2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 203 Busy Before the Spring Festival
"Let's set it for February 12th, the Lantern Festival, it's a good time to hold the event."

During a closed-door meeting of the marketing department, Tan Jincheng addressed Lin Yumin and Wu Zhenping, saying that the topic of today's meeting was the large-scale marketing plan that had been discussed before.

After 2005, the electric vehicle industry began to truly embrace marketing, especially event marketing, for its supportive role in enterprise development.

To this end, Tan Jincheng also planned a large-scale marketing campaign for FlashTech, namely the "FlashTech Environmental Quality Haixi Longli Tour" event, which was jointly organized with the largest car owners' association in China.

Starting from Beihai, Guangxi Province on February 12 (Lantern Festival), a departure ceremony was held, and the train traveled eastward along the coastline, passing through Guangxi, Guangdong, Fujian and Zhejiang provinces, before entering Shanghai in April.

At the Shanghai Electric Vehicle Exhibition in April, we will conduct a large-scale and comprehensive exhibition marketing campaign, which will be followed and reported by industry media and the internet throughout the process, continuously reinforcing the concept of the "Ten Thousand Miles Journey" and the environmental protection philosophy.

By showcasing the strength of FlashTech and the quality of its electric vehicles in this way, it was essentially organizing a road trip-like event, somewhat similar to the cycling bloggers on Bilibili in later years who gained attention through cycling.

Unlike the solo efforts of cycling bloggers, this event was organized in conjunction with a cycling enthusiasts' association. FlashTech sponsored the event, allowing these cycling enthusiasts to drive FlashTech and Windspeed series electric vehicles.

Large numbers of cycling teams, along with extensive coverage in print and online media over a period of two months, provided exposure comparable to advertising on CCTV, but at a lower cost, making it a cost-effective promotional method.

Starting from Guangxi Province and heading east and north along the coastline, this region is also one of the main sales areas for FlashTech. Apart from Anhui and Henan provinces, FlashTech's sales network in 2006 was mainly concentrated in this area.

Besides listening to the marketing department's report on the marketing plan, the main purpose of today's meeting was to set the departure date so that they could start preparing in advance. Large-scale events also need to be reported.

If we're talking about which departments at Flashpoint Technology have been the busiest in the past six months, the marketing department definitely has the right to speak. They've done two rounds of on-the-ground promotions that have covered almost the entire southeastern part of my country, especially the second round, which involved even more frequent and longer business trips.

Lin Yumin and Wu Zhenping have been working themselves to the bone these past few months. They had just returned and hadn't had a few days of rest when Boss Tan threw another marketing plan at them, asking them to add details and contact relevant personnel for scheduling.

However, there are benefits to being tired, especially for Lin Yumin. In this round of competition, Lin Yumin, who has more work experience, finally defeated Wu Zhenping and has now been promoted to Marketing Director of FlashTech, while Wu Zhenping has become the Deputy Director.

Lin Yumin continued to be in charge of the southeast and southwest regions, while Wu Zhenping was responsible for the development of the provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai, Anhui, and Henan. Compared to Lin Yumin, Wu Zhenping's work was less challenging, as the provinces of Anhui and Henan already had a certain foundation.

The cities in the Yangtze River Delta region (Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai) will be important sales areas for new energy vehicles in the future. Major cities such as Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanjing, and Suzhou mainly rely on direct-sale stores. The only city that faces some challenges is CZ City in Jiangsu Province.

Although CZ City is not well-known nationwide, as one of the thirteen major cities in Jiangsu Province, it has a highly developed electric vehicle industry, with its electric vehicle ownership almost comparable to that of Nanning City.

Unlike other cities that crack down on oversized electric scooters, Changzhou's vehicle management department unexpectedly allowed oversized electric scooters to operate legally by registering them on January 12. This makes Changzhou the first and currently only city in China to do so.

Changzhou and Wuxi are listed as important electric vehicle production bases in Jiangsu Province. It must be said that this move is not without the intention of protecting the local economy. However, allowing non-compliant electric vehicles to be on the road through the registration system has also made market competition extremely fierce.

One of Wu Zhenping's most important tasks at present is to secure a place for Flashcar in this city with a large number of electric vehicles and extremely fierce competition.

Of course, right now, the whole department needs to work together to complete the task assigned by General Manager Tan.

After the meeting, Lin Yumin smiled at Wu Zhenping and said, "Want to grab a drink tonight?"

"What, is Director Lin going to treat us to a meal?" Wu Zhenping joked.

There were no complaints. The two of them joined the company on the same day, and the opportunities given by General Manager Tan were distributed fairly. However, Lao Lin completed fewer tasks and developed more markets than him within the limited time. There was nothing that could be done about Lao Lin's stronger abilities.

To be honest, I still benefited a lot, at least in the markets of Jiangsu and Henan provinces. In Yicheng and Yingzhou, I hardly needed my team to develop the market; agents would come to me on their own initiative.

"What are you talking about? I've been traveling for months, and I'll probably be going on another business trip after the New Year. Let's get together while we're staying here before the New Year."

Wu Zhenping thought for a moment and agreed, "Indeed, we've been working ourselves to death these past few months. The only time things will be a little easier before the New Year. Is it just the two of us?"

"Let's invite Xiao Sun too, and also Mr. Tan's uncle? He quite likes to drink," Lin Yumin asked after a moment's thought.

"You can pay as you please, but why not call him 'General Manager Tan'?" Wu Zhenping said with a smile.

Xiao Sun is Sun Yuming, who can be considered one of President Tan's most trusted confidants. He currently manages the parts purchasing department, which is the most lucrative department in the entire company. It's definitely a good idea to get along with him. As for Zhang Qingliang, since they all come from Yicheng, are of similar age, and all enjoy drinking, the three of them get along quite well. Plus, they don't live far apart, so they often have a drink together when they have free time.

When Zhang Qingliang was in a car accident, the two of them visited him in the hospital. In addition, Zhang Qingliang is now working at the new factory. Lin Yumin and Wu Zhenping also want to befriend him. Over time, the three of them have gotten along quite well.

Before coming to Ningbo to do renovations, Zhang Qingliang never imagined that he would one day be working a regular job. Compared to his previous job where he didn't know when to come home, he was initially not used to working regular hours.

However, I felt a great sense of security. This was my nephew's company. As long as I worked honestly and the factory didn't go bankrupt, even if I wasn't very capable, I would have a guarantee for the rest of my life.

To avoid salary imbalances, Tan Jincheng did not pay Zhang Qingliang a particularly high salary. His basic salary was 3000 yuan per month, the same as that of a junior manager, and his social security and other subsidies were also the same.

However, regarding bonuses, Tan Jincheng had the HR and finance departments prepare a separate bonus for him, which was unknown to outsiders. This could be considered a way for the nephew to take care of his uncle. On average, Zhang Qingliang received 6 yuan a year.

Furthermore, Tan Jincheng also promised that once his aunt finished settling things off with Zhang Xupeng's house, he would also get a job at the new factory, in the factory's canteen. The couple's combined annual income would be 10 yuan.

Compared to their outdoor work in the renovation industry, which involved living in harsh conditions, this job not only offered much greater safety guarantees but also significantly improved their compensation. In 2006, this income was considered very high.

However, since he is their own uncle, it is only right to treat him better. FlashTech can easily save a little money from anywhere to cover their salaries.

As for why Lin Yumin didn't invite Sun Xuhui, well, he's President Tan's personal assistant. What kind of behavior is it to invite him to drink heavily all the time? You should at least avoid suspicion.

"Let's forget about Mr. Tan. He's been so busy lately, and it's the perfect time for him to be in a relationship, so let's not bother him."

"That's true. Young people who have just started dating don't have the mind to drink with us grown men. I heard from Old Zhang's son that Boss Tan hasn't been staying at home lately."

"Haha, this kid loves to talk about this kind of gossip. If you ask me, it's just sour grapes."

Since returning from the capital, Tan Jincheng has not stopped for a moment. First, he went with Zhao Jinsheng to the district to report on their work, and the report lasted all day.

The lithium battery factory is a large project and is very important to the planning of the Flash Technology Industrial Base, which the district attaches great importance to.

Although we couldn't bring the R&D department over, we're already quite satisfied with the fact that the factory is still in Beicang District and we've acquired 85% of Hangxin Energy's shares.

To collaborate with such prestigious research institutes and get their staff to leave the capital and work in Beicang, the district would have to intervene directly and offer extremely high salaries through talent recruitment programs; otherwise, it's out of the question.

Zhao Jinsheng and Boss Lu understood the ins and outs of this situation much better than Tan Jincheng.

The demolition work in the industrial base area is now in its final stages, and residents whose land has been acquired can move into their new homes before the Spring Festival, which is very beneficial for the subsequent construction of factory buildings.

Next comes environmental assessment and blueprint design, which will be done after the new year. Then comes bidding, getting started, and then verification by relevant departments. Once it passes the verification, it can be put into production.

The expected construction period is one year, with production scheduled to begin on New Year's Day 2007. Unlike residential buildings, factory buildings are generally not very tall, so a one-year construction period is sufficient.

The company was established in 2005, transitioned in 2006, and then the industrial base went into production in 2007, marking the beginning of FlashTech's explosive growth. Developing a solid work plan for 2006 was of paramount importance.

Today is January 13th, the 1th day of the twelfth lunar month. There are still half a month until the Spring Festival, meaning there are only 12 days of actual work left. Of course, this refers to frontline employees, who will not have any holidays during these 10-odd days.

FlashTech's holiday schedule for the Lunar New Year is set for January 25th, which is the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month. Workers can prepare to go home after working until the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month. The holiday time is relatively late, which has caused a lot of complaints among the workers. Many of them want to go home earlier.

To avoid too many employees leaving before the end of the year, the HR and administration departments did a lot of work and came up with various ways to retain staff. They also specifically set the annual meeting for January 22.

The purpose of doing this is to retain workers. These days, it's not a problem for workers to work overtime during the week, but it's really difficult to keep them around the Lunar New Year.

(End of this chapter)