2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 660 First Day Sales in the First Five Hours

"The current software system is still a bit weak. I hope that in the future the system can be accurate to within one hour, or even within 10 minutes."

Boss Tan didn't return to Beicang until the next day after seeing all the guests off. Once back in Beicang, his first priority was naturally to check how many cars had been ordered.

The sales figures for a new car in its first month on the market often reveal whether the model is popular with the market.

Similar to a voting system, the current order system can only calculate the sales of the previous day at noon the following day. The data delay is already considered to be a good result.

More than a decade later, many websites are still using this kind of data, but Tan Jincheng feels it's still not enough.

A truly impressive system is one that can publish data in real time, like Taobao's Double Eleven statistics, as this allows for optimal order management and cost control for businesses.

The number of orders hasn't been tallied yet, but the Yuechi A1 has already become a huge hit.

With the barrage of advertisements from online live streams, on-site media, car reviewers, and various television channels, it's hard to avoid seeing them.

Even on weekdays, the Yuechi A1 generates a lot of discussion.

With its modern and stylish exterior, long and large body, the interior, while seemingly ordinary, is acceptable. In particular, the interior space of the Yuechi A1 is surprisingly comparable to that of the CRV.

Chinese people seem to have a natural fascination with spacious vehicles.

Previously, there was no choice; if you wanted a car with a large interior space, you had to pay a high price, and apart from joint venture brands, there were almost no other options. Now, there is a domestic brand with a starting price of less than 10 yuan and a maximum price of less than 20 yuan available, which is naturally a great thing.

Besides these, there were also complaints about the ugly design of the Yuechi A1 logo and the lack of power.

Currently, the first-generation Yuechi only offers engines up to 2.0T, which is indeed a bit weak in terms of power. However, this was specifically requested by Tan Jincheng. As an urban SUV, the power requirements of an engine below 2.0T can definitely be met.

If you need that much power, just buy an off-road vehicle, like a Pajero.

Another issue that consumers care about most is fuel consumption. According to car reviewers and data from Weilai Automobile Company, the Yuechi A1 can achieve a fuel consumption of around 6.6 liters per 100 kilometers in good conditions, and up to around 8 liters per 100 kilometers in extreme cases.

On average, it consumes about 7 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers. Considering current fuel prices, this fuel consumption is perfectly acceptable for an SUV.

"Spacious interior, good fuel economy, and strong safety" are the three main selling points advertised by Yuechi.

In metropolitan areas, Yuechi's advertising videos focus on comfort, while in provinces with more complex terrain, Yuechi's advertising emphasizes safety.

Whether it is exactly the same as advertised is also a key point of discussion among consumers.

Yicheng City.

There's been a lot of discussion about Yuechi, and many people saw the live stream last night.

At this price point, the Yuechi A1 is primarily targeted at users in second- and third-tier cities and below. These users have moderate incomes, travel needs, and lower brand expectations compared to those in first-tier cities.

Therefore, in populous provinces like Henan and Anhui, Yuechi spares no effort in its promotion, investing heavily in advertising from top to bottom.

"Old Chen, isn't the richest man in our city your daughter's classmate?"

At the First People's Hospital, a middle-aged bald man in a white coat approached Chen Zhongping with a smile, holding a newspaper.

Chen Zhongping looked slightly embarrassed: "Yes, but we don't keep in touch much."

The Forbes Rich List for this year will be released on November 5th, less than 20 days before the announcement. The organizers are already building hype, and it's highly likely that Mr. Wang will be the richest person this year.

While Tan Jincheng may not be considered the richest man in Anhui Province, he is certainly not destined to be the richest man in Yicheng.

The future richest man in Yicheng, known as the "King of Copper," has already built a very large business. As early as 2003, his company became one of the largest power cord suppliers in China.

Unfortunately, the copper industry was at a historical low in 2009, and Mr. Wang's personal wealth plummeted. In addition, most of his businesses consisted of mining resources and unlisted companies, which resulted in a much lower valuation.

"Don't stop contacting us. You have such good connections, isn't it normal to maintain them? It's nothing shameful."

The middle-aged bald man said to himself, then placed a newspaper on Chen Zhongping's desk: "Look, his company has even built a car. The design is not bad. Do you want to get one?"

Chen Zhongping's awkward situation stemmed from this: he used to work at the Petrochemical Hospital, and his transfer to the First People's Hospital was, in a way, thanks to Tan Jincheng, a fact known privately within the hospital.

As an orthopedic surgeon, Chen Zhongping was confident in his medical skills, but he had taken advantage of a younger generation. Moreover, whenever he thought back to the time when Tan Jincheng was learning to drive with his daughter, his attitude of treating him like a thief made him blush a little.

When Tan Jincheng got married last year, he asked Zhang Xupeng to invite some of his high school classmates with whom he had gotten along well, including Chen Shuyi.

People from Yicheng also came to attend the wedding banquet. At the table, Tan Jincheng casually introduced Chen Shuyi to them.

Being both a classmate and an aunt, and even having a separate introduction, it was natural that someone would take notice. As a result, Chen Shuyi's employment status was quickly resolved, and her "great-uncle" Chen Zhongping was also transferred to the People's Hospital.

For Tan Jincheng, it was just a casual remark, but for his family, it was a big deal.

Having received favors from others, Chen Zhongping couldn't feel at ease doing so, but he didn't have any other way to repay them. All he could do was speak well of them at the hospital, such as recommending Flash Technology's electric cars or GXG clothing.

This middle-aged bald man didn't get along with him much and would occasionally make sarcastic remarks about him.

How could he not know about the launch of Yuechi's new car? Bringing a newspaper here is just an attempt to make sarcastic remarks about him.

"Really? Let me see. If it's not bad, then I might consider replacing my old Jetta."

Chen Zhongping took the newspaper and replied with a forced smile that he didn't have time to watch the live broadcast, but Chen Shuyi had. After getting home from get off work, Chen Shuyi had given him a brief introduction and also browsed some news online. Chen Zhongping had indeed been thinking about getting a new car recently. With so many car discounts this year, it would be a shame not to take the opportunity to replace his old Jetta.

According to online news and specifications, the overall reviews of the Yuechi A1 are quite good. However, Chen Zhongping still wants to wait and see before making a decision, and will go to the store for a test drive.

After being provoked by this old man, I had no choice but to buy it.

“That’s right. As Mr. Tan said, support domestic brands. It just so happens that you two have some connections.”

"That's not wrong. Domestic brands offer high value for money, and there's nothing wrong with buying the same quality products at a cheaper price. Besides, the government supports it. Are you trying to go against the policy?"

Chen Zhongping was also getting a little angry. This old guy always thought he had taken his place, which was really annoying.

Since they'd already gone to such lengths, the middle-aged bald man couldn't say anything more, so he just pursed his lips and left.

Boss Tan was unaware of these amusing anecdotes from the workplace, and had no interest in learning about them.

At noon, the pre-orders from last night had been tallied, and everyone, including Zhang Yong, was a little nervous.

Zhang Yong rubbed his hands and said, "Starting from 7 o'clock, it was five hours last night. I don't know how many were booked."

"If we get 200 orders in five hours, that should be considered satisfactory, right?"

"That's right. If a company can sell 3000 vehicles in the first month after its launch, then it's considered to have a relatively high level of market acceptance."

Although everyone at Weilai had great confidence in Yuechi, they were still very cautious when it came to sales. No one dared to make any boastful remarks in front of the boss, because if sales targets weren't met, they would be in deep trouble.

"Can't you guys be a little bolder? Last night, over 30 people watched our live stream, and when we were announcing the prices, there were 7.5 people watching at the same time."

"You wouldn't even dare to dream about it, how can you sell cars if you're so timid?"

Tan Jincheng also laughed, but apart from the employees of Orange Live, only he himself knew the live streaming data, so it was understandable that these people dared not even think about it.

Thinking about it, it's obvious that with Tan Jincheng's connections, there couldn't possibly have been only 200 orders in 5 hours last night. Even if they were just favors, there would have been more than that.

There couldn't possibly be only this many orders on the first day of release.

"Huh? That many people watched last night's live stream?"

Zhang Yong was a little stunned. Did that mean that hundreds of thousands of people had seen his performance last night? Speaking of which, he had made a small mistake due to nervousness when he went on stage, which caused a lot of laughter from the audience.

"Yes, I've already had Orange Live turn your wrestling clip into a meme video. Just wait to become famous."

Car companies need their own corporate culture and their own spokespersons. With too many business commitments, it's unlikely that Tan Jincheng will always be present at Weilai's events to endorse the brand.

Zhang Yong's silly image in front of the media is actually quite good. Consumers at any time don't like brands that are aloof and unapproachable; few people are willing to be so humble.

"Uh, boss, you're not kidding, are you?"

"I'm not kidding you. Let's get this straight, you can't sue them."

After a few jokes, the atmosphere in the office relaxed considerably, and many executives teased Zhang Yong, saying they were going to like his funny videos.

As for sales figures, since the boss has already expressed his opinion, everyone can start guessing freely.

Boss Tan's eyes lit up: "How about this, let's play a little game. Everyone write down a set of numbers, and whoever's number is closest will get a reward of 500 yuan."

"Boss, that's a good idea, let's do it."

No one here would be interested in 500 yuan, but it's always more interesting to have a little something to win.

After everyone had written down their numbers, Tan Jincheng called over the technical staff from the sales department. The moment for the official announcement had arrived.

Joking aside, the specific figures, including those of Tan Jincheng, are quite nerve-wracking. Damn it, spending 30 million yuan on a press conference and over 100 million yuan on advertising and marketing, if they can't sell even a few cars, it would be a huge embarrassment.

However, when they saw the sales department's technical staff walk into the meeting room with happy faces, everyone present felt much more relaxed.

Boss Tan smiled and said, "It seems to be selling quite well. How much exactly?"

"Not just good, it's excellent! Congratulations, boss, our cars are a success. We sold a total of 1725 ​​last night."

"Holy crap? How much?"

“1725!”

Zhang Yong was a little unsure, so he snatched the computer and insisted on checking it himself. After carefully checking each line, Zhang Yong burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, who won? Hurry up and get your money from the boss!"

1725 ​​cars were pre-ordered in the first five hours. This number definitely includes some inflated figures related to personal connections. We can find out which connections were involved later by checking where the orders came from.

Regardless, this sales data proves that the Yuechi A1 enjoys a fairly good market acceptance.

"1725 ​​vehicles? Not bad, but it's a pity it didn't reach 2000. It seems the conversion rate of the live stream is still not good."

Mr. Tan remained calm. Urban SUVs, which were in short supply, were still selling relatively well at the end of 2009. It's just that the conversion rate of this live stream was too low. Is there really no group of people who would make impulse purchases?
(End of this chapter)