Rebirth in Hong Kong: From Dessert Shop to Industrial Empire

Chapter 142 Combination Punch (Third update of 10,000 words per day, please vote with monthly tickets and recommendations, and please continue reading)
As a middle-level manager, Wan Yingying failed to identify potential risks and report them in a timely manner, which was a dereliction of duty.

But what alarmed him even more was the team mentality that this might reflect – a lack of sensitivity?
Is it because they're afraid of taking responsibility?

Or is there still a lingering sense of wishful thinking?

Regardless of the type, this trend must be stopped immediately.

He stared at Wan Yingying for a few seconds, and that gaze made Wan Yingying feel a cold sweat seep down her back.

However, he ultimately did not pursue her responsibility further. At this point, assigning blame was not the focus; resolving the problem was the key. But this incident should serve as a warning.

"Have you found the source of the counterfeit goods?" He suppressed his displeasure and turned his attention back to the real issue.

Wan Yingying quickly replied, "We have initially identified several small underground workshops in the Yuen Long and Tuen Mun areas. They are very well hidden and highly mobile."

"Understood." Chen Bingwen closed the report, his voice returning to its previous calm, but the sternness in his eyes had not completely disappeared. "Notify the entire marketing department to hold a meeting in the small conference room in half an hour."

Director Fang and Attorney Gu also attended.

"Yes, Mr. Chen!" Wan Yingying felt as if she had been granted a pardon and immediately went out to inform him.

The office door closed gently, shutting out the sounds from the outside.

Chen Bingwen leaned back in his chair, his mind racing.

The first thing to do now is to plug the loopholes in management and eliminate potential risks.

"Poor information flow is a precursor to the problems of large corporations."

Chen Bingwen thought to himself.

Wan Yingying's handling of the situation served as a wake-up call for him.

The company expanded rapidly, its operations became more extensive, and its organizational structure became more complex.

If middle-level managers conceal or delay reporting problems out of fear of taking responsibility or out of wishful thinking, by the time headquarters discovers the issue, it often leads to a regional or even systemic crisis.

The embankment of a thousand miles collapsed in the ant nest.

"Rules must be established and systems must be formed."

With this in mind, Chen Bingwen opened his notebook and wrote down several measures to strengthen management.

Wan Yingying's case serves as a stark example of what not to do, and this unhealthy trend must be stopped.

Half an hour later, all the key members of the marketing department arrived at the conference room.

Vincent Fang and Gu Yongxian also arrived on time.

Chen Bingwen sat in the main seat, with the glaring sales report and photos of counterfeit products spread out in front of him.

He didn't speak immediately, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, the invisible pressure making the air in the conference room seem to freeze.

Wan Yingying sat in the corner, head down, not daring to meet his gaze.

"Everyone's here." Chen Bingwen's voice broke the silence. "Manager Wan, please give everyone a briefing on the situation!"

Wan Yingying glanced at Chen Bingwen, then stood up and explained to everyone the discovery of counterfeit products and the decline in sales.

During this process, Chen Bingwen noticed that the core members of the marketing department did not show the expected shock or sense of urgency.

Some of them were looking down at their notebooks, some had slightly unfocused eyes, some frowned slightly, and some listened expressionlessly.

This almost "calm" reaction contrasted sharply with the instantly serious expressions on the faces of Vincent Fang and Gu Yongxian!
This discovery was like a bucket of ice water poured over Chen Bingwen's heart, making him instantly understand a deeper issue!
This is by no means solely Wan Yingying's dereliction of duty or delay!

The marketing department as a whole was aware of the declining sales and the existence of counterfeit products!
They likely noticed these unusual signals much earlier through their respective channels.

However, this information was either ignored, suppressed, or diluted and weakened during its circulation within the department, ultimately failing to be summarized to Wan Yingying in a timely and complete manner. Even when it was summarized, Wan Yingying, with the same mindset, chose to "let's see" or "wait and see."

This collective apathy, dullness, and wishful thinking dulls what should be a keen market sense and causes important risk signals to disappear through layers of filtering.

This is an internal crisis that is more terrifying and fundamentally shakes the foundation than the counterfeit products themselves!
After Wan Yingying finished her report, the conference room fell silent.

Fang Wenshan and Gu Yongxian frowned, clearly realizing that the seriousness of the problem far exceeded their expectations.

Most of the marketing staff remained silent, the atmosphere so oppressive it was suffocating.

Chen Bingwen slowly stood up. He did not immediately get angry, but the cold aura emanating from him made the room temperature seem to drop several degrees.

He placed his hands on the table, his gaze slowly sweeping across the faces of everyone in the marketing department, finally settling on Wan Yingying.

"Everyone is aware of the situation." Chen Bingwen's voice was unusually calm, eerily calm. "Manager Wan's report was very detailed."

But what I'm more concerned about is," he suddenly changed his tone, his voice rising sharply as he demanded, "why, before Manager Wan's report, did no one in the marketing department, as a whole, proactively report to me or Director Fang about the abnormal decline in sales?"

Why has no one reported the rampant counterfeit products appearing on the market?!

His gaze swept over the marketing department staff with an almost tangible intensity: "You're on the front lines of the market!"
You guys are out in the distribution channels, checking out the retail outlets, and connecting with consumers every day!
Haven't you noticed these signs: declining sales, abnormal feedback from retailers, and counterfeit products flooding small store shelves?

Didn't you hear me?

Didn't you feel it?!

At this point, Chen Bingwen slammed his hand on the table with a loud bang. "Or is it that you saw, heard, and felt it, but chose to remain silent?! You chose to turn a blind eye?!"

Have you chosen to "mind your own business"?

They chose 'wait and see'?!

He pointed to the sales reports and photos of counterfeit products on the conference table and said sternly, "Look! This is the result of your collective silence!"

Let the problem fester! Let counterfeit products flood the market! Let our brand image be tarnished!

This stern rebuke turned many in the marketing department pale, and they lowered their heads, unable to meet Chen Bingwen's gaze.

Wan Yingying's face turned deathly pale, and her body trembled slightly.

Chen Bingwen took a deep breath, suppressing his surging anger.

Now is not the time to hold specific individuals accountable; the urgent task is to solve the problem and completely reverse this bad trend.

"Wan Yingying's dereliction of duty will be dealt with seriously by the company in accordance with the rules!"
But the more important purpose of today's meeting is to establish rules! To curb unhealthy practices! To reshape the atmosphere of the marketing department!

Chen Bingwen wanted to replace everyone in the marketing department at once.

However, this makes it difficult for the marketing department to regain its fighting capacity in a short period of time.

Chen Bingwen suppressed the urge to have a blood transfusion.

The immediate priority is to stabilize the situation, solve the problems, and at the same time take the opportunity to reshape the team's atmosphere.

Chen Bingwen declared firmly, "From today onwards, the marketing department must undergo a complete transformation! I want you to remember three things!"

He scanned the entire room and announced loudly: "Any regional market that experiences abnormal fluctuations (such as a drop of more than 5%) for three consecutive days must submit a preliminary analysis and early warning report to headquarters before noon on the fourth day!"
Regardless of whether the cause has been identified, anyone who conceals or delays reporting will be dismissed from their post!

All frontline marketing personnel who discover any potential competitive threats can report directly to headquarters!

No intermediary link may obstruct or delay the process! Anyone who knowingly fails to report such information will be severely punished!

Those who proactively discover and report problems will be generously rewarded! Those who conceal or fail to report problems, leading to their escalation, will be severely punished!

These three points will be documented immediately after the meeting and issued for implementation!
Director Fang is responsible for overseeing the implementation!

Chen Bingwen said seriously, "Wan Yingying's incident is a negative example! I hope it will be the last time!"
Anyone who dares to neglect their duties, harbor侥幸心理 (a sense of侥幸, or a belief that they can get away with it), or fail to report wrongdoing will be severely punished! The marketing department is Chenji's vanguard, not a retirement home!

After saying that, Chen Bingwen changed the subject, no longer dwelling on internal issues, and began to assign tasks:
Gu Yongxian was in charge of organizing personnel and utilizing all resources to uncover the mastermind behind the counterfeit products, the production sites, and the raw material supply chain, obtaining a solid chain of evidence!

As a top lawyer, he naturally walks the line between right and wrong, so there are some things that Chen Bingwen doesn't need to explain.

Gu Yongxian understood immediately and said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, Mr. Chen!"

Then, Chen Bingwen looked at Fang Wenshan and said, "The promotion of products in Hong Kong is indeed somewhat lacking, especially after the movie's popularity faded. They failed to make up for it in time, giving counterfeit products an opportunity to take advantage."

Now, we need to adopt a two-pronged approach, or even a three-pronged approach, not only to eliminate counterfeits, but also to reignite market enthusiasm and solidify brand image!

He took a deep breath and made up his mind to go all in.

If we're going to do it, let's do something big that will shake the whole of Hong Kong!
"Next, our promotional campaign in the Hong Kong Island market will be fully upgraded! Budget is not a problem!" Chen Bingwen said solemnly. "The nearly ten million in profits we generate each month from Singapore, Japan, Southeast Asia, and Hong Kong Island itself is the foundation for our confidence in fighting this tough battle!"

I want all consumers in Hong Kong to know the name Chan Kee!

He then presented a series of promotional strategies:

"First, a massive advertising blitz, covering every corner!"

"Immediately contact TV stations, radio stations, major newspapers, as well as bus bodies and roadside billboards to secure the best time slots and prime advertising space!"
Advertisements were published for bottled sugar water and energy drinks.

I want the people of Hong Kong Island to see Chan Kee's advertisements the moment they open their eyes!

"Secondly, in Hong Kong Island, we will simultaneously launch the 'Buy One Get One Free' promotion!"

Let's show consumers through our actions that buying genuine products not only guarantees quality but also brings extra surprises!

The marketing department is responsible for end-user coordination and must ensure the campaign reaches all partner stores as quickly as possible!

"Third, let Professor Zhou appear on TVB and RTV's evening programs, and on the front page of Sing Tao Daily and Oriental Daily News!"

We're launching a health science popularization column to establish Chenji's professional authority in the field of 'healthy drinks'!

We need to make consumers understand that when choosing good products, they should listen to Chen Ji!

Fourth, sales staff from the marketing department will personally go and talk to channel terminals! Rewards will be given for those who proactively report the sale of counterfeit goods!

We will work with our channel partners to completely squeeze counterfeit products out of the mainstream market!

Chen Bingwen completed the deployment of a series of measures in one go, including product promotion, sales activities, public opinion counterattack, and channel control.

This time he was truly determined, preparing to leverage his strong financial advantage to wage an overwhelming advertising war.

This once and for all established Chen Kee's market position in Hong Kong Island.

(End of this chapter)