actions, there must be ten days, half a month, or even months of planning.

So as long as he wants it, he has more than 80% chance of luring the other party to take the bait.

This number may be too conservative.

"Mr. Jin will arrive in about 2 minutes. Mr. Lu may need to wait with us."

After sitting down in the conference room, Manager Yao first handed him a bottle of mineral water of his own brand, and then said to him slightly apologetically.

"Kim is always the senior, and that's how it should be."

Lu Chen behaved very politely.

Hearing this name from Manager Yao a few days ago, he immediately searched for relevant information on Baidu.

For a company of the size of IKEA and a person at the level of the head of marketing business, no matter whether the introduction to him on the Internet is detailed enough, there is still no relevant information that cannot be found at all.

What's more, it doesn't matter even if there is no systematic encyclopedia, because Boss Lu has very strong information indexing capabilities.

Some things cannot just wait for others to feed them into your mouth, such as what interviews this person has accepted, what occasions he has attended, what words he has said...

As long as he is willing to take the time to read, he will be able to extract a large amount of key information. This will not only help him better understand the past experience of this senior leader, but also allow him to form a clear judgment in his mind about this person. What kind of cooperation outlook and values ​​will there be? "Mr. Jin will definitely like Mr. Lu very much when he sees him."

Manager Xu on the side couldn't help but sigh.

Today's meeting did not include any ordinary employees from the brand promotion or corporate business teams. It can be said to be a complete high-level meeting of partners.

On the one hand, this was due to consideration of Mr. Jin's time, and on the other hand, he did not want to waste Mr. Lu's time.

After all, it is really difficult to get an appointment with a leader at the level of President Jin. As for President Lu...

Boss Lu admitted that in the implementation stage, he was relatively easy to make appointments with, and he deliberately created the effect of "it's hard for me to make appointments" in front of Manager Yao.

In fact, this kind of carefulness can also be used in relationships, but in relationships, he has no use at all, and all the tricks are imposed on the partner.

If he wasn't fishing for kittens on a given day, he was definitely trying to find ways to fish for kittens.

Then make it into her favorite West Lake vinegar fish.

"Sorry, it's been a long wait."

After about two or three minutes, the person in charge of IKEA, whom he had met once before on Baidu, finally walked in.

The specific age could not be found on the Internet, but Lu Chen had already deduced that he was a man between the ages of 48 and 52. As expected, the man in front of him was roughly at this age.

"Hello, Mr. Jin."

The three people stood up from their seats at the same time and said to him.

"Please sit down."

The man's answer was concise and to the point, and it was in line with what Lu Chen had guessed about his character before.

In addition, it is also because he is in such a company.

After staying in a brand like IKEA for a long time, no matter what kind of person you are, you will become more polite and efficient than before.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

After sitting down, he looked at the three people in front of him and said.

Lu Chen also said very politely:
"Mr. Jin is too polite. In fact, we have only been seated for less than 5 minutes."

"Yes, Mr. Kim."

Manager Yao also smiled and echoed:
"When Mr. Lu came, he first bought an ice cream in the snack area. Manager Xu and I were also greedy after seeing it, so we went to the bar to get one."

"Oh?"

Mr. Jin's face suddenly became more interested:
"Mr. Lu, are you also interested in our IKEA ice cream?"

"Mr. Jin is too polite, just call me Xiao Lu."

Lu Chen said to him very politely:

"I have always heard that well-designed circulation and affordable snacks together form a closed loop of IKEA experience, so when you come to IKEA, you must have an ice cream to complete it."

"Um……"

After listening to his words, although Mr. Jin remained calm on the surface, the interest in his eyes seemed to be deeper.

There is no other reason. Lu Chen explained clearly the "win by experience" of IKEA stores in a few simple words.

That is to say, relying on these two points, although most of IKEA's locations are far away from urban areas, they can still attract consumers to go there with great expectations.

"Does Mr. Lu have any insights in this regard?"

Although Lu Chen is very young, as a partner, he cannot really call him "Xiao Lu".

And Lu Chen didn't pay too much attention to the other party's title, because as soon as these words came out, all he thought about was seizing the opportunity:
"It's just my humble opinion as a consumer, which can't be called an opinion."

The words can make people feel humble, but the expression is full of confidence.

The most important thing is that this self-confidence is different from blind arrogance, but can make people feel calmer than their peers.

As expected by Manager Xu, Mr. Jin silently gave this young man a very high impression score in his heart.

"Being able to become the manager of the Shiwu APP at the age of 20, even as a consumer, we want to hear what you have to say."

"Ok."

Now that the matter has come to this, Lu Chen naturally no longer refuses:
"I just saw a report on the BBC two days ago."

He first cited a piece of news he saw while collecting information two days ago:
"The title is about: Is IKEA China a store or a theme park?"

"This is indeed a report issued by the BBC not long ago."

"Yes."

Lu Chen nodded:

“You must know the contents of the report better than I do, so I don’t need to elaborate too much here.

But I strongly agree with the idea that IKEA is more like a well-designed theme park than a store.

Here there are twists and turns of shopping routes, "return"-shaped scene rooms, and various types of commodities on display. The selling prices and product information of the commodities are also directly marked without hesitation.

All of this allows people to feel the atmosphere of home, experience an ideal lifestyle, and then walk through the entire store without even realizing it.

Even when you sit down for a cup of coffee and a dessert, the menu can be connected to the Nordic theme promoted by IKEA. "

Combining the content of the report and his own experience of visiting IKEA several times, Lu Chenxian made an in-depth analysis of the first point of "winning by experience", which is carefully designed circulation.

The founder of IKEA once said: It is difficult to do business with people who are hungry.

This is because the furniture category is not an impulse buy and people tend to discuss consumption decisions over meals.

Therefore, IKEA cleverly placed the restaurant in the middle of the shopping route, making meal time the key to increasing the transaction rate.

What attracts people to the restaurant is the second point of "winning experience": snacks that win at affordable prices.

"While the restaurant is located in the middle of the shopping route, IKEA's snack area is located at the checkout area."

Lu Chen paused and continued:

"The logic behind this is actually the 'peak-end law' in psychology. In layman's terms, it means that only two parts of people's impression of one thing will be recorded.

The peak is the best; the end is the last.

Just like the "peak" of Star Bake lies in its products, and the "end" lies in the last gaze and smile of the clerk, so even if there are queues, expensive prices, long waits for production, and difficulty in finding seats during the entire service process Waiting for a bad experience does not prevent customers from coming back next time.

The same is true in daily life. Many pediatric hospitals will give children a candy after vaccination, because with this sweet result, they will not be so impressed by the pain. "

He gave two more targeted examples, cleverly connecting the commercial operations of FMCG brands and people's daily lives.

Of course, the topic will eventually return to IKEA:

“The same goes for IKEA. We must admit that every brand will have some shortcomings in terms of consumers’ shopping experience.

However, IKEA's peak-end experience is very good. The 'peak' is the small surprise in the process, such as an exquisite small wall clock, a beautiful wool blanket, or the Swedish-style meatballs that can be tasted in the restaurant.

The 'end' is a 1 yuan cone. Although it looks ordinary, it has obviously become a special imprint of IKEA in people's hearts.

When people recall their shopping trip to this mall again, even if they had some bad memories during the process, under the ultimate peak-end experience, they will still think that the flaws are not concealed. "

He spoke at a leisurely pace, with clear enunciation and a sonorous tone.

The reason why he spent so much time talking about this matter was, on the one hand, to show his understanding of the IKEA brand, and on the other hand, to do his best to impress the person in charge sitting in front of him.

In his previous homework, Lu Chen also came to another conclusion, that is, although IKEA has used "1 yuan ice cream" to conduct experiential marketing for consumers around the world, but in In the mainland market, IKEA can carry out this matter smoothly because of Mr. Jin who attended this meeting with him today.

No matter what kind of person he is, no matter how calm his character is, when others mention his masterpiece, especially if he can explain the cause and effect of the matter, he will still be more or less moved.

So when he finished speaking and Mr. Jin was silent for a moment and then looked at him again, Lu Chen knew that he had obtained this stepping stone.

(End of this chapter)