2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 117 The Other Side of Boss Tan

Lin Yumin, born in 1970, is 35 years old this year and is from Suxian County, Yicheng City; Wu Zhenping, born in 1971, is 34 years old this year and is from Wushi City.

That's the city that was later described as taking off with a whoosh.

The two men were fortunate to be assigned to the petrochemical sales department under favorable policies, and they enjoyed a few good years. However, as time went on, without any connections, they saw no hope of promotion in the seniority-driven state-owned enterprise.

Let alone the two of them, even Tan Lihua, who is in his forties and has some technical skills, sees no hope of advancement. And that's even more true for them, who are in sales. Does the petrochemical industry lack sales channels? Absolutely not.

No matter the era, it's never easy to rise in the ranks. Even though they were only in their early thirties, they felt the speed of the country's economic development while running sales.

In an era where everyone is rushing to make money, are we really going to just stay in a small city, earning a few thousand yuan a month and wasting our lives?

There are many state-owned enterprise employees like them who are disappointed or unwilling to accept their fate, but few dare to step forward. Lin Yumin and Wu Zhenping, influenced by Tan Lihua, were able to make a trip to Ningbo in person, which already showed a great deal of determination.

Rumors were circulating in the factory that the Tan family's son was making a fortune, but when I came to see it, it was even more outrageous than the rumors. There was a huge factory of over 1000 square meters, with all sorts of machines being moved in one after another, and there were also two import and export companies.

Back then, this kid suddenly disappeared during summer vacation, causing Mr. and Mrs. Tan great anxiety and making quite a stir in the factory. Unexpectedly, in just two years, the kid who was once a negative example has turned into what he is now.

Oh, and there's Old Zhang's son. These two boys have been inseparable since they were little. He was involved in the sudden disappearance. Now, he's doing quite well, always coming and going in his car.

Last time, that kid threw a welcome party for the two of us and took the opportunity to get him drunk. This kid said that he can easily earn millions a year now, and earning tens of millions this year is no problem. They say that people speak the truth when they are drunk. This kid probably doesn't have that much scheming to deceive us while we are drunk, just to keep the two of us here.

If it's really as he says, and he manages to make the old Tan family kid even bigger, then it's certainly worth the desire to take a gamble with him.

"Uncle Lin, Uncle Wu, please sit down; my father often mentions you two, you're both excellent salespeople in your prime." Tan Jincheng greeted the two men as they walked to the sofa area.

He kicked Zhang Xupeng again and said, "Hurry up and pour tea for Uncle Lin and Uncle Wu. You know where the tea leaves are, right?"

Zhang Xupeng pursed his lips. This office was set up by Brother Sun and me. I've been here more often than you. How could I not know where it is?
"Xiao Tan's office is even more impressive than our section chief's," Lin Yumin, who was a bit older, said with a smile.

Tan Jincheng glanced at the office and laughed, "Not at all, there are rules in the factory, unlike here, where you can do whatever you want, since it's all your own money anyway."

I must say, the decorations are quite impressive, but they look so similar to Zhang Mingcan's office. I guess they took inspiration from Zhang Mingcan's office when decorating.

At the beginning of the century, when the economy was just developing, many things emphasized grandeur. The boss's office and the car he drove were important benchmarks, and even in some situations, clothing was an important benchmark.

Tan Jincheng went back to take a shower, change his clothes, and wash the car, partly because of this.

"My dad has already told my two uncles about this, right?" After sitting down, Tan Jincheng got straight to the point.

“I already said that. In the past two days, Xiao Zhang has also introduced me to some things, so I have a general understanding.” Lin Yumin continued.

It's clear that Lin Yumin was the one who suggested these two come over.

"Uncle Lin and Uncle Wu, would you like me to introduce them again?" Tan Jincheng said with a smile.

The two exchanged a glance, then nodded to Tan Jincheng and said, "Then, little Tan, tell us. Your father and Xiao Zhang probably don't know as much detail as you do."

"I currently have two businesses. The first is Jinyi Industrial, which is engaged in the export of electronic products. I have already contacted suppliers and asked people to contact clients. I will need you to lead the team to make contact and build a team to train them first."

"However, that's not the main point. The real focus is on Flash Motors. Flash Motors is currently designing an annual production capacity of over 30,000 small electric scooters, with annual sales between 50 million and 100 million yuan. If you two can lead the team to conquer more markets, we will continue to expand production in the future."

Sitting in the corner, Gu Qingqing stared at Tan Jincheng in shock. There wasn't a trace of insecurity in Boss Tan's expression.

It seemed that everything was under his control.

Of the three companies, two are engaged in export business, and both are the two largest export categories. The third is a factory that produces electric scooters, which should be for domestic sales. With both exports and domestic sales developing in a comprehensive manner, Boss Tan has big ambitions.

Lin Yumin and Wu Zhenping felt the same way. A production value of hundreds of millions was nothing to them, but if the starting point was a production value of hundreds of millions, then it was either bragging or they really had big ambitions.

"With such a large business, can you afford the funding?" Wu Zhenping asked.

"Don't worry about funding. Our export business is already very mature. You two uncles have probably been to Jinpeng Trading, right? That's the business that Xiao Zhang and I built together. Let me tell you this, Jinpeng Trading's export volume this year alone will not be less than 1 million."

"Yes, Uncle Lin and Uncle Wu, don't worry. Jinpeng Trading can be said to have been founded by Xiao Tan. I just do odd jobs and make a living by following him." Zhang Xupeng, as a good brother, praised him at this time.

"Two established export companies provide financial support to Flash Motors, so funding has never been a problem. As long as the first batch of electric scooters rolls off the production line and is accepted by the market, our factory can operate normally."

"Going from zero to one is the hardest part of anything. How to break through that zero depends on you two uncles. I wonder if you two uncles have the confidence to come and try it with your nephew?"

Tan Jincheng immediately launched into a string of data, using a well-established foreign trade company with an annual export volume of no less than 1 million yuan as an example. His strong confidence made Lin Yumin and Wu Zhenping feel a little uncomfortable for a while.

This guy has such a strong presence, he doesn't look like a 20-year-old at all, he's even more imposing than our section chief.

"Does Xiao Tan trust our abilities that much?" Lin Yumin changed the subject. "Of course I trust you two uncles. You've both worked in the sales department of the factory for many years, so your abilities are definitely not a problem. If I may say something a little impolite, all you two uncles need is an opportunity."

I don't know how capable you are, but I know that Lao Tan would never cheat me. He would never push some scoundrels to his own son's side.

Just by looking at the ages of Lin Yumin and Wu Zhenping, you can tell that Lao Tan put some effort into selecting and poaching them. They are in their thirties, an age when they are still ambitious and have not lost their drive, and they also have the desire to change their lives again.

And to be honest, sales is a physically demanding job. You're either on a business trip or on your way to one. Without a certain level of physical strength and energy, you can't do this job; you'll be exhausted.

Lin Yumin and Wu Zhenping were about the same height as Tan Jincheng, which was considered tall for their age group. They were in their thirties and should be in good health. Since they were here, they should stay and give it a try.

“But we’ve never sold electronic products or electric scooters before, so we lack experience in that area,” Wu Zhenping said.

"Sales, in essence, is about selling things. Once you understand one thing, you can do everything. I believe you two uncles can adapt very well. Now that the country is developing so rapidly, many state-owned enterprise employees are resigning to start their own businesses. Don't you two uncles want to feel the pulse of the times and, incidentally, make a fortune for the rest of your lives?"

"Don't worry about the compensation, uncles. I'll give you a base salary of 6000 yuan. If you complete the sales target, I guarantee that your monthly salary will not be less than 10,000 yuan, with no upper limit."

"As for the five social insurances and one housing fund, our private enterprises certainly don't offer as much as state-owned enterprises, there's nothing we can do about it. If you two uncles can find a way to keep your relationship with the factory, that would be the best. If not, I'll pay your five social insurances and one housing fund in full here. If you stay with the factory, I'll give you that money as a subsidy."

"As for housing, I can only rent a two-bedroom apartment for my two uncles for the time being. There are many expenses during the company's development phase, and I can't make any special arrangements. This money will be paid through my personal account."

"As for the various standards for business trip allowances, I will issue a detailed list for you two uncles to review later."

Is a salesperson earning 10,000 yuan a month a high salary? You could say it's not high at all. The value of a capable salesperson to a company cannot be measured by salary. As for the 6000 yuan base salary plus subsidies and rent, these are not issues.

Old Tan wouldn't cheat himself, so his treatment would definitely be higher than others. Even if the two people didn't agree, based on the conditions he offered, they wouldn't speak ill of Old Tan when they got back.

However, the benefits of social insurance and housing fund are indeed incomparable to those of state-owned enterprises in a private company. This is a concern for most state-owned enterprise employees when they change jobs. But if they continue to perform well, they will probably not care about these benefits in the future.

In an era when money was still valuable, wouldn't earning hundreds of thousands a year be better than receiving a little more retirement income?
Just the initial market development and travel allowances alone were enough for them to make a fortune. Tan Jincheng was naturally aware of this, but he didn't care. "I set the standards, and how you operate privately is none of my business. As long as you can get the things I ask done, that's fine."

Showing off his strength, appealing to personal relationships, and offering preferential treatment; Tan Jincheng's assertive performance made Lin Yumin and Wu Zhenping, who were used to the gentle and mild-mannered manner of state-owned enterprises, feel quite uncomfortable, but this is the style of private enterprises.

The same applies to other companies; they don't have that much time to play workplace politics with you.

Zhang Xupeng and Gu Qingqing, who were standing to the side, were also watching with great interest. This was the first time Zhang Xupeng had seen Xiao Tan display such a powerful aura. The last time he saw Xiao Tan do this, not giving anyone a chance to speak and overwhelming everyone, was with Zhang Haiping.

Xiao Tan is usually quite gentle and always discusses things with people when doing business. Unexpectedly, today's simple interview allowed these two uncles to witness his aura.

Perhaps he did this on purpose? Success or failure won't hurt him at all. If he fails, he won't say anything when he goes back. If he succeeds, it will let his two uncles know who's in charge. Don't be fooled by how happily he calls her Xiao Tan now. Once she agrees to come and work here, he can't call her Xiao Tan anymore.

For Gu Qingqing, Tan Jincheng completely overturned her image of him. In the past, Gu Qingqing thought of Tan Jincheng as gentle and refined.

He is knowledgeable, makes some money by doing small business, has a good temper and is approachable, and has a very good personal image.

But today, Gu Qingqing saw another side of Tan Jincheng; well, how to put it, he was somewhat domineering. From their conversation, Gu Qingqing realized that the two middle-aged men were employees of a state-owned enterprise.

Boss Tan controlled his speaking speed perfectly, completely dominating the situation and leaving the two state-owned enterprise employees, who were in sales, completely unable to retaliate. He had the entire scene under his control, which was truly captivating.

After a while, Lin Yumin and Wu Zhenping exchanged glances and said to Tan Jincheng, "Shall we go back and discuss this with our families?"

Tan Jincheng smiled and said he would go back and discuss it with his family. It seemed he had agreed. If he really had to discuss it with his family, he wouldn't have come over.

"Of course, since it's a job in another city. Uncle Lin and Uncle Wu, if you have any requests, you can make them. I'll do my best to help you with what I can. Or you can talk to my dad. Let's discuss everything we can from the beginning, right?"

"Haha, Xiao Tan is right. We Yicheng people like to say, 'Let's talk about the ugly things upfront,'" Lin Yumin laughed.

Gu Qingqing then realized that this person was also from Yicheng, but why were they communicating in Mandarin?

"That's all for today. I'll host a welcome dinner for Uncle Lin and Uncle Wu at noon. I was away on a business trip the other day, so I apologize for neglecting you."

"Bosses are all busy, I understand."

"Want to go together?" Tan Jincheng whispered to Gu Qingqing.

Gu Qingqing hesitated for a moment. It was inappropriate for her to appear at the occasion, as Boss Tan was hosting a welcome party for guests from his hometown. But for some reason, Gu Qingqing didn't want to refuse Tan Jincheng, and nodded in agreement as if possessed.

Lin Yumin and Wu Zhenping had no idea what the relationship was between Tan Jincheng and the girl in front of them. Tan Jincheng didn't introduce them either, so they simply assumed they were boyfriend and girlfriend and didn't pay any attention to it.

Only Zhang Xupeng was completely bewildered, scratching his head as he followed the others out.

"What's going on?"

(End of this chapter)