2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 274 Visits and Platitudes

Xishan Electric Vehicle Factory Industrial Park.

Across from Yadi's factory is Xinri's Jiangsu industrial base, and it's worth mentioning that there's also a future well-known company, Tailing, nearby.

Aside from the few companies that Tan Jincheng was familiar with, there were all sorts of electric vehicle brands hanging on the densely packed factory buildings. Some of them were somewhat familiar to him, while others were completely unknown to him.

Whether it's the Yadi plant we've already visited or the Chip-Ri industrial base we're about to enter, both are very large.

Chipstar is really strong. Its headquarters and industrial base are very large, which is something that not only FlashCheer, but even Yadi cannot compare to. There are more than a dozen workshops of all kinds, and even a dedicated cargo area with many large trucks parked at the entrance of the cargo area.

This should be their own logistics fleet. Flash doesn't have its own logistics fleet; it only has a freight agreement with a large logistics company in Beicang. On the one hand, it doesn't have its own site, and on the other hand, Tan Jincheng doesn't want to invest the money for the time being.

Investing in expansion and research and development is the best option for FlashRace right now.

During the visit, Tan Jincheng could feel the gap between himself and these industry veterans. However, there was one thing Tan Jincheng still had to complain about: the factory layout was really not good. Taking Xinri as an example, its biggest feature was that there were almost no parking spaces.

The designated parking areas for electric scooters were also very haphazard, with some areas scattered here and there, making the factory area appear somewhat chaotic.

"How about it, Mr. Tan? Pretty impressive, right?" Zhang Congxun said proudly.

I've been getting so worked up by this guy these past few days that I'm almost losing my hair. Now that he's come to me, I can finally have a good time. I'll get him drunk tonight and vent my anger.

Hmph, everyone in the industry who knows him knows that this kid can't hold his liquor.

"It's really impressive. I wish I had a factory like that."

Damn, the way rich kids start businesses is just different. It would be a lie to say I'm not envious.

Old Zhang, who graduated from junior high school in the early 90s, had a father who dared to give him hundreds of thousands of yuan to start a business. He must have had a very deep family fortune. No wonder he was able to find Zhongke Sanhuan to produce batteries right away. That was the most powerful battery manufacturer at the time, and they were even able to set up the factory in Beijing.

Doing business in the north is not as easy as it is in the southern coastal areas, even in the capital city.

However, it cannot be denied that Zhang Congxun is indeed very capable. To build an electric vehicle manufacturing company into the largest in the country, financial support alone is not enough; extraordinary ability is also required.

Moreover, Zhang Congxun only has a junior high school education. In the early stages of his business, he could manage things in a rough and ready manner, but now that Xinri has reached its current scale, he needs to learn a lot about employee management alone. Without a strong learning ability, it wouldn't be possible.

In terms of temperament alone, Zhang Congxun is stronger, which may be related to his childhood environment. Zhang Congxun looks a bit more noble, while Dong Jinggui may have had a tough childhood and later served in the army, which makes him look tougher.

In comparison, Dong Jinggui led Tan Jincheng on foot from one workshop to another, even if the distance was long, while Zhang Congxun did not do that. He simply got a four-wheeled vehicle in the factory area, which made things much easier.

This is not to say that Dong Jinggui is stingy or anything, but rather that it is determined by their respective work styles or upbringing.

"At your age, shouldn't you want luxury cars and beautiful women? Why would you want a factory? That's a rather bizarre idea."

Then, Zhang Congxun teased, "Speaking of which, I saw you in the entertainment section these past two days; haha, you, an electric scooter seller, actually made it into the entertainment news."

Tan Jincheng also had a wry smile on his face. These entertainment reporters were really scoundrels. They took the money but didn't do their jobs properly. Fortunately, they mentioned FlashTech several times in the article, so they were given a small bit of exposure.

Zhang Congxun still wasn't satisfied. He looked Tan Jincheng up and down and continued, "Up close, he is indeed quite handsome, with good skin. It's fair to say he's the most handsome electric scooter owner."

"Come on, what kind of ridiculous address is that? Mr. Zhang, please stop teasing me." Tan Jincheng finally broke down.

This nickname is so cringeworthy; I felt ashamed when I saw the title "Tan Jincheng".

"Fairy Sister VS. The Most Handsome Chairman Working on the Spot!"

It was obvious they wanted to cause trouble, but because Liu Yifei had already given instructions and FlashTech had also made some arrangements, they weren't being too direct.

"Hmph, speaking of spokespeople, we need to find one as soon as possible. These days, you really can't do without a spokesperson. We're almost getting beaten up by your two companies."

With his younger brother's defenses breached, Zhang Congxun felt much better and spoke more freely.

Actually, he wasn't afraid of being overtaken by his competitors. Due to his urging, the progress of the negotiations with Brother Long's management team, which had already been going on for a long time, was accelerated a lot after the price was increased. Now, the two sides are close to officially signing the contract.

At this point, he couldn't believe that Brother Long's team would be so reckless as to sign with another company. Besides, other companies might not have the resources to compete with him. According to the preliminary agreement, Brother Long's endorsement fee was 1200 million yuan per year, and another condition was that Brother Long wanted fame, so for every electric vehicle he endorsed sold, he would donate two yuan to a charity foundation in his name!
Can Brother Long pay for this? Of course not.

Last year, Xinri sold over 10 vehicles, but this year's sales target is over 40! Given the current growth rate of the electric vehicle market, if the contract period is two years (three calendar years) and a high growth rate is maintained, it should reach at least 150 million vehicles, right?
This is already a relatively low prediction. After the electric vehicle industry enters a period of explosive growth, the sales expectations are unpredictable. Even the Tesla, which only sold 3.8 units last year, has announced a target of 20 units this year, which shows that.

Besides the high endorsement fee, this was also the main reason why the agreement couldn't be reached before. Because sales volume was impossible to accurately predict, the cost couldn't be predicted precisely either.

If it sells out, the expenses will be enormous. With a forecast of 150 million vehicles, the additional cost will be 300 million yuan, which is equivalent to an endorsement fee starting at 1350 million yuan. This is an absolutely astronomical price.

It's really expensive, and even the celebrity filter is completely gone.

Thinking about it, Xiao Tan is still the better deal, costing less than 300 million a year, while the other spokesperson only cost 50 a year. However, both of them are incredibly popular and have strong fan purchasing power.

"Who did you invite? Can you say? Don't worry, I won't leak anything to the market before you announce it." Although Tan Jincheng knew the answer, he still asked tentatively.

"We're just one step away from signing the contract. Let me tell you, what if you try to snatch it away?" Zhang Congxun said deliberately.

"I have one spokesperson signed for 10 years, and another spokesperson still has more than a year left on their contract? Why would I steal their business? Do you have money to burn?"

"That's not necessarily true. Your Guanneng series still doesn't have a spokesperson, so who knows?"

"Then tell me if it's a man or a woman. If it's a woman, don't say it, or I might actually snatch it away. I prefer signing female celebrities."

"Haha, it's true, all your spokespeople are women. Although the first one doesn't look like it, I hired a man, and a super awesome one at that. I bet you wouldn't be willing to spend this much money even if you wanted to snatch him away."

But I still won't tell you. You'll find out in a few days, and I guarantee you'll be very surprised. I'll give you some of his autographs then.

"Oh, a guy? I'm not interested then. I prefer female celebrities who are around my age. But you're right, Guanneng doesn't have a spokesperson yet, I need to find one."

Zhang Congxun pretended to think and said, "Female celebrities around your age, I only know a few from 'Princess Pearl,' but they seem to be a bit older than you. How about I ask our marketing department for you?"

"Forget it, those people are too much troublemakers. Actually, don't be fooled by their popularity in Taiwan. Their endorsement effects are just so-so. Just look at those guys from Ya Di. They're popular for a while when they release a song, but they're nothing when they don't release a song."

After saying that, the two looked at each other and then burst into laughter. Nothing is more gratifying than seeing a common rival suffer a setback.

However, Tan Jincheng's words were not unfounded. Celebrity endorsements from Taiwan have indeed not been very effective, especially since the beginning of the new century.

Furthermore, these people, especially female celebrities, love to cause trouble at the drop of a hat, and they can easily get into trouble if they're not careful.

Aside from Jay Chou and the Wahaha guy, it's clear that political correctness is important; if you want to make money, you have to follow the rules.

During the day's visit, lunch was eaten at the Xinri canteen, and yesterday's lunch was also eaten at the Yadi canteen. The food was the same as that of the employees, except that there were more dishes.

What Tan Jincheng didn't know was that this was specially arranged by Dong Jinggui and Zhang Congxun, just to see how this spirited young man, who had just become rich, would behave when faced with these ordinary meals.

Early entrepreneurs often used this method to observe the younger generation around them or those they wanted to befriend. It's nothing unusual, and besides, Tan Jincheng wasn't particularly concerned about food.

Even if you know the other party's intentions, it doesn't matter.

That evening, Dong Jinggui and Zhang Congxun hosted a banquet for the chairman of FlashTech, along with some local officials and other businesspeople.

The amount of money given to Tan Jincheng was quite generous, and unsurprisingly, he drank too much.

Fortunately, he didn't come alone this time. In addition to his assistant, Tan Jincheng also had a tall and imposing driver with him, so there was no need to worry about anything going wrong.

The following day, Tan Jincheng woke up at noon and called Dong Jinggui and Zhang Congxun respectively, saying that he was going back to Ningbo and inviting them to attend the opening ceremony when the Flash Motors industrial base was put into production at the end of the year.

Of course, you are welcome at any other time.

I managed to get some information from Zhang Congxun yesterday. It seems that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Long Ge's signing should be officially announced before the Olympic Games design plan is released. I need to make some preparations on my own side as well.

Do you guys have any monthly passes? We're 300 short of 1000 monthly passes.

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(End of this chapter)