Who would still start a business seriously after being reborn?

Chapter 623 Want to live? Then break the rules.

Both meetings were highly effective in Li Mingyuan's view.

Meanwhile, in the three provinces of Handong, Donglu, and Guangyue, the lobbyists sent by Chen Yongzheng also began their work.

They visited government departments and large enterprises across the country that had expressed interest in cooperating with Momo Group, speaking earnestly yet subtly with a sharp edge.

"Director Wang, the Momo system is indeed good, but it's still a new system. Wouldn't there be risks in large-scale application? Microsoft is the global standard..."

"Mr. Li, I heard you're considering switching systems? Forgive my bluntness, but so much of your company's historical data is on the Windows platform. Have you assessed the migration costs and time risks? We can provide you with better after-sales support."

"Choosing Microsoft means choosing to start on the same footing as our global counterparts and avoiding potential compatibility issues in the future."

These comments, like sand, began to seep into the gears of the government and enterprise markets in the three provinces. Although they did not cause a large-scale standstill for the time being, they did raise new doubts among some units that originally planned to try the Momo system, and the decision-making process inevitably showed signs of slowing down.

The flames of war have been lit in all directions.

Price wars, media wars, public relations wars, psychological warfare...

With its deep-rooted expertise and shrewd tactics, Microsoft demonstrated the all-around suppressive power of a behemoth. Their multi-pronged attack, like wave after wave of giants, continuously assaulted Momo Group's seemingly solid defenses.

With its ultra-low price of 2600 yuan, Lianxiang Whisper Notebook has managed to gain a foothold in the university market.

"Brother, Lianxiang's price war is too ruthless," Li Xiang said wearily on the phone. "Our company has been losing money all along."

Cheng Yi was silent for a few seconds before saying, "This is just Lianxiang's last-ditch effort. They won't last long. They were already short of funds, and then they spent over a billion US dollars to acquire IBM's computer division. Without Microsoft's support, they won't last more than half a month."

After hanging up the phone, Cheng Yi rubbed his temples.

He had envisioned this day when he was setting up the university's computer lab.

The mobile internet era will eventually bring an end to their university computer labs, as this is an inevitable trend. However, the fact that it has actually happened still leaves people feeling somewhat stifled.

Especially at this critical juncture, it's like his backyard being set on fire by the enemy when he's preparing to charge into the main battlefield. Although not fatal, it has tied up valuable resources and attention.

The next day, Zhang Lingyu brought even worse news in a flurry.

“Master, there’s a problem.” She said as soon as she entered the office, “The government projects we had agreed on in two cities in Donglu Province have suddenly been halted. The other party’s attitude is ambiguous. They only said that they need to study it further and that our industrial park is not in their city. They told us to go to the provincial capital to talk first.”

"And there's also Guangdong Province."

“A large state-owned enterprise that had already decided to purchase 500 Honor Enterprise Edition computers had its procurement process inexplicably put on hold. Rumors circulated internally that they had received a reminder from above, suggesting that, for the sake of caution, they should prioritize solutions that have been tested by the market over a long period of time.”

Cheng Yi's eyes turned completely cold.

It seems that Microsoft's lobbying team is starting to make a difference.

These methods, though not sophisticated, are extremely effective.

It takes advantage of the inherent conservatism and natural risk aversion within the government-enterprise system.

Even the slightest doubt can delay a project for months or longer.

"It's Microsoft doing this underhanded thing," Zhang Lingyu said through gritted teeth. "Should I send someone to pay them a visit?"

"Not for now," Cheng Yi immediately objected. "We can't afford to lose our composure at this time, and we certainly can't give them any ammunition. Microsoft would love for us to overreact. If we use unconventional methods, they can immediately accuse us of unfair competition or even worse, putting us at a disadvantage both morally and legally."

He walked to the map, looked at the area representing Shandong and Guangdong, tapped his finger heavily on it, and said, "Microsoft's goal is clear: to slow down our progress, buy them time to operate their national real estate management centers, and at the same time exhaust our patience and resources."

"Then what do we do? Just wait here?" Zhang Lingyu asked impatiently.

Cheng Yi thought for a moment and said, "No, they can use their underhanded tactics, we'll fight our frontal battle."

Cheng Yi looked at Li Weiwei and asked, "Has the free trial program been launched?"

"We will release the information through all channels at 3 p.m. today, highlighting our perfect compatibility with Microsoft Project and AutoCAD files, as well as our worry-free commitment to data migration. I have the marketing team create a beautiful PPT of our success stories and send it precisely to the email addresses of decision-makers in our target real estate companies."

It's three o'clock in the afternoon.

Momo Group's official platform and major partner media simultaneously announced the major news that Moc-os Enterprise Edition + MOffice Office Suite + Real Estate Integrated Workbench will be offered for free for three months.

Experience cutting-edge domestic office solutions at zero cost, seamlessly compatible with your existing documents, with a professional team providing on-site service to help businesses reduce costs and increase efficiency!

As soon as the news broke, most of the attention that had been drawn to Lianxiang's price war and Microsoft's public relations battle was instantly pulled back.

This has caused quite a stir within the real estate industry.

"Three months free? Really?"

"Momo system? Is that the unicorn company that's all the rage in Handong Province?"

"I heard it can perfectly open CAD and Project files? And even convert them directly?"

"It's free anyway, why not give it a try? What if it actually works?"

Immediately, the application hotline and official website application portal announced by Momo Group saw a surge in traffic.

Many small and medium-sized real estate companies, as well as cost-sensitive enterprises, immediately showed great interest.

At the same time, Microsoft's counterattack followed.

Almost simultaneously with Momo's announcement, analytical posts and warnings from professionals began appearing online.

Beware of the Free Trap: On the Hidden Costs of Enterprise Software Services

A Brief Analysis of the Potential Risks of a Certain Domestic System's So-Called Perfect Compatibility

Data security is of utmost importance: Enterprises must exercise extreme caution when migrating core data.

These articles, while seemingly objective and neutral, subtly imply that Momo's free strategy is unreliable, inevitably has compatibility issues, and poses a significant risk of data migration.

Some small software testing organizations with close ties to Microsoft even released so-called comparative reviews, deliberately exaggerating minor flaws in the Momo system under extreme testing conditions.

At the same time, Li Mingyuan's operations at the national real estate management center became even more intensive.

The draft tender documents began to include some clearly biased clauses, such as requiring the provision of successful application cases from more than one hundred large enterprises worldwide and supporting real-time two-way data synchronization with a certain mainstream international project management software.

Deputy Director Wang's attitude became increasingly clear in favor of Microsoft. Deputy Director Liu, on the other hand, continued to evade the issue, his stance ambiguous, but clearly showed no sign of speaking up for the Momo system.

Momo Group's free trial program, while launching with great fanfare, has also fallen into a carefully woven web of doubts and standards barriers set by Microsoft.

While the number of companies applying for the trial is considerable, it is still far from Cheng Yi's target of more than half of the real estate companies.

Moreover, most large real estate companies and state-owned enterprises are still in a wait-and-see state and dare not try easily.

The free trial program has been online for a week, and the results have been mixed.

The good news is that the number of small and medium-sized real estate companies applying for the trial has exceeded 5,000. The technical response teams dispatched by Momo Group to various provinces are extremely busy, and their reputation is gradually building up.

Yu Sen's team practically lived in the server room, constantly optimizing the system, patching it, and handling various unexpected compatibility issues. Their technical skills and service attitude indeed won praise from a group of early users.

The worrying thing is that most large real estate companies and state-owned enterprises are still holding back and adopting a cautious wait-and-see attitude.

Despite Microsoft's covert efforts, the online criticism has not subsided.

More importantly, the news from the National Real Estate Management Center is not optimistic.

In the draft of the tender documents, all the clauses that clearly favored Microsoft were retained.

"Damn it! How are we supposed to play like this? They set all the standards, and we've already lost before we even got a chance to play!" Yu Sen slammed his fist on the table in the technical department, furious.

Huang Ganping's face was also very grim. He had pursued this technology all his life, but he never expected that after successfully developing it, he would be blocked from entering the market by the very group that should have been overjoyed and supported domestic products.

This blow was truly devastating for Huang Ganping.

At this moment, Huang Ganping finally understood why Liu Guiwu had given up the Moc-os system back then.

It's not that we can't develop it, it's that even if we could, nobody would use it.

The server and manpower costs incurred daily during the free trial are astronomical. If the bidding fails in the end, this money will really go down the drain and may even become a laughing stock in the industry.

Now, the requirements of the national real estate management center have basically been released.

The requirement to provide successful application cases from more than 100 large enterprises worldwide is tantamount to loudly telling everyone that only Microsoft can be shortlisted.

Most importantly, at this critical juncture, only a few leaders with whom they had a good relationship dared to stand up and speak up for them.

While they might offer their help, the actual decision-makers wouldn't dare risk their own positions.

After all, who can guarantee that Momo Group's system will not have any problems?
If everyone uses Microsoft, they won't be held responsible if problems arise.

But if they go against the majority and use the Momo system, what if the Momo system malfunctions? Wouldn't they also be implicated?
The less you talk, the fewer mistakes you make; the less you do, the fewer mistakes you make.

This is the only way to protect yourself wisely.

Pressure weighed on the minds of every senior executive at Momo Group.

Microsoft's combination of moves, coupled with its deep influence in rule-making, almost sealed the deal for this procurement.

Cheng Yi sat on the sofa in his office, closed his eyes, and pondered for a long time.

The sky outside the window gradually darkened, and the city lights began to come on, illuminating his slightly tired profile.

After all, their competitor is Microsoft.

In his previous life, he wouldn't have dared to imagine that he would one day be able to compete with Microsoft.

In 2004, Lianxiang Group's total profit in China was US$1.5 million, while Microsoft's total profit in China reached US$78 billion.

Even Microsoft China United Group's total profit is dozens of times higher than that of Lianxiang Group, making it very difficult to challenge.

Cheng Yi lay on the recliner, his mind flashing through many business battle cases from his previous life.

He must find a way to solve this problem.

Gradually, he suddenly thought of a man who liked belts, and a bold and crazy idea popped into his mind.

Why must we play within the rules set by others?
He suddenly opened his eyes, made a phone call to Li Chengxuan, and said, "Brother Li, I have something I'd like to talk to you about, is that convenient?"

“It’s convenient. I’m available 24/7 if you need anything,” Li Chengxuan said with a smile.

Cheng Yi changed his clothes and, taking only Lin Yongxing with him, headed to Li Chengxuan's private club.

Upon entering, Cheng Yi skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point: "Brother Li, you probably already know the situation. Microsoft has practically blocked all our paths at the management center. With conventional methods, our chances of winning are very slim."

Li Chengxuan poured tea for Cheng Yi, sighed, and said, "I've heard Director Fang mention it a bit. Now, Deputy Director Wang's attitude is very firm, and Deputy Director Liu, that fence-sitter, is also stirring things up. The bidding terms are indeed very unfavorable to you, brother. It's not that I don't want to help you, it's just that this matter..."

“I understand. I came to you not to ask you to lobby for me.” Cheng Yi interrupted him, lowering his voice to ask, “Brother Li, what do you think real estate companies care about most, and what gives them the biggest headache, setting aside all the empty talk about bidding terms? Or, is there any way to bypass the management center and force real estate companies to choose us?”

Li Chengxuan pondered for a moment and slowly said, "What real estate companies care about most are, of course, cost, efficiency and capital. There are many headaches, such as slow approval processes, difficulty in obtaining bank loans, lack of data communication between departments, duplicate approvals, and repeated revisions of design drawings leading to project delays... These are all long-standing problems."

He paused, as if he had thought of something, and said, "Wait!"

He sat up abruptly, his eyes lighting up, and said, "There's a department that might be able to help you break through this situation. Its opinions can even significantly influence the management center's decisions."

"The housing loan approval departments of major banks?" Cheng Yi asked rhetorically.

“That’s right! That’s it!” Li Chengxuan slapped his thigh and said, “This department is responsible for reviewing the issuance of real estate development loans. They value project risk control the most. If, and I mean if, you can get the bank to support you, it can definitely change a lot of possibilities.”

Cheng Yi asked, "In other words, if we can secure the support of the banking system, and even get them to provide certain conveniences or give priority to real estate companies using our system when approving loans, then real estate companies will spontaneously choose our system in order to obtain loans faster and more smoothly?"

“Absolutely!” Li Chengxuan said with certainty, “This is equivalent to delegating the choice from the management center to the market and the investors. Even if the management center wants to create obstacles, they will have to consider the opinions of the banking system. After all, funds are the lifeblood of real estate companies.”

Li Chengxuan continued, "You are the banks' gods of wealth. When it comes to cash flow, how many domestic companies can match you? In other words, much of the money that real estate companies get in their hands is your money."

"Understood, Brother Li. Here, let me toast you!" Cheng Yi picked up the teacup.

"You're too kind," Li Chengxuan quickly picked up his teacup.

(End of this chapter)