2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 247 The Rival's Blockade

The significant increase in residents' income should be traced back to 2012.

The Tianyi Square commercial area is relatively expensive. Although it was the weekend, there were many people strolling around the square, but not many people went into the stores to make purchases.

Every time Tan Jincheng and his group of four entered a shop, they would spend a large sum of money on items they liked. In particular, they bought 70,000 to 80,000 yuan worth of gold jewelry and gold bars in one go, which attracted a lot of attention.

Seeing that he had more and more things in his hands, Tan Jincheng asked, "How about we grab a bite to eat and then head back?"

Glancing at what her son was holding, Zhang Suzhi chuckled: "Then let's go, it's time to go back. What do you think, Qingqing?"

Once a woman gets into shopping mode, she really can't stop. Perhaps it was Tan Jincheng's extravagance that opened up a new world for her at first, but later Zhang Suzhi gradually got used to the prices here.

At first, she didn't dare to buy things for herself, but later she couldn't resist anymore and even thought about bringing some for Tan Lihua who was at home.

"I'm fine with it, Auntie, you can decide for me," Gu Qingqing said softly.

"How about I take Jin Yue back in a taxi, and you two can do some more shopping?" Zhang Suzhi suggested after thinking for a moment.

"No need, no need. Today is mainly about accompanying you shopping, Auntie. We're free anytime," Gu Qingqing quickly replied.

Actually, you don't need to go back to Beicang. Tan Jincheng also has an apartment near Ningbo University, where you can stay at night.

However, after thinking about it, Tan Jincheng held back from saying it. He decided to treat that place as a secret base for himself and Qingqing.

After putting the things they bought today back in the car, the four of them found a restaurant that seemed suitable for both adults and children. Well, actually it was KFC, the kind with a playground for kids.

It's already 2 PM, past lunchtime, so these are the only places left.

During this time, Tan Jincheng received a phone call from Zhao Jinsheng, who asked him to go to the district again next Monday. The implication was that the matter had been finalized.

Seeing the joy on Tan Jincheng's face after he finished the phone call, Gu Qingqing, who was with him ordering, couldn't help but ask, "Is something good happening? Why are you so happy?"

"Yes, that's definitely good news. The district should have finalized the materials we submitted earlier and asked me to come over on Monday to have a proper discussion."

"So fast? You just delivered it yesterday, didn't you?"

"Yes, the efficiency is truly remarkable, it saves a lot of trouble," Tan Jincheng exclaimed.

The acquisition of Andar took only a month from before the Lunar New Year to the final result. Even then, it was only after I expedited the process by using a half-coercion tactic of threatening to abandon the deal if we couldn't reach an agreement, and after changing the person in charge. And yet, I only submitted a document yesterday morning, and we already had a result today.

It was on the weekend, so the difference in efficiency between the two sides was obvious.

As a reborn individual, one has the advantage of foresight, but the biggest opponent is time. Racing against time seems to be something every reborn individual has to go through, and only by getting ahead of others can one reap more profits.

If human factors delay the project's progress, resulting in starting early but finishing late, it's better not to do it at all.

In answering two personal questions from Director Gu, one of which concerned why it wasn't Yicheng, Tan Jincheng didn't voice the reason: efficiency was what he valued most.
Why bother with inefficient partners who you can't afford to offend, and who can even be controlled by to some extent?
"So you're going on another business trip?" Gu Qingqing asked with some regret.

"Yes, but this time we're going to Yongkang, which isn't far from your home. How about I come visit your place then?"

"It depends on your schedule. If you're free, it's not impossible, but you should let them know in advance."

"I will. Is there anything you want to take back with you?"

"There's nothing I need to bring."

"OK then."

Actually, if it weren't for the urgent cooperation with Andar Auto, Tan Jincheng would have been on a business trip to Henan Province, where the provincial capital is currently hosting the largest electric vehicle exhibition in the Central Plains region.

At the same time, the family car buying festival is being held at the Central Plains International Expo Center, which can be understood as an auto show for the electric vehicle industry. Flash Technology naturally cannot miss such an auto show, and Flash's entire series, including the newly developed electric tricycle, will be showcased at the auto show.

Since Tan Jincheng was unable to come, Lin Yumin took over leading the team at the exhibition this time. The auto show is an important way for companies to showcase themselves, and Henan Province is also an important market for Flash Technology.

Tan Jincheng was still somewhat concerned about not being able to attend this time, as it was FlashTech's first time participating in a major exhibition, and he didn't know how it would go. Entering March, industry competition had already intensified. Perhaps seeing the effectiveness of FlashTech's marketing, on March 1st, Yadi also partnered with CD Daily to launch a 2006 Electric Vehicle Hero Ranking campaign.

We will rank electric vehicle manufacturers and battery and other component brands using a ranking system.

Unfortunately, FlashTech's business in the Southwest region is still in its early stages, and given that it's an event organized by competitors, FlashTech's name is not seen on the rankings.

This is actually quite a blow to the Flash brand, which has just started to establish itself in the Southwest region.

The economic strength of the Southwest region is still quite different from that of the coastal areas. In the Southwest region where computers are not widely available, print media and television platforms remain important channels for people to obtain information.

What Tan Jincheng didn't know was that this was a campaign specifically planned by Yadi's marketing department to counter emerging brands like Flash.

There's no way around it, since the end of last year, emerging brands like FlashCheer have been too powerful, especially FlashCheer and the WindCheer series. Even in the off-season, their sales are booming. The spokespeople they found are more popular than Yadi. Young people only recognize them when it comes to consumption. I'm really impressed.

Why don't S.H.E. have the same appeal as other popular stars these days? Their songs are widely sung, and Liu Yifei is another story; she has several TV dramas with a large audience, so it's normal that they can't compete.

But even a contestant like Chun Ge, who is a non-mainstream artist with only a few original songs, couldn't beat them, which is one of the reasons why they can't understand it.

Seeing that the rapid expansion along the coast was unstoppable, and with the other party launching a "Ten Thousand Miles of Coastal Expedition" campaign, gradually eroding their market share in the southeast coastal region, the marketing department was under immense pressure.

Since we can't suppress you in the coastal areas, we'll suppress you in the newly developed regions and slow down your development.

It has to be said that this tactic did work, especially the title "Heroes' List". With the popularity of martial arts dramas in the past two years, the audience has a relatively high acceptance of the term "Heroes' List". In addition, CD Daily is the largest newspaper in the area, and many units have subscriptions.

Newsstands still exist on the streets today.

In the past few days, the promotion team in Southwest China has indeed encountered considerable resistance. Since the hero list was released, several terminal stores that had been agreed upon have been snatched up by Yadi, and the other party has chosen to sign supply contracts with Yadi.

Some retail stores that are still in the wait-and-see stage are trying to use the fact that Flash is not on the leaderboard and is not a well-known regional brand to lower prices and negotiate more discounts.

The Southwest team had already given feedback to Tan Jincheng, but he was busy on business trips during this period, and after returning, he wanted to finish dealing with Andar's matter as soon as possible.

In addition, Zhang Xuhui has already gone to the capital, and the new secretarial team is not yet familiar enough with Tan Jincheng's cooperation, which is why they haven't seen the feedback from the Southwest region.

If it were Zhang Xuhui, he would have already reported it to Tan Jincheng.

However, this is also related to the overall direction of Flashpoint Technology's marketing strategy. Influenced by Tan Jincheng, Flashpoint Technology's marketing direction is generally biased towards online media, and it does not attach much importance to print media.

Tan Jincheng, with his modern mindset, understood the power of the internet very well. In the early days of the internet, families with computers were either well-off or parents who were willing to create opportunities for their children.

When it comes to computers and the internet, both parents and people born in the 80s and 90s like Tan Jincheng have only a superficial understanding but are willing to try new things. They are not so averse to advertorials and advertisements on the internet.

Perhaps their purchasing power is insufficient now, but in a few years, these people will be the main working group in society. At that time, a brand that has grown up with them online will become their first choice for shopping.

The choice of spokesperson is also a factor. Liu Yifei has always been the white moonlight in the hearts of LSPs. There are many people who hate her online, but even more people who like her. Plus, she hasn't had any major scandals over the years.

In the Qidian Entertainment section, she's the one who writes the most. Who knows, she might even boost sales of the Fengchi series later on?
Hmm? A reborn person uses the online novels they read on Qidian before their rebirth to find business opportunities and exploit Qidian's resources?

"You've registered Orange Technology. What are your plans? What products will you make?" Gu Qingqing was quite interested in the newly registered Orange Technology.

"What's wrong? Do you have something on your mind?" Tan Jincheng asked, looking at her with some surprise.

"You told my cousin to prepare for changing jobs, and now you've registered a company. I wanted to ask if you're already thinking about making products."

Zhang Suzhi took Tan Jinyue to play in the children's area. Gu Qingqing was not as reserved as before. She sat next to Tan Jincheng and looked at him with a smile.

"I do have some ideas. This company is my personal property. I plan to rent or buy another office building to first establish the basic structure of the company, and then hire some programmers to build the framework."

Internet companies operate differently from traditional businesses, but ultimately, it all comes down to how to create a product that becomes an instant hit and makes money.

The most crucial question is where to begin, where to leave Orange Technology's mark on the internet, and where to make a breakthrough.

(End of this chapter)