2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 666: November sales exceeded 10,000?
Where is your secretary?

"I went to help out at the 4S store."

"You little rascal, you really know how to use resources. What do you want from me?"

Jinpeng Industry is a factory, and Zhang Xupeng's office here is very large, but the decoration is very simple. Tan Jincheng has been here for so long but has not seen Li Yanning.

Unexpectedly, this kid sent me to help out at the 4S store.

Zhang Xupeng took a card out of the drawer and casually tossed it to Tan Jincheng, saying in a relaxed tone, "Here you go."

"WTF?"

"When I was talking to Zhang Yong about the transfer fee of the 4S store, he hinted that I should pay you. You even told me that this guy is a tech guy who doesn't know how to be flexible, but I think he's very quick-witted."

Zhang Xupeng laughed and said that the transfer fee would be a considerable sum for an average person, but it was nothing to either Tan Jincheng or Zhang Xupeng, and even Zhang Yong could easily afford it.

His annual salary alone is several million.

Tan Jincheng picked up the bank card and tapped it lightly on the table: "I'm just worried that I won't know how to adapt when facing the media. I didn't say that he is inflexible."

A young person who can become a sales manager in Futian must be capable, and surely also know how to be flexible.

It's nothing more than some stereotypes Tan Jincheng had about him in his previous life. Speaking of which, Zhang Yong from Weilai is much more popular than Zhang Yong, who is in charge of this Double Eleven event.

Besides frequently appearing in media interviews, the main reason is that the parody video that Tan Jincheng had He Jia make went viral online, starting from Orange Live and quickly spreading to the entire internet.

He Jia also released the live broadcast data of the press conference after the video went viral: the live broadcast attracted more than 30 viewers, with more than 7.5 people watching online at the same time, leaving a number of car dealers speechless.

Adding internet elements to traditional marketing has always been Tan Jincheng's marketing hype strategy, and this is true for both Flash Technology and Weilai Auto.

Cars receive far more attention than two-wheeled electric vehicles, and the resulting social benefits are also very significant.

"Cars are really big. Yuechi's sales should easily exceed 10,000 units this month, right?"

Zhang Xupeng didn't say how much money was in the card, and Tan Jincheng didn't ask either, but the fact that Zhang Xupeng had such a feeling meant that the amount inside was not small.

"How so? What made you that judgment?"

"The sales at our 4S store have been nonstop since the press conference ended."

"It's different. The 4S store in Beicang is a bit special. It has a much larger flow of people than other areas. However, it should be possible for the sales volume to exceed 10,000."

In addition to the regular models for sale, the Beicang 4S store also displays several sports cars, including the same model driven by Tan Jincheng, which is unique in the country. Local residents of Beicang often come to the store just to see the sports car.

Secondly, setting aside the influence of Flash Motors in Beicang, many of the thousands of Flash Motors and Orange employees in Beicang can afford cars in the 10 yuan range, and those with car-buying needs will more or less consider their own brand.

Even if I don't buy anything, I'll still go and take a look.

Currently, Beicang 4S store is probably among the stores with the highest foot traffic and sales volume. Nie Ruoxi, who is a first-time boss, is a little confused.

There are so many people looking at and buying cars.

At its peak, the Beicang 4S store could sell seven or eight Yangzi pickup trucks and Yuechi A1 models a day, with a daily turnover of up to one million yuan.

And this is only the first day of operation. Given the current popularity of Yuechi, it's hard to say what the future holds.

Nie Ruoxi had worked in finance, so she only needed to look at the financial statements to know what this 4S store meant.

Within a year, not only will we break even, but we'll definitely make a profit.

What Tan Jincheng gave them was far from an easy job; it was practically a gold mine.

Nie Ruoxi didn't have many opportunities to get close to Tan Jincheng, but she met him quite often with Zhang Xupeng. From her observation, apart from his house and car, Tan Jincheng didn't seem to have any of the airs of a billionaire in his daily life.

When she's busy, she eats leftovers when she gets home, and she's not picky about food. This doesn't fit the image of her playing with her younger sister at home.

When she was joking around with Zhang Xupeng, you couldn't see any of that image at all.

But this time he truly understood what it meant to be a billionaire. With a wave of his hand, he could spend a fortune. If he ran a 4S store properly, it would be enough to feed several generations.

"Ruoxi is a little embarrassed. You gave her such a big favor. She asked me to thank you on her behalf. Also, when are you going to treat you and Xiao Gu to a meal?"

Tan Jincheng smiled and waved the bank card in his hand: "You've already thanked me, haven't you? The amount in there must be quite a lot."

"How can this be the same? This is to be expected. Ruoxi was a little embarrassed after seeing the financial report. Not only are the sales good, but the profits are also so high."

"You're overthinking it. Sales might continue to rise after that, but profits can't stay this high forever. We're in the promotional period right now."

The models displayed on the first floor of a 4S store are never the most profitable ones. The most profitable models are never seen. If it weren't for the promotional period, how could Tan Jincheng possibly offer dealers such good profit margins for the high-volume products?

If the Yuechi A1 continues to enjoy booming sales for many years to come, then dealers would be lucky to earn three to five thousand yuan per car sold, while still bearing the pressure of sales targets. In reality, Nie Ruoxi, who has no business experience, is too idealistic. To put it bluntly, 4S stores are essentially the manufacturers' servants. When the manufacturers are doing well, you can get some benefits, but when the manufacturers go downhill, you basically won't make any money.

Moreover, this business model is actually quite outdated. If conditions allowed, Tan Jincheng would really like to open direct-sales stores like Tesla, and make money for several years if possible.

However, that's enough. After making money with Zhang Xupeng for a few years, her horizons have broadened, and she can now save up some pocket money of her own.

"But no matter what, it's always easy to make money in the last year or two. I'd conservatively estimate that I've made a profit of several million or even tens of millions. I should thank you no matter what."

"What? Is this meal absolutely necessary? You called me in saying you had something to discuss, but this isn't the end of the story, is it?"

Zhang Xupeng shrugged and said, "Give her some face. She also wants to integrate into our social circle. Besides, even if we don't care about the person, we should consider the government. My father-in-law can help our company in the county."

Zhang Xupeng was well aware of his fiancée's intentions. He was very familiar with Tan Jincheng's family, and the two families had a very good relationship, which made Nie Ruoxi seem somewhat out of place.

She wanted to integrate into Zhang Xupeng's social circle as soon as possible to prepare for their future marriage.

Zhang Xupeng understands this and is willing to create this environment. In addition, he also admires the mutual help and support between Tan Jincheng and Gu Qingqing in life and work, and their experience of growing together.

As for whether he can fit in, that depends on himself. Zhang Xupeng knows Tan Jincheng's personality very well. He seems easygoing and approachable, but he is actually quite arrogant at heart.

Even back in his school days, let alone his current success, he wasn't someone everyone looked up to. He didn't have many friends because he didn't want to make friends.

Whether he can accept it or not depends on his own mood.

"Okay, then set a time, but it has to be quick, I'm going to Guangzhou in a few days."

"Then it's settled. Let's have dinner at my house after Singles' Day. My parents said they haven't seen you in a long time."

"Haha, not to mention your parents, Jin Yue is complaining that she hasn't seen me in a long time."

That's right. Every morning when Tan Jincheng wakes up, Tan Jinyue has already gone to school. By the time he gets home in the evening, she's already asleep. When a business grows big, you lose control of your own life.

How have sales been these past few days?

"It's not bad. The CRV promotion has had some impact on us, but we've sold quite well. We've sold over 3000 units in nine days, and there's definitely a chance we can break 10,000 units in monthly sales this month."

It took 14 days to achieve sales of 3563 vehicles in October. In November, it will most likely only take about 11 to 12 days to surpass that.

If we don't count by calendar months, but by a whole month, Yuechi was able to sell 8000 units in its first month on the market.

What did it mean to sell more than 8000 vehicles in a single month in 2009?
Leaving aside the relatively niche SUV segment, in the entire passenger vehicle market, including sedans, apart from joint venture brands, only three domestic private enterprises—Geely, Chery, and BYD—have models that can achieve this.

The Yuechi A1, which became an instant hit upon its launch, has truly captured everyone's attention.

Even so, Wei Lai hadn't proactively announced the sales figures. Tan Jincheng planned to announce them after the end of the month, and regardless of whether the sales figures were actually reached, he would still promote them as monthly sales exceeding 10,000, which would be more impactful.

"I'm heading back now. Oh, and tell your driver to fill up the gas tank; prices are going up tomorrow."

"Are you out of your mind?"

"What's wrong? Even a mosquito's leg is still meat, right? I saw people lining up to fill up their gas stations today."

"I can't be bothered with you. Why don't you have a meal before you leave? It's always okay for the boss to inspect the company cafeteria, right?"

"No interest, I have to go home. It's rare for me to come home early today, so I'm giving Jin Yue a surprise. I'll come back later."

The night of Singles' Day is destined to be one of staying up late. Even if it's just for show, I'll still visit two companies to take a look. Electric bikes and cars are better, though, because I don't have to stay up all night to sell them.

The family had a rare opportunity to get together for dinner, which made little Tan Jinyue extremely happy.

Knowing that her son and daughter-in-law would be home for dinner, tonight's dinner was exceptionally lavish, with plenty of fish, shrimp, and seafood.

In November, the ribbonfish in Beicang were at their fattest and most delicious. Zhang Suzhi specially sent someone to Baifeng Wharf to buy the freshest and fattest ribbonfish. Gu Qingqing loved to eat braised ribbonfish.

"The ribbonfish today is great, it's very fresh."

Boss Tan had already sneaked a bite in the kitchen and was showing it off to Gu Qingqing. His and Gu Qingqing's lifestyle and tastes were more like those of people from Ningbo, as was Tan Jinyue, who grew up in Ningbo. It's just that the old couple weren't quite used to seafood.

"Really? Let me try it."

Home-cooked meals may not taste as good as those served outside, and the ingredients may not be as high-end, but the warm and cozy atmosphere is much better than eating out.

"Ugh!"

However, even Gu Qingqing herself did not expect that, despite her love for ribbonfish, she felt nauseous as soon as she sat down at the table and smelled the aroma.

(End of this chapter)