2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 185 New Market Challenges
Autumn has passed and winter has come; time goes by day by day.

Office of the General Manager of FlashDrive Technology.

"The new factory is expected to start production ahead of schedule, so you don't have much time left. You must do a good job in market promotion in the next month or so and capture the market you can."

"This year, our company's electric vehicles are in short supply, and our warehouses are often empty. I hope it will be the same next year."

"Old Lin, Old Wu, you two have a very important task this time. The company will provide you with good logistical support. Remember to let us know if you have any needs."

"Okay, Mr. Tan, rest assured, we will do our best to complete the task you assigned us," Lin Yumin and Wu Zhenping both stated.

Since the district inspection and cooperation discussions, Lin Yumin and Wu Zhenping have strongly demanded that Tan Jincheng stop calling them "uncle" during work hours. In their words, FlashTech has changed a lot, and continuing to call them "uncle" would damage Tan Jincheng's authority.

Having worked in state-owned enterprises, the two men actually pay more attention to titles and such, and they are also much more perceptive than others. In the past, it was fine to use such titles in small ways, but now that FlashTech is a large company valued at 20 billion, it would be a bit rude of them to act like seniority.

In their view, 20-year-old Tan Jincheng might not care that much about titles, but what about 5 or 10 years later? Wouldn't a big boss who controls a company valued at billions feel uncomfortable calling his subordinates "uncle" every day?

At that point, you'll be the only one who suffers.

Since the two older men were so enthusiastic, Zhang Xuhui and Sun Yuming naturally responded in kind, so Tan Jincheng accepted it. What they said wasn't unreasonable; if it was shouted for too long, it might breed an inappropriate emotion.

"Well, you guys are probably going to have a really tough time before the New Year. Be careful while you're out and about. I'll celebrate with you when you get back."

"Haha, it's our job, it doesn't matter."

"Okay, if there's nothing else, you can go and make the arrangements. I've already approved the travel advance from the finance department, you can just go and collect it."

"Okay, then I won't disturb Mr. Tan's work any longer."

Lin Yumin and Wu Zhenping walked out of the office, exchanged a smile, and the real competition had begun.

As Mr. Tan said, fair competition means giving the same resources to whoever captures the largest market share, and whoever does so will become the head of FlashTech's marketing department in the future.

Income, status, and influence will all be greatly enhanced.

Compared to the time they spent drifting through life in Yicheng, their income has increased significantly in the few months they've been with Flash, with their earnings in just a few months equaling what they earned in the previous two years.

But given the opportunity, who wouldn't want to go further? The new factory going into production, the construction of the industrial park, the rapidly developing industry—everything indicates that Flashcar will embark on a path of rapid expansion starting next year.

In a rapidly developing industry, early participants, big capital eats the meat, small capital gets the scraps, and practitioners like them who have a certain advantage can also lick the bowl, and even so they make a lot of money.

The opportunity has arrived, let's see if we can seize it!

FlashTech's marketing department has embarked on another promotional journey. This time, the business trips will take longer and cover a wider area. In addition to the four cities that have already been covered, which will be covered on a larger scale, there are many more cities across the country that need to be promoted.

FlashTech's production capacity in 2006 was projected to be around 50 vehicles, with a monthly output exceeding 4 vehicles, distributed across three different models under the FlashTech and WindTech brands.
The production capacity of the Fengchi Feiyi series is designed to be 50% of the total production capacity due to its wide variety of colors and styles.

The suggestion to leave the warehouse empty, which I had previously mentioned to Lin Yumin and Wu Zhenping, was merely an incentive.

With an annual production capacity of 50 vehicles, it will naturally be difficult to achieve the same supply-demand balance as this year. Tan Jincheng's vision for 2006 sales is to strive for "maintaining second place and aiming for third."

We aim to maintain 20 vehicles, strive for 30, and work hard to catch up with Xinri's sales this year, breaking into the top ten in the industry.

With an annual production capacity of 50 vehicles, if calculated based on the previous terminal dealer model of 100 vehicles per dealer, it would cover 5000 stores nationwide. The time and effort required for the previous model of promoting one store at a time is no longer sufficient.

Therefore, FlashTech must establish a completely new sales system. It can no longer operate on a small scale as before. 50 vehicles is just an appetizer. Once the industrial base is in operation and FlashTech's production capacity expands further, the sales system will become even more important.

For this promotion, Tan Jincheng designed three plans. One of them is the agency model, in which agents pay a certain agency fee to purchase goods from FlashCheer and sell them in the authorized area. Agents mainly make profits by earning the price difference.

The second option is franchise stores. Franchisees directly purchase Flash Series electric vehicles and earn profits through investment and operation. Subsequent profits belong to the operator. The characteristic of this option is a larger initial investment, but at the same time, the profits are exclusively enjoyed later, which is quite attractive.

Thirdly, there is the city partner model. Flash provides vehicles and stores, and entrepreneurs only need to be responsible for business expansion and sales. In the later stages of operation, a profit-sharing cooperation model is adopted with the headquarters. The advantage of this model is that the required start-up capital is smaller, but the subsequent profit margin is naturally smaller.

Each of the three models has its own strengths and weaknesses, and it's hard to say which one is better; it mainly depends on the entrepreneur's financial strength and ambition.

For FlashCheer, the first model is the most hassle-free. For example, the dealer can acquire the expected annual sales volume of electric vehicles in the Yicheng area, and then handle the sales themselves. However, this will further compress profit margins. Dealers aren't stupid; having spent huge sums to acquire dealership rights, they definitely need a certain profit margin to meet their operational requirements.

The second model is the most advantageous for Flash Technology. Not only can it collect a certain franchise fee, but its profits can also be guaranteed. Just like the milk tea shops of later generations, the brand promotion speed will also be faster.

The downside is that with more franchisees, their quality will naturally vary. Some franchisees may resort to underhanded tactics to gain more profit, which could negatively impact the brand's reputation.

The third model requires a larger investment from Flash Technology, but its advantages are equally obvious. This model is a smaller version of a city brand store, and it can also be used to build relationships with certain people.

You don't need to invest. I'll pay for the store, and you'll manage it. We'll split the profits. There's a lot of room for maneuver in this process. Those who know, know.

Therefore, the third model must be approached with great caution. The right to approve city partners is in the hands of Tan Jincheng himself, and no more than five city partners are allowed in each city.

Shandong, Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Guangdong—provinces with large populations and large numbers of migrant workers—are key markets that FlashCar needs to conquer. Another province that needs attention is Guangxi.

In his previous life, Tan Jincheng had read a report that Guangxi Province, with a population of 5000 million, had as many as 2000 million electric vehicles, averaging one electric vehicle per 2.5 people. Nanning, the capital of Guangxi Province, was even known as the "electric vehicle metropolis," with as many as 400 million electric vehicles in that city alone.

Of course, this is referring to a period of more than 10 years later. In 2005, when the sales leader only had more than 20 vehicles, the ownership rate of electric vehicles in Nanning City was far from that exaggerated.

Therefore, Guangxi Province is also a market that cannot be ignored, especially Nanning City. In 2005, when it was not highly regarded, Flash Motors must capture this market to fundamentally deepen Flash Motors' influence in this region.

Imagine how spectacular it would be if, a decade or two from now, Nanning were filled with electric scooters bearing the lightning bolt logo.
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"Wang Chao, are you free now?"

Tan Jincheng from the R&D department pushed open the door and shouted at Wang Chao, while also placing a pack of cigarettes on the table: "Let's split it among ourselves."

The R&D department is entirely male. Due to the frequent need to work overtime, quite a few of them smoke. The desks are cluttered with samples, and some guys even have a folding bed in the office.

The office environment was, to put it mildly, so much so that the company's female employees were reluctant to come in.

Last time a high-ranking leader came to inspect, this place was a key target for sanitation. However, these people are easy to deal with. They are well paid and given a pep talk, and they are really willing to work overtime when there is a shift.

Plus, the boss was young and would occasionally throw them a few packs of cigarettes. These technical staff, who didn't care about workplace rules, were especially friendly whenever they saw Tan Jincheng come.

"The boss is here, so even if the boss is busy, he has to make time, right, boss?"

Liu Jingxuan, a technician closest to the door, saw the two packs of Zhonghua cigarettes that Tan Jincheng had thrown away. His eyes lit up, and he quickly ran over to snatch them, while also teasing Wang Chao, the head of the R&D department.

"Damn it, the boss told us to split it up. You're not being fair. Next time, I'll sit by the door."

"What's the rush? I'm opening it right now. Boss, would you like one?"

Watching them playfully bicker, Tan Jincheng smiled and said, "I don't want it anymore, you guys can draw it."

"Hey, the boss has changed. He's quit smoking now that he has a girlfriend. If you ask me, women really do hinder a man's progress."

Wang Chao glared at the outspoken guy with annoyance: "You said it yourself, don't go to the foot massage place next time."

“Alright, I was originally planning to assign you two beautiful women as administrative clerks next door, but since you don’t like women, forget it. I’ll have the HR department cancel the recruitment plan,” Tan Jincheng joked.

An all-male staff is also not good; it's too unbalanced. Having two office workers would not only be pleasing to the eye but also help to harmonize the work environment. With beautiful women around, it's less likely that every time someone comes over, it will smell like cigarette smoke.

"No, no, no, boss, I was wrong."

"Boss, don't listen to that idiot Liu Jingxuan. He's just too ugly, that's why no woman wants him. We can't cancel this."

What followed was a barrage of curses directed at Liu Jingxuan from the other technical staff. Wang Chao was quite helpless, as this made him, as the leader, lose face. Fortunately, the boss knew the temperament of these young people and was relatively tolerant.

"What does the boss want to see me about?"

"Put your work aside and come with me to Mingcan Moulding."

(End of this chapter)