2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 45 Store Upgrade
Autumn has passed and winter has arrived, with the chill intensifying day by day.

For some reason, Tan Jincheng always felt that the winter of 2004 was colder than in later years.

Since Alipay was officially launched on December 8th, and after a period of store upgrades and renovations, the business of Taobao stores has finally seen significant changes.

December 25th is Christmas Day in the West, perhaps due to the holiday.

On this day, Jinshang Clothing City, after its upgrade and renovation, sold over 100 items in just one day. As of now, its monthly sales have reached 794 items, with a turnover of 46846 yuan!
With some of the operational thinking from later generations, the business ideas were a killer weapon when the Taobao store was first established.

This is still because Tan Jincheng doesn't understand store operations. What he knows is basically what he comes across when he's bored and scrolling through short videos. He tries them out regardless of whether they're useful or not.

If a Taobao shop owner or a website operation expert were reborn into this era, the 79 yuan price tag probably wouldn't matter, right?

"Boss, so you mean my commission has reached 794 yuan so far?" Li Jinglan asked Tan Jincheng in disbelief.

This is too much. I might get a thousand yuan in commission this month. Li Jinglan was even a little worried that Tan Jincheng might change his mind.

Her basic monthly salary, after deducting social security and other benefits, is 1200 yuan. With some subsidies, it's roughly 1500 yuan.

The commission from her Taobao shop has exceeded half of her income, something she hadn't expected before.

Tan Jincheng immediately saw through her little scheme: "This is nothing. Work hard, and you'll make your money eventually. Also, study your conversation skills with clients carefully, and summarize the thoughts of those clients who close deals to improve your conversion rate."

"Okay, okay, I spent a lot of money upgrading my Taobao shop this month, but I didn't make much money. The boss might not acknowledge it."

Before she knew it, Li Jinglan blurted out what was on her mind.

This month, Jinshangyi's sales exceeded 5, which should be no surprise. However, in terms of making money, they haven't actually made that much. Upgrading the store is a huge project with a considerable investment.

The persistently high cost of express delivery is also a major expense. Even though Tan Jincheng negotiated preferential policies with the express delivery stations as the number of packages increased, the limitations of the times are unavoidable.

However, one advantage is that with the increase in order volume, Li Jinglan no longer needs to go to the courier point to deliver and send packages herself. Apart from the fact that writing the waybill by hand is tiring, it is much more convenient than before.

Every afternoon before closing time, the courier station staff would arrive at Jinpeng Trading on time to take away all the packages that needed to be sent out that day.

"When you're keeping an eye on the Taobao store, don't forget about the international store. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me."

"understand."

The international store, which was renovated along with the Taobao store, is also operating well and has already received its first order. The order volume is not large, only 2 US dollars, but this month is a good start.

Currently, Tan Jincheng is mainly in charge of the international station, while Li Jinglan assists in management. If she is overwhelmed, she can contact Tan Jincheng in a timely manner.

For the time being, Tan Jincheng will have to handle the order business himself. He may have to play the role of a salesperson for the next few years until Zhang Xupeng has fully matured.

Or perhaps the company has grown in size and, like other companies, is hiring a certain number of salespeople.

"Alright, don't worry about them denying it. Even if it's a few hundred yuan, or even a few thousand yuan, they won't cheat you out of it. Don't worry. I have something to do, so I'll go out for a bit. You work hard and don't slack off."

"Understood, thank you boss, hehe."

The work environment in startups is actually quite relaxed. The boss rarely stays in the office; they're either out visiting suppliers or out sourcing new business. Employees don't have to constantly be under the boss's watchful eye, resulting in less mental stress.

I'm going out today to pick up my car. The Passat I ordered at the beginning of the month has arrived at the dealership.

As soon as he stepped out of the company gate, Tan Jincheng called Zhang Xupeng and said, "Are you out yet? I'm going straight to the 4S store. I'll wait for you there."

"I've been out for a while now, I'm already on my way, you'd better hurry up." Zhang Xupeng's voice came from the other end of the phone, his tone filled with excitement.

Whether now or in the future, buying a car is a major event for ordinary people.

In the days leading up to picking up the car, Zhang Xupeng was so excited that he couldn't sleep for several nights. Even though he couldn't drive, so what?
After Tan Jincheng's continued indoctrination, Zhang Xupeng no longer cared whether Tan Jincheng's driver's license was bought, but he still remained skeptical about his driving skills.

No problem, if Xiao Tan can't drive, we can just have someone from the 4S store drive over and hire another driver.

The payment for the second order has been fully received. After deducting the amount paid to the supplier, Jinpeng Trading currently has sufficient funds in its account, and subsequent orders can be easily fulfilled.

Zhang Xupeng is full of confidence in the company's development. In his view, hiring a driver is entirely within his means.

Zhang Xupeng arrived at the 4S store first, and after waiting for a while, Tan Jincheng also arrived.

After the test drive, there were no major problems, so we started to process the paperwork. Including insurance and other expenses, the final price was nearly 28 yuan, paid in full.

The development of the times is really interesting. Back then, paying in full for a car would give you a certain discount, but more than 10 years later, paying in full for a car would even be deeply disliked by 4S store sales staff.

Some car brands with poor customer service attitudes have dealership staff who are even unwilling to sell cars to customers who pay in full.

The Passat was naturally registered under Jinpeng Trading's name; it was Tan Jincheng and Zhang Xupeng's first car, but not their first car together.

"Hold on tight, buckle up, I'm taking you home, haha."

"Wow, you're amazing! When did you learn to drive? It's like you can do everything."

Zhang Xupeng was still a little dazed. He couldn't drive, but even if he hadn't slaughtered a pig, he had eaten pork. He could still tell how good Xiao Tan's driving skills were from the test drive.

Moreover, he specifically asked Xiao Tan, a 4S store employee, about her driving skills, and the answer he received was positive.

I'm increasingly unable to understand my best friend from childhood. Since getting a job, his behavior has been truly baffling. Neither of us has ever touched a steering wheel before.

How did he do that? Learn to drive in just half a month, and be so skilled? That's impossible.

Watching Tan Jincheng drive with ease and focus, Zhang Xupeng realized at that moment that his best friend had many secrets that no one else knew.

“That shouldn’t be the case. Apart from kindergarten, the only time we were apart in 19 was when he went to Guangzhou on a business trip and we were separated for half a month. Where did he learn to drive?”

On the cruise ship, the two of them shared the same dormitory room, except for their different work locations. Surely they weren't born knowing how to drive?
It's already 10 words. I wonder if intelligent recommendation can save it.

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(End of this chapter)