1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 321 A Professional Sales Team

Ronan didn't want to trouble Cotillard anymore.

But this concerned fellow spent the whole night talking to him and Buddy about the details of promoting woven items in Gold the next day, and told them many things to note.

Although she didn't go, her will and experience will accompany Ronanbardi.

Cotillard's guidance made tomorrow's trip to Gold much more purposeful.

Their only goal is to let more artists and collectors in Provence know about the existence of weaving, and it would be even better if they bought something along the way.

"Wait for our good news!" Ronan raised his glass to Cotillard.

The next morning, Ronan drove Batty and Zoe to Gold.

Zoe was going to the exhibition hall where the event was being held. After dropping her off, Ronan first took Barty to Mr. Pascal's olive oil workshop.

Cafu and his men had been preparing there for two days.

Knowing that 'Hope' could bring traffic to Barty's showroom, Ronan's first idea was to hold a small-scale weaving exhibition in Gold, which didn't need to be large, just enough to showcase the diversity of weaving.

However, after consulting the organizing committee and contacting the well-connected Mr. Llorente, the result was always the same: impossible.

No matter how small the scale, anything related to 'art exhibition' must be declared, but there is no longer time to do so.

Ronan then changed his approach: exhibitions were not an option, but that didn't mean sales were prohibited.

During the period of holding a series of art exhibitions in Gold, finding a place to sell woven goods in a concentrated manner can still serve the purpose of an 'exhibition'.

Shops are definitely out of the question; they need a complete area to set up. In Gold now, finding a suitable location would mean squeezing Ronan dry.

Ronan then thought of Pascal, who ran an olive oil mill in Gold.

Pascal's workshop doesn't have a 'window' for selling to the public, but the area in front of it is very spacious, enough to park two large trucks.

Ronan called Pascal, who said that the olive oil mill was on private land and that commercial activities could be carried out on the land, but to set up a stall, one had to have the corresponding qualifications, and Pascal only had qualifications related to olives.

At this point, the cooperative that was applied for last autumn came in handy.

Blanco's unintentional act allowed Ronan to legitimately set up a stall and sell his wares in Gold, a place teeming with artists.

Pascal was a wealthy man and a friend of Ronan, so he lent him the land almost for free, only paying a symbolic few hundred francs.

Ronan and Batty saw colorful flags fluttering in the wind when they were more than 100 meters from their destination. The flags had the words "Lourmaran Handicraft Cooperative" written in large letters.

Below that is a line of smaller, but still very clear words: Chairman: Ronan.

"This flag isn't printed correctly. Your name should be placed above the cooperative's name." Seeing his target approaching, Bati quickened his pace.

Ronan shook his head repeatedly:

"There's no need. Printing my name on it was a last resort. Our main focus is on promoting crafts and handicrafts."

In Gold, it's possible that only two or three out of ten people could say anything about weaving techniques. But in Gold, many more people knew the name Tironan.

Even those who only arrived in the last two days know that a dessert called 'Hope' was exhibited in January, and its creator is named Ronan.

“It’s absolutely necessary!” Barty retorted. “Who would be interested in knitting if it weren’t connected to you?”

Ronan smacked his lips, and said with a wry smile:
"Knitting is a very attractive craft, isn't it? People aren't interested because they don't understand it. Isn't that what we're here for today to let everyone understand knitting?"

Barty said nonchalantly:

"Anyway, no matter what means we use, as long as we can sell things in the future, that's fine. Those lovely women have earned less in the last two months than they did in December."

As the two were talking, a smart young man in a suit and tie walked up to them:

"This way!"

Recently, there have been frequent unsolicited people approaching people on Gold Street; they are all people trying to "solilate customers" for various exhibitions.

Barty waved his hand and politely said to him:
"Sorry, we're in a hurry, we can't go."

He then continued talking to Ronan about what they needed to do that day.

But the energetic young man still refused to leave, even grabbing Ronan's arm:
"This way, this way."

Ronan felt the strength in the other person's palm and thought to himself, "Those exhibitions are going too far! They're even using 'martial arts experts' to attract customers?"

This young man's strength is something most people couldn't withstand.

He looked up unhappily, and what he saw shocked him – this man was one of Cafu's men!

Just two weeks ago, this kid buried grapevines with Ronan.

Ronan remembered his name as Grondin.

"Why are you dressed like this?" Ronan took a step back and looked Grondin up and down.

If Ronan were to run into him on the street, he wouldn't recognize him. Grondin was not only wearing a suit, but he had also groomed his hair and beard, making him look like a 'white-collar worker' sitting in an office.

Wearing a suit and tie, Grondin's movements became more gentlemanly; he leaned forward slightly and made a 'please' gesture.

"Our status is different now. The boss told me to wait for you here and to go to the 'sales team' to assign tasks when you arrive."

Ronan and Batty exchanged a glance.

"Sales team?"

The stall in front of the olive oil mill was only a few meters long and couldn't accommodate Cafu and his brothers.

In the courtyard of the olive workshop, Ronan and Batty saw the 'sales team' that Grondin had mentioned.

There were more than thirty well-dressed men, carrying briefcases and exuding hormones.

Batistuta has lost his dignity here.

In many cases, physique and temperament can determine a man's aura, while his face is secondary.

Cafu's men, who do manual labor year-round, are tall and strong, and look like models in suits and shirts. Batty, on the other hand, looks like a tree trunk with clothes hanging on it in a shirt and suit.

He took a step back, pushing Ronan forward:

"Go ahead and tell me, tell me."

Ronan looked down at his casual clothes. "I told you all were dressed so formally, I should have changed too."

Cafu urged:
"Speak up, you two! How are we supposed to cooperate with you today?"

Cafu not only wore a suit but also glasses; he was practically the epitome of a "suit-wearing thug."

Ronan didn't dare look Cafu in the eye; it would make him want to laugh. He lowered his head and cleared his throat.
“Leave a few people here at the stall, the rest of you come with me and Barty to his art exhibition. If we meet any tourists there who are interested in weaving and would like to see other woven items, bring them here. But there are a few things to keep in mind—”

The Gold Building District is very small, only about 0.5 square kilometers. As long as you are in Bird's Nest Village, it is not long to walk anywhere. The venue for the Baty Weaving Art Exhibition is only a few minutes away from this temporary stall.

Ronan, recalling Cotillard's words of advice from the previous night, solemnly said:
“People who are interested in art don’t like to talk about money. Even if we are selling a product, we should talk about value rather than price during the sales process, which is more conducive to sales.”

Their target audience includes art lovers, artists, and collectors.

Cotillard runs an art shop and deals with these people every day.

She had previously compiled a 'sales bible' and asked Ronan to pass it on to Cafu and the others today.

Cafu crossed his arms, his suit looking like it was about to burst.

He described it to his brothers in detail:

"Don't tell clients how much it will cost; tell them what they can gain from it. Remember the sales pitches we trained you on? Beautiful decorations enhance the aesthetics of a house; optimizing the living experience improves comfort; a beautiful home increases happiness; and harmonious color and style combinations avoid visual clashes."

After explaining more than a dozen different degrees, Cafu pointed his index finger in front of him a few times:

"If you can't remember, try to recall it now!"

Batistuta added a sentence at the end:
"Don't forget that Ronan is also a valuable asset, but his name is even more valuable. Be sure to remind customers that the Lourmaran Handicraft Cooperative was founded by Ronan!"

Ronan awkwardly scratched his forehead and continued recounting Cotillard's instructions:

"Also, people who love art value a sense of ritual. They like to feel distinguished while browsing, so when you receive clients, you should provide one-on-one service and not mix them together."

Cotillard only reminded Ronan of the first part; the one-on-one service was something Ronan added himself.

Before his transmigration, Ronan worked in the service industry and had some understanding of 'exclusive' services.

The 'exclusive service' system originated in the French court at the end of the 18th century. The royal jewelers of the Palace of Versailles provided secret salon services for nobles to avoid contact between members of the royal family and commoner customers.

In the early 20th century, Hermès introduced a 'closed-store service' where customers could only enter a specific area through a member's recommendation, and only one person was served in the entire store.

By the 1980s, the one-to-one system for luxury goods began to spread globally, the core of which was to replace the disappearing feudal class symbols with a sense of 'exclusivity'.

One sociologist commented that contemporary luxury stores are the secret courts of democratic societies.

Why did all luxury stores start offering 'one-on-one exclusive service' after the 1980s?

That must be because there are endless benefits to doing so.

McKinsey’s luxury goods report points out that one-on-one service increases the average order value by 30-50%, and customers are more likely to pay for ‘personalized advice’. Once the sales team and the customer maintain a good relationship, it can also increase the repurchase rate.

From the very beginning, Cafu targeted wealthy customers for his woven jewelry. He priced each woven item high, with a woven lamp selling for thousands of francs, which was definitely a 'luxury' of the time.

Therefore, taking into account Cotillard's advice, Ronan adopted the service model of luxury stores in later generations and also started one-on-one service.

In 1987, this style of distinguished service was only popular in Paris and had not yet spread to Provence. Ronan felt that this could be used as a feature to enhance the impression of their customers and help spread the art of weaving.

Moreover, Ronan has a long-term vision. Right now he's just selling woven ornaments and lamps, but in the future he might sell woven furniture and artwork. He still has so many untapped skills in his system. Maybe he really will be associated with 'luxury goods' in the future, so it's better to lay the foundation from the beginning.

Cafu listened to all of Ronan's advice. With his hands behind his back, like a drill sergeant reprimanding soldiers, he spoke loudly to the young men:
"Remember what I repeat to you every day: the customer is God. Treat your customers the way you would treat a God!"

“Understood!” Cafu’s brothers said in loud voices.

Barty exclaimed "Wow!" several times in a row, then whispered to Ronan:

"Café's team is so professional."

These energetic young men stood tall and proud, full of vigor, as if they were about to go into battle.

Kafu continued the training, pointing in the direction of the booth and saying:

"And then there's the professionalism I've been emphasizing! That's not called a booth, it's called a temporary exhibition area!"

"Understood!" the young men replied in loud voices.

Suddenly, Cafu pointed at Ronan:
"Who is this?"

"Mr. Chairman!!" the young men shouted.

Cafu then pointed at Batistuta:

"Who is this?"

“Mr. Secretary-General!!” the young men said crisply and clearly.