2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 650 Leichi's Dealer Conference

"Hey, Lao Zhao, I have something to tell you that you'll find very interesting."

On the first workday of August, in the cafeteria of FlashTech, Xu Xinglei, holding a lunchbox, chuckled and pulled Zhao Xinbin aside.

"What are you interested in? Did the company raise salaries again?"

With mortgage payments and debts to pay, nothing interests Zhao Xinbin more than a raise.

"Hehe, what are you thinking? It's only been a few months since the salary adjustment, but you'll definitely be interested in this."

Xu Xinglei thought about his conversation with Zhao Xinbin during the May Day holiday and found it somewhat amusing. Who would have thought it would actually come true?

"What's there to be happy about? Right now, I'm just thinking about making more money. Brother Lei, do you have any connections? If I get promoted to team leader, my income will be much higher."

Although Xu Xinglei's position is not high, he is a special figure at Flashpoint Technology, and he has a certain amount of influence at the grassroots level.

If we can put in a good word for Zhao Xinbin during the next internal assessment, there's still a chance he could be promoted from team leader to senior team leader.

"No rush, take your time. Do you remember what we said when we took possession of the house on May Day?"

Zhao Xinbin looked bewildered: "May Day? That's been several months. Besides, we were so happy to receive the house that day, who would remember what we said?"

"Didn't you say it would be great if you could buy a car for 10,000 yuan? Now the opportunity has come, and it's even a brand new car."

Leichi's products have not been advertised yet, and it was only by chance that Xu Xinglei learned about them.

The management of the peptide production workshop was rather loose, and the work efficiency was also average. One day, when Tan Jincheng inspected the workshop, he felt that it was not working well, so he asked Lin Yumin to transfer a few workshop directors from Flash Technology to guide them.

It was under these circumstances that Xu Xinglei accompanied his boss there.

To get factory workers to work well, all you need is effective management, and effective management requires offering incentives and encouragement.

What could be more inspiring than Xu Xinglei, who, after only a few years with the company, bought a house and a car, earns over 10,000 yuan a month, and even went to the Shanghai Stock Exchange to ring the bell? Leichi belongs to Boss Tan's company.

As long as you work hard, how could your treatment be bad?

In fact, unless you pay special attention to the news, not only the employees of Flashchip, but even the original employees of the Zhongtai Beicang factory did not know that the company had changed owners. Most employees just kept their heads down and worked hard, waiting to receive their monthly salary.

As for the rest, they don't care at all.

Although Xu Xinglei pays close attention to news within the group, he only learned that the Peptide Beicang factory had become his own business when he came to be a mascot together.

I never expected this factory to make four-wheeled electric vehicles!
When Xu Xinglei found out that the compact car model only cost 1 yuan, he was completely stunned.

There was a row of cars parked in the parking lot, and Xu Xinglei took the opportunity to test drive one. It was a bit worse than his Zhongtai 2008, and the space was much smaller, but the price of the Zhongtai could buy several of these cars called Leichi.

Zhao Xinbin was taken aback: "Are you kidding me? I was just joking the other day, buying a new car for over 1 yuan?"

"Hehe, why would I tease you, brother? It's true, I went to that Leichi New Energy Vehicle Co., Ltd. a few days ago, didn't I? It's a new company opened by the boss, and they produce these electric cars, which sell for more than 1 yuan."

Looking at Xu Xinglei's expression, Zhao Xinbin realized he wasn't joking and asked dumbfoundedly, "Is the boss doing charity? The cheapest car on the market right now should be the Alto TT, right? They say it sells for 18,000, but it'll still cost over 20,000 after all?"

He had mentioned cars costing over ten thousand yuan, but he never dared to dream of them.

"It's different. Boss, this is an electric car. I heard the cheapest one sells for 1 yuan, and the higher-spec ones might be more expensive. The most important thing is that you don't need a driver's license. I specifically asked about this. Once you get one, you won't have to worry about commuting to and from get off work."

After saying that, Xu Xinglei showed Zhao Xinbin the photos he had taken in the parking lot. Rows of small and exquisite yellow and green Leichi series cars were neatly arranged there, looking interesting and somewhat impressive.

He asked the on-site management staff if he could take the photo, and they hadn't received any notice that taking photos was prohibited or that the photos should be kept confidential, so they agreed to let Xu Xinglei take the photo.

"Holy crap, it really does look like a car, but why does it look so small?"

"What more do you want for a car that costs over ten thousand yuan? How about getting one? I heard the more expensive ones even have air conditioning. Isn't that better than commuting to work on an electric scooter? Plus, you don't need to learn to drive."

Not every model of the "old man's car" comes equipped with air conditioning anymore, and besides, some elderly people don't need air conditioning.

The Lexus is now available in low-end and high-end versions, with both three-seater and four-seater models having different configurations, ranging from Lexus L1 to L5.

The best configuration currently available is an SUV with overall dimensions of 2900*1400*1600 mm. It features a five-door, two-seat design with excellent interior space, making it perfect for everyday family use.

In Tan Jincheng's mind, this is a Wuling Hongguang MINI that doesn't require a driver's license.

This model, designated as the Leichi L5, comes standard with a 1500W engine, while users in mountainous areas can opt for a 3000W high-power engine, designed for a maximum speed of 50 km/h.

It is equipped with a self-produced 60V120 maintenance-free battery, with a maximum range of 120 kilometers.

If you're not satisfied with pure electric power, you can add a range extender, but these options will cost extra.

The L5 is also the most expensive model, with a factory price of 1.5 yuan and a market price of 1.8 yuan, giving channels and terminal retailers a very high profit margin.

"It's really good. A little over a month's salary can keep us sheltered from the wind and rain."

Zhao Xinbin took the phone from Xu Xinglei. He was genuinely tempted by the price. The employees of FlashTech had a natural trust in Tan Jincheng, or rather, they had a natural trust in themselves.

They all work in the factory, and they know perfectly well the quality of the products their own company produces.

"But it probably hasn't gone on sale yet, right? I haven't seen any advertisements. The boss used to advertise a lot when he sold electric bikes."

"I don't know about that. If you want to buy it, I can try to find out for you, or you can leave a message for the seller on Dingding."

Xu Xinglei rummaged through the food on the metal plate and reminded him that although he had a wider network of connections, he wasn't sure he could find out the details of this kind of thing.

Wherever there are people, there is a social hierarchy. Flash Group cannot guarantee absolute fairness and impartiality, nor does it have the capability to do so.

The right to send private messages to junior employees on Dingding is nothing more than a Damocles' sword hanging over all levels of management by Tan Jincheng. In reality, he doesn't have much time to look at this thing every day.

Most of the messages were handled by the president's office, and Tan Jincheng only had time to look at them in his spare time.

Under normal circumstances, unless they encounter absolute injustice, lower-level employees wouldn't dare to complain to him. Instead, there are quite a few strange messages. For example, Xu Xinglei's bad idea of ​​leaving a message on the boss's DingDing account asking how to buy a Leichi electric car is considered normal.

While Xu Xinglei and Zhao Xinbin were discussing Leichi electric vehicles, Leichi was also holding a unique dealer conference, gathering a large number of dealers and terminal retail store owners.

The meeting was chaired by Zhao Xinyi, former Assistant General Manager and former Head of Purchasing Department of Flashpoint Technology.

"Everyone here is a distributor for Flash Technology. Some of you have experience selling three-wheeled electric vehicles. I wonder what your thoughts are on four-wheeled electric vehicles. You've all test-driven them, so I don't need to go into detail about their performance."

With her short, ear-length hair, wearing a white shirt and black trousers, Zhao Xinyi's sharp eyes scanned the distributors and store owners in the office.

In August, Ningbo is unbearably hot on days without typhoons. I was sweating just from accompanying her on a driving test. At this moment, the top button of her shirt was undone, but no one in the conference room dared to stare at her.

Being the boss's trusted confidante and holding a high position for a long time, wielding the power of life and death over suppliers, Zhao Xinyi naturally developed the aura of a strong woman.

These roughnecks might have dared to joke around with a guy, but they wouldn't dare with Zhao Xinyi. She actually dared to complain to the boss.

Tan Jincheng sent Zhao Xinyi to preside over Leichi's first dealer conference, intending to hand Leichi over to her for management. On the one hand, it was to promote his confidant, and on the other hand, it was to move her to a different position.

The purchasing department is a sensitive department. It's not suitable for anyone who isn't a close confidant of the boss. Even if someone is a close confidant, it's best not to stay in it for too long, as problems can easily arise if they stay too long.

Zhao Xinyi naturally understood this principle. Although she could guarantee that she hadn't embezzled any money over the years, she had still taken plenty of benefits. Although the bosses knew this, she couldn't guarantee that others wouldn't be envious.

Now that we're a listed company, our finances need to be transparent. If we get sued one day, we're finished.

When the boss intended for her to oversee Leichi's daily affairs, she immediately agreed. Leichi's future prospects were not as bright as Shanchi's, but she wasn't Shanchi's boss either.

Moreover, the legal representative of Leichi is the boss's wife, who also holds the titles of president and financial director of Leichi. So, she is basically working for the boss's wife, which reduces the amount of gossip and rumors.

It's infuriating! Her career has been going better and better over the years, but she's still single. She's met all sorts of men, but none of them dared to date her.

Having served as the boss's secretary and managed such an important department as the purchasing department for several years, Zhao Xinyi endured considerable pressure in her emotional life.

But I clearly have nothing going on with the boss! If there were something between us, I would accept it, but this is really infuriating.

Rumor has it that the boss doesn't think much of her, feeling she's too ordinary.

Lost in her own thoughts, Zhao Xinyi couldn't help but glance down at him: "It's alright, although not as big as the boss lady's."

"Mr. Zhao, the main sales areas for these Leichi models are still the same as for three-wheeled electric vehicles, mainly small counties and rural markets, right?"

A distributor's inquiry brought Zhao Xinyi back to the meeting room: "Yes, we mainly focus on small county towns and rural markets. Currently, our key market areas are mainly provinces with insufficient public transportation resources and large populations. These two regions are our key sales areas."

To put it bluntly, it's actually the area around Shandong, Henan, and northern Anhui, which is similar to the starting point of Flash Technology. It's a grain-producing region with a large population, but the public transportation resources are relatively underdeveloped, and the travel needs of consumers, especially the elderly, cannot be met.

The group of dealers gathered this time is mainly from these regions.

"This price is indeed attractive, but is it really true that you don't need a driver's license?" one dealer questioned.

If a driver's license is required, the market for this product will shrink significantly. Ordinary dealers aren't concerned about safety; that's not their concern. They're only thinking about making money.

The profit margin for low-priced items is generally small, but the profit margin for high-priced items is a full 3000 yuan, which is quite tempting.

The retail price of 1.8 yuan should be acceptable to many people.

Besides, there are rebates and rewards, so this business is really worth doing.

"That's right, you don't need a driver's license. The company will take care of the transportation department for you, so you don't need to worry about that."

Zhao Xinyi nodded, and then continued, "You can ask around among the dealers in Shandong Province. This type of car is already quite popular in your area. In Liaocheng, it's even legal to drive on the road."

At this point, a dealer from Shandong Province nodded in agreement, saying, "Indeed, I did see it in the countryside when I was on a business trip, but I didn't pay much attention at the time and thought it was a modified one."

Shandong Province is expected to be a major market for electric vehicles for senior citizens in the future. Although the competition from local companies will be extremely fierce, Leichi is not afraid of competition. At present, the only company that can be considered a competitor is Reading, which was founded in 2006.

However, the market is still in its early stages and there aren't many businesses involved yet. The two companies aren't really competing at all; they have more than enough to eat, so what's there to compete for?

In the early stages of the market, there was no need for price wars. Leichi left most of its profits to dealers and retailers to give them greater incentive to promote the product.

In fact, when many products are first launched into the market, those who are bold enough can actually make a lot of money.

Just like the food delivery wars, where platforms like Kuaidi and Didi offered massive subsidies, physical products also did the same to cultivate the market. During the Kuaidi-Didi wars, many clever people made a fortune by engaging in fraudulent order-boosting.

Where there are subsidies, there are gray areas, and Leichi is no exception. This cannot be prohibited, and Tan Jincheng will not prohibit it either, as it is beneficial to the company.

"The information has been distributed to everyone. Please consider how many you plan to order. Our first batch only has 5000 vehicles, and if you're late, not everyone will be able to get one."

They're using FlashDrive's dealer network; with 5000 cars available, if they weren't so proactive, they might not have been able to snag one.

However, those who dare to take it need to have a certain amount of strength. Based on the minimum order quantity of 10 Leichi vehicles and the minimum purchase price of 8500 yuan, taking a batch of goods would cost at least 8.5 yuan.

If we can't sell them, this nearly 10 yuan will be stuck in our hands.

However, cats have their ways, and mice have theirs. Leichi set this standard to eliminate some weak dealers, but they can find other ways.

For example, if you buy 10 cars for 8500, and then add 200 or 300 yuan to give to those who didn't get one but still want it, wouldn't that be a sure way to make money?

As for whether Leichi is allowed to do it or not, isn't there a rule against it? Selling to whom doesn't matter.

"Mr. Zhao, can we place the order now? I'll take 10 of each of the high, medium, and low grades."

"Mr. Zhao, I'll take 10 cars too."

With a production capacity of only 5000 vehicles, the sense of crisis among dealers was immediately amplified. The dealer who had seen this thing before in Shandong Province took the lead and boldly offered to buy 30 vehicles.

(End of this chapter)