New Gods of North America.

Chapter 597 Promotion
The next morning, the workshop became even more "energetic" than usual.

Who are we?!

"Salesman!"

What are the advantages of our product?

"Delicious, inexpensive, easy to cook, nutritious, and with a long shelf life!"

What are we supposed to do?

"Share great products with more friends!"

"Do you have confidence?!"

"Have!"

"Very good, very energetic. Let's set off."

"Yes!"

After a brief pre-shift briefing, the new members quickly boarded the carriage.
The carriage was towing a covered cargo box, which contained steaming luncheon meat, simple tables and chairs hastily made from leftover wood from the workshop, promotional materials hastily made with paint, and knives and hunting rifles for self-defense.

Their specific task was quite simple: to set up a stall in the dock area and enthusiastically promote luncheon meat to people.
Aside from the necessary promotion and introduction, the rest is pretty much the same as selling tofu. Just cut the luncheon meat into pieces on a large plate, wrap it in newspaper, and you can pay and receive the goods at the same time.

Of course, if any fools come to cause trouble, then it's time to take action—Wayne chose the location for their stall to be on the "Sailor Gang's" territory. The agents would not only not pay protection money to the Sailor Gang, but they would also protect customers who bought luncheon meat.

Is the dock area left unattended? Surely it's right for the detective agency to protect themselves and their clients?

Inessa had been spending most of her time helping Willie with the investigation lately, and hadn't been at the workshop for long. Seeing this scene so early in the morning, she stared at the direction the carriage had driven away, somewhat speechless.

"What have you taught them? It feels like I've only been away from them for two or three days, how did things turn out like this?"

Wayne was modest, saying, "Actually, I didn't teach anything too practical, just some sales tips."

"Can sales techniques really turn someone like this?" Inessa seemed a little doubtful.

If it were just a simple sales task, it certainly wouldn't motivate people to be so enthusiastic.
But as it turns out, some of the rhetoric and practices were indeed summaries and refinements of practical experience. Wayne simply learned a few tricks from a documentary warning about pyramid schemes that he had watched before, and the results were obviously quite good.

For example, Wayne linked luncheon meat sales to commissions; the more they sold, not only did the commission amount increase, but the commission percentage also rose, resulting in a larger final figure.

Then, customers who bring in new customers also receive a discount, such as a free pound, which is also counted in the salesperson's sales.

Ultimately, people are most motivated when they're "working for themselves." Once they're interested, the rest of the routines will work.

To prevent the agents from neglecting their duties, Wayne actually toned it down a bit, emphasizing that the luncheon meat sales were only a short-term task, and the new members just happened to have the opportunity. The extra money they earned was considered a newbie perk and a "settling-in allowance," and the opportunity was limited and wouldn't last.
Therefore, the new members are naturally very motivated because they have the opportunity to fight, make money on the side, and don't have to worry about working for too long.

Anyway, Wayne isn't expecting to make a fortune from luncheon meat for the time being. Afterwards, the best meat will be prioritized for internal supply to the detective agency, and the rest will be sent to restaurants to make hamburger patties and the like. The luncheon meat's current positioning is more about "making good use of scraps" to avoid waste from meat that can't be eaten immediately after slaughter.

As long as this part of the business breaks even overall, that's fine; other additional revenue is what Wayne wants.

Lina, who audited Wayne's class last night, was openly cricketing at him next to him:
"I think the problem mainly lies with Wayne. This guy seems to have a real knack for missionary work; if he were born in the Middle Ages, he'd probably be either a darling of the Holy See or their target." That's slander!
Factory direct sales are legal in modern society, right?

After the new members' carriages departed, Sanders arrived in Wayne's carriage.

Inesa was a little curious, since Wayne had been avoiding going out much lately to avoid suspicion. "Are you going out today? Where are you planning to go?"

Wayne had already stepped one foot into the carriage: "Like them, I'm going to the dock area to sell luncheon meat. But the rest of them are in charge of setting up the stalls, while I'm mainly responsible for handling the 'distribution channels'."

……

In the United States, social interactions are heavily reliant on "introducers," and this is no exception within the mafia.

Although Wayne had the preliminary information about the gangsters that Lina and her team had gathered, it would be much easier to have someone in the know "guide" him if he really wanted to have a face-to-face conversation with them.

So Wayne approached James Damody and pulled him out as free labor.
In dealing with the Sailors Gang, he and the Detective Agency were on friendly terms and were happy to reap the benefits. So when Wayne hinted at his desire to take revenge on the Sailors Gang, the two sides quickly reached an agreement.

This guy has been in the dock area for a while now, and is considered a well-known figure in the local underworld. In terms of status, he's a gang leader.
Based on the principle of "equal status," with him leading the way, it was much easier for Wayne to find people according to the gang list. They soon arrived at the hideout of one of the gangs that had a territorial dispute with the Sailors.

—At first, they didn't find the right location, and the other party's underlings even took the initiative to help them with directions, as if they were afraid of delaying the big bosses' serious business. Wayne felt that if he had brought a large group of agents to "kick down the door", it might not have been as smooth as this.

"This is Mr. Wayne Constantine, the famous detective who's been making headlines in the newspapers lately. I brought him here because I have some business to discuss with you."

"Business matters?" The other person was a burly man in a suit, smoking a cigar, but his physique was clearly not as large as Sanders, who was standing behind Wayne.

Wayne didn't waste any time on pleasantries and went straight to the point, "For personal reasons, I'm planning to take on the Sailors' Gang. I don't need anyone's help, but I also don't want anyone getting in my way."

The burly man didn't respond to this, but instead tilted his head and glanced at James Damody, who quickly understood and nodded, "Mr. Wayne has the ability."

Once the burly man's wary gaze returned to him, Wayne continued, "I'm basically a businessman and have no interest in the Sailors' Gang's territory. After taking them down, I won't be occupying those docks and charging the laborers 'brokerage fees'; that's not part of my business."

The other party clearly didn't believe him, only managing a forced smile on one side: "It seems Mr. Wayne is quite a generous person. May I ask which businesses Mr. Wayne is more interested in?"

Wayne waved his hand, and Sanders, behind him, placed the small gift box he was carrying on the table between the three of them.

"This is luncheon meat, a delicious and affordable meat product. I plan to promote this groundbreaking new product throughout Virginia, and Richmond is my first step in opening up the market—you see, for a businessman, the dock area is obviously too small, I can't keep an eye on it all the time, and of course I don't like anyone interfering with my business."

The big man's eyes darted around slightly, and after thinking for a while, he seemed to think he really understood. "I think I've heard people talk about this kind of food before. It must taste pretty good. I'm not like those guys in the Sailors' Gang who always interfere with other people's business. If Mr. Wayne's products were sold on my turf, no one would bother me."

Wayne nodded readily. "Of course, otherwise Mr. Damody wouldn't have arranged for us to meet."

"So it's settled then?"

"Pleasant to work with."

The dock area has many gangs with complicated relationships, and Wayne didn't intend to stir up trouble all at once, lest the chaos attract unnecessary attention from the church or other major powers.

Let's take it slow and start by clearing out the sailors' territory.

(End of this chapter)