1994: Starting with unpaid leave

Countless facts have proven that a team with a unified vision is the easiest to lead, especially when there is a clear goal.

After the previous night's persuasion, the group got to work with great enthusiasm the day after arriving at the factory, while the factory manager, Dong Jianguo, could only help with the packaging work.

Unfortunately, the three newly hired employees only went to get their health certificates yesterday afternoon. Even if they paid extra for expedited processing, they probably won't be able to officially start work for another two days.

Zhong Zhengtao's new packaging machine also helped a lot.

After he debugged the two new machines, they were more than twice as efficient as the old-fashioned machines.

By noon, the Harbin-Chengdu Passenger Transport Section had completed most of its orders. At this rate, it would definitely finish all of them before the end of the workday, and even have a lot of extra inventory.

At 12 o'clock, the four sales representatives personally selected by Dong Jianguo arrived at the factory as scheduled.

Dong Jianguo ushered the four people directly into the gatehouse.

The four people negotiated orders of varying sizes.

The largest order was from Gao Cailing, who signed a contract for a full 10 boxes, a volume that far exceeded Dong Jianguo's expectations.

What intrigued Dong Jianguo even more was that, despite being the "single king" among the four, Gao Cailing's expression remained unchanged, as if nothing had happened.

He's a talented person...

Dong Jianguo's opinion of her rose even higher.

Li Xiulan was second, ordering five boxes of braised eggs, while Shi Huilan ordered four boxes.

The lowest was Wang Guiying, who only signed an order for two boxes.

Wang Guiying, Li Xiulan, and Shi Huilan arrived at the factory by bus.

She already knew in the car that her order was the smallest among the three.

Although she didn't know how many orders Gao Cailing had secured at the time, she could vaguely guess that the number Gao Cailing had secured was definitely higher than hers.

Therefore, she was somewhat mentally prepared for Dong Jianguo's talk of elimination based on performance.

But when it comes down to it, I still want to try my best:

"Um, Jianguo... Director Dong... I know I'm bad with words... Could you please give me another chance? I'll try again when I get home today?"

Although she spoke earnestly, Dong Jianguo still waved his hand:

"Sister Guiying, may I ask how many convenience stores you visited between yesterday and this morning?"

"Ah? About seven or eight..." Wang Guiying answered softly, her voice tinged with guilt.

She actually visited four stores and placed orders at two of them.

But later on, I was too lazy to run anymore. Besides, I felt that Dong Jianguo was young, and even if I sold the least amount, he might not be able to do anything to me, so I just went home and lay down.

Dong Jianguo nodded, then turned to Shi Huilan: "And you?"

Shi Huilan glanced at Wang Guiying and answered somewhat shyly, "About fifteen or sixteen families..."

Dong Jianguo spread his hands: "Sister Guiying, look, I gave everyone the same amount of time, and Huilan's success rate is about the same as yours, but she visited twice as many stores as you."

Dong Jianguo stood up, walked to the center of the gatehouse, and glanced at everyone present.

"Everyone,"

Dong Jianguo's voice wasn't loud, but it sounded exceptionally clear in the somewhat crowded gatehouse.

"Our factory is just starting out. Funds, equipment, and raw materials—none of these came from thin air. I chose the four of you to handle sales, partly to help you make a living, and partly to sell the goods for real money."

He paused, then tapped his fingers lightly on the table, making a "tap-tap" sound.

"My rules are very simple: the capable rise, the average step aside, and the mediocre fall. What does mediocre mean? It doesn't mean you're a bad person, but that you can't create value in this position."

"Sister Guiying, to be honest, your two orders won't even cover your own hiring costs. I'm not being heartless, but in this factory, relationships are earned through performance."

Wang Guiying's face flushed red, and she still wanted to explain, "Director Dong, it's not that I didn't want to run away, it's just that the shop owners all said our eggs are a bit expensive..."

"Don't say 'but'," Dong Jianguo interrupted her. "I guess every salesperson encounters the same problem you have."

Upon hearing Dong Jianguo's words, the other two, except for Gao Cailing, nodded in agreement.

"Everyone has a different price expectation. For the same thing, some people think it's expensive, while others think it's cheap."

"If you can't reach an agreement, don't waste your time; hurry up and go to the next one."

Dong Jianguo walked up to Wang Guiying, his tone softening slightly, but his eyes remained sharp:

"Sister Guiying, you are a good person, but what I need now are soldiers who can fight. Our factory is like a small boat in a storm right now. I can't let one person rowing slowly cause the whole boat to capsize."

He turned around, faced everyone, and raised his voice again:

"Therefore, I hereby declare that Comrade Wang Guiying, this job is not suitable for you... I will give you your commission later."

These words shocked everyone present.

Li Xiulan and Shi Huilan exchanged a glance, both seeing fear and relief in each other's eyes.

Gao Cailing didn't move at all, and remained expressionless.

Wang Guiying stood there stunned, she never expected Dong Jianguo to be so heartless.

We came from the same factory, how can you not show any sympathy?

Her lips trembled as she tried to say something, but in the end she only raised her finger and pointed at Dong Jianguo, making a few taps in the air before walking out of the gatehouse with her head down without saying anything.

The door slammed shut, and the air in the gatehouse seemed to freeze.

Dong Jianguo sat back down in his chair, his gaze fixed intently on the remaining three: "Do you think I'm too ruthless?"

The three of them quickly shook their heads, none of them daring to respond.

"Ruthless? The business world is like a battlefield, and salespeople are the vanguard. That's just how cruel reality is."

"Li Xiulan and Shi Huilan, although you two weren't eliminated today, don't be too happy yet."

"Your performance can only be considered barely passing."

Dong Jianguo stared at the two of them. "Go back and summarize your experiences. Analyze the characteristics of the bosses who signed those orders. Then we can all share our findings and learn from each other's experiences to improve faster."

"Alright, go back to work... Oh, by the way, Gao Cailing, you stay here for a bit."

The two nodded hurriedly, not daring to breathe loudly, and only breathed a sigh of relief after leaving the gatehouse.

Li Xiulan wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and whispered to Shi Huilan, "How come I never realized before? Jianguo is quite a ruthless character."

Shi Huilan nodded with a wry smile: "Yes, it seems we'll have to work like crazy from now on."

"Who says otherwise... Let's do it, what else can we do? Do you want to go home with your tail between your legs like Wang Guiying?"

The two of them shuddered at the thought of Wang Guiying's mournful eyes when she left.

Anyway, I've managed to keep this job...