I'm in the county town, and you say I'm a big shot?

Chapter 813 Going All Out! Chairman Fang Prepares to Personally Promote Sales

"You really came?" Fang Qingye's voice was filled with undisguised surprise.

"Yes, I'm planning to do an exclusive interview with you to see how mainland entrepreneurs carry out poverty alleviation work," the young woman said with a smile, explaining her purpose.

"You're welcome." Fang Qingye readily agreed, then suggested, "I was just about to call a team meeting, would you like to come along?"

"Okay."

Twenty minutes later, in the living room of Fang Qingye's suite, the core team members of ByteDance sat in a circle, the atmosphere more somber than usual.

Although Zhang Nan has recovered her spirits, she still looks a little tired when operating her laptop and connecting it to the projector.

Fang Qingye briefly introduced Chen Ziqing's identity to the team. Hearing that a reporter would be covering the entire live-streaming sales event, the team members were both excited and nervous—it was an excellent publicity opportunity, but if they messed it up, the consequences would be dire.

"Everyone, let's first review the basic situation." Zhang Nan, the main person in charge of the team, pulled up a set of photos, which showed a processing plant with a rather old feel.

"This is the Fengtai Black Rice Processing Plant in Machang Town, Yangzhou, which we will be visiting tomorrow. From what we understand, this factory is a privately owned enterprise in the town. The black rice it produces and sells is of very good quality, but the sales volume has never been ideal."

Wang Lei, the product operations manager, added in a slightly somber voice: "I've checked the relevant information. Black rice is a national geographical indication product with high nutritional value. But the problem is that the outside world has very low awareness of it, and the packaging is also relatively traditional, which makes it unattractive to online consumers."

"That's precisely the value of our trip." Fang Qingye glanced around the team, keenly noticing their low spirits. "Zhang Nan, what specific information did you gather during your field investigation this afternoon?"

Zhang Nan switched to a different PowerPoint presentation, showing a scene of several farmers working in the fields. Her tone became serious:

“We met with the processing plant manager and several farmers. The most pressing issue right now is that a large amount of black rice harvested last year is still piling up in the warehouse. If it cannot be sold in time, under the current storage conditions, the black rice is very likely to get damp and moldy, and its quality will be greatly reduced. The factory is also facing difficulties in cash flow.”

She paused, glanced at Fang Qingye, and continued, "And I must say, we are facing far more difficulties than we anticipated. Everyone should report what they know to Chairman Fang."

“Let me go first,” Zhou Qiang, the technical support representative, immediately raised a thorny issue: “Chairman Fang, I tested the network signal in the factory area, and it’s extremely poor, like stepping back into the 2G era. Live streaming? I’d be grateful if I could even send a single WeChat message!”

"Can we use 4G signal boosting equipment?" Fang Qingye asked.

"We've already contacted the county's telecommunications company, and they'll send someone with equipment to assist tomorrow. But it's hard to say how effective it will be," Zhou Qiang said, his tone uncertain.
"Moreover, this live-streaming sales event involves the coordination of multiple system modules, including real-time interaction, product display, and order processing. According to feedback from headquarters, Mr. Li and his technical team are still frantically coding, and the e-commerce platform will need at least two more days to deliver the goods. The timeline is so tight, I'm practically pulling my hair out!"

Yes, it's too tight.

Although it's just a small e-commerce engine built for this poverty alleviation project, every necessary step must be taken.

At this point, Zhang Nan raised another problem, her voice tinged with frustration: "Logistics costs are much higher than we anticipated. Transportation here is inconvenient, and delivery fees are nearly 20% higher than in big cities. If we bear these costs, the project's profit margin will be severely squeezed. If we pass them on to consumers, it will affect sales." Content planner Li Yue raised her hand with a worried expression: "I've practically gone bald from writing livestream scripts! How do I make Heimi sound sophisticated yet relatable? We have no livestreamers, no experience. Are we supposed to have our fellow villagers stutter in front of the camera?"

Zhao Ming, the marketing director, sighed: "Our budget for advertising and promotion is also very limited. We can't afford to spend money on buying traffic like those big brands; we can only rely on the content itself to attract organic traffic, which is very risky for a premiere."

A brief silence fell over the meeting room, an invisible pressure hanging in the air. Chen Ziqing keenly observed the expressions on everyone's faces, which were filled with frustration and anxiety.

Fang Qingye leaned forward slightly, her gaze sweeping over each member of the team, and said, "I know there are many difficulties, even exceeding our initial expectations. But this precisely proves the necessity and value of our trip."

He paused and continued, "If everything were easy, what would be the point of having ByteDance's elite team here? It is precisely because of the difficulties that we need to solve them; it is precisely because the roads are blocked that we need to forge new paths."

"Regarding the logistics issue," Fang Qingye looked at Zhang Nan, "we'll take a two-pronged approach. On one hand, we'll negotiate with local courier companies, using our expected shipment volume as leverage to secure a preferential price. On the other hand, we can design a tiered postage subsidy system, where the larger the order volume, the higher the subsidy percentage, which will both alleviate initial pressure and incentivize sales."

"As for the technology and content," he turned to Zhou Qiang and Li Yue, his tone becoming humorous, "Technology? If the signal is bad, find a solution; if a 4G booster doesn't work, use satellite! As for Li Mo, I'm his number one fan!"

Everyone laughed.

That's right. If they can't even manage a mini e-commerce platform, viewers in the live stream will probably just be staring blankly at pictures of black rice.

"As for the content, it's not vivid enough, so we'll use the simplest language and let the farmers tell their planting stories themselves. Sincerity is the best script."

Fang Qingye stood up, her expression turning serious. "I want everyone to remember that we're here not just to sell a batch of black rice. We're here to open up a new sales channel for high-quality agricultural products from impoverished areas, and to explore a sustainable and replicable poverty alleviation model. Similarly, this is of great significance to ByteDance! Douyin will no longer be just about watching pretty girls; it will become the next generation's e-commerce dark horse!"

"Pfft." Fang Qingye's last sentence made Chen Ziqing, who was sitting to the side taking notes, laugh.

What's wrong with Fang Qingye today? Why is she speaking so seductively?

Is it because all the subordinates present are born in the 1990s?
These words were like a window suddenly opening in a stuffy room. The team members' eyes lit up again, and they started chattering away once more. The meeting was finally back on track, and everyone enthusiastically worked on the details.

However, when it came to how to generate buzz for the premiere, questions about the choice of host and the key moments caused everyone to freeze.

Chen Ziqing, who had been listening attentively and taking notes, looked at the group of elites racking their brains over technology, logistics, and content, and then at Fang Qingye. A bold idea suddenly flashed through her mind. She hesitated for a moment, then raised her hand to interrupt the discussion.

"Everyone, I have a thought that might be a bit presumptuous..." Chen Ziqing looked at Fang Qingye, her eyes gleaming with the brilliance of a reporter who had just uncovered an exclusive story, "Since traffic is the key to the success or failure of live-streaming e-commerce, and we currently lack charismatic professional hosts, then... why not have Chairman Fang personally take the lead?"

(End of this chapter)