2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 665 The Growth of the Startup Partners

"Hey, I'm a bit negligent as the boss. I rarely come to this place."

At Jinpeng Industrial's factory, Zhang Xupeng led Tan Jincheng toward the e-commerce division. Walking on unfamiliar roads, Tan Jincheng couldn't help but laugh at himself.

Today, he and Gu Qingqing had a clear division of labor: he came to Jinpeng's side to oversee things, while Gu Qingqing stayed at Orange Products Club.

Gu Qingqing originally did not want to stay, but Sun Tongyu insisted. 2009 was a year of preparation for the fierce competition among e-commerce companies, and also a year of e-commerce upgrading.

Keeping Gu Qingqing around was partly to have someone else oversee things, and partly to send a signal to the boss.

Macaulay Cullinan, Vancl, Kuba, Dangdang—names that many people in later generations have never even heard of—are thriving in this era.

Speaking of which, the biggest independent e-commerce platform these days is not JD.com, nor is it Orange Products, but Dangdang.com. Compared to Dangdang.com, Orange Products is still a junior.

There was also Joyo.com, which brought Lei Jun his first pot of gold. At that time, it was still called Joyo Amazon. In 2004, it was worth 7500 million US dollars. Lei Jun was 35 years old at the time and had not yet fallen into the period of staring blankly at the cold numbers in his account.

Speaking of Lei Jun, his initial entrepreneurial direction should have been e-commerce. From founding Joyo to a series of early investments, everything was centered around e-commerce. Unfortunately, after going through a lot of trouble, he found that he couldn't catch up with others.

"You know this is your company, and you only come here twice a year. You still have the nerve to say that."

"Isn't it because you're here? What am I worried about? By the way, how did it feel to be on the rich list for the first time?"

"You, ranked 30th, are making fun of me, ranked 303rd? But speaking of which, how did they compile these statistics? Where did they get the data from?"

Tan Jincheng curled his lip: "How would I know? They have their own methods, and besides, this data isn't accurate. It's all just business."

These kinds of lists have only become popular in recent years, and will likely lose their appeal in a few years. They represent a unique business model, but domestic lists can, to some extent, reflect trends in economic development.

These past few years have been dominated by manufacturing, in a couple of years by real estate, and then by the internet.

Thoughtful parents or college students may discover some industry trends from this and then choose a career path, or they can simply choose any industry among the top-ranked wealthy people, which is more or less correct.

"Absolutely. Wealth is nonsense. Where would I get that much money?"

Although he said that, Zhang Xupeng still looked smug; after all, he had made the list.

"Keep a low profile and don't talk about your wealth to the public. If the media wants to interview you about this, try to avoid it."

Tan Jincheng whispered in Zhang Xupeng's ear.

In the 21st century, there isn't as much resentment towards the rich anymore, but openly flaunting wealth can still easily provoke social backlash.

"I'm not interested in money."

"For example, start by earning a small goal."

Even years later, such remarks are still ridiculed and never go out of style. This is because the public's resentment caused by inappropriate remarks leads to them being ridiculed without restraint.

"Don't worry, if anyone asks me for an interview, I will definitely not talk about this topic with the reporters."

Zhang Xupeng nodded seriously. Although he was very happy to be on the rich list, he knew that it was all just luck, and he was much luckier than many people.

The two chatted casually as they arrived at the e-commerce division, where Li Jinglan was giving final instructions to the staff.

"Isn't this quite convincing?"

Seeing Li Jinglan's serious expression, Tan Jincheng smiled at Zhang Xupeng and said that this girl, who used to only think about lying down and doing nothing, has now become a bit of a strong woman after experiencing the work style of internet companies and the various forms of PUA from her bosses.

"We've never done this before, so we wanted you to give us your feedback."

"It's not a big problem. Anyway, no one on Taobao Mall has experience with this. Everyone's doing it the same way. But since you're here, let me see your plan."

For merchants, the process of large-scale promotional events, including Singles' Day, is actually quite fixed. From event planning, preparing sufficient inventory, promotion and marketing to final delivery, the whole process is generally free of major errors.

"Xiao Li, bring your event plan over for our General Manager Tan to review and see if it meets the requirements."

Zhang Xupeng shouted at Li Jinglan, who was busy and hadn't noticed them.

Hearing the voice, Li Jinglan turned around and saw that it was Tan Jincheng, whom she hadn't seen for a long time. She was also delighted: "Oh, Master, you really came. I thought you were too busy."

Tan Jincheng and Zhang Xupeng exchanged a glance and rolled their eyes. Who said this girl was naive?
However, he didn't point it out to her: "Bring me your proposal. I have other things to do and don't have time to stay here any longer."

"I know, I know, you're busy selling cars, I'll get it right away; by the way, sir, I also ordered one from your 4S store, could you talk to them and give me a discount?" "Go find your General Manager Zhang, why are you asking me for such a small thing? But why would a girl like you buy such a tough car? Don't we have the Sering brand in our company?"

Li Jinglan was taken aback. What Sailing? Then she realized that the boss was referring to those supercar models.

"You really think highly of me. I could never afford that kind of car. Besides, what's wrong with an SUV looking more imposing? My sister drives an SUV too."

If she really wanted to buy, it wasn't that she couldn't afford it. Li Jinglan was much luckier than Li Yanning. When she joined Orange Technology, it coincided with the company's IPO preparation period, and all employees of Orange Technology were allocated shares.

Li Jinglan has a close relationship with the boss and his wife. The project team responsible for preparing for the IPO is also very considerate. Although she has not been with the company for long, she has been allocated as many as 5 shares.

Those 5 shares are now worth nearly 700 million yuan, but her sister wasn't so lucky.

After receiving the GXG Double Eleven promotional plan from Li Jinglan, Tan Jincheng glanced at it briefly. He found that the market research was quite good, the target audience had been identified, and the discounts were quite generous.

"You've learned something, haven't you? This solution is quite unique. Who came up with it?"

Although menswear is meant for men, the purchase is not necessarily the same. GXG's promotional plan for this Double Eleven flagship store includes price reductions and a free lipstick for every 500 yuan spent.

YSL lipsticks, which will be ubiquitous in a few years, are considered high-end these days.

This kind of gift-giving combination can not only attract more women to buy clothes for their husbands or boyfriends, but also attract many men. With this gift gimmick, they can not only persuade them to buy clothes for them, but also use the free gift to please their partner.

Another objective is to leverage the bundling of high-end brands to enhance the value of their own brand.

If the gifts given are all of such high quality, then the quality of the gift itself must be pretty good, right? This is how consumer psychology is established.

As for the cost? Tan Jincheng didn't care.
Li Jinglan chuckled: "Hehe, it was my suggestion, how was it?"

Tan Jincheng looked at her with some disbelief, then glanced at Zhang Xupeng beside him. Zhang Xupeng laughed and said, "It really was her idea."

Tan Jincheng raised an eyebrow: "Are you in a relationship?"

Li Jinglan blushed instantly: "Boss, how did you know? Did my sister tell you?"

"A single person wouldn't think of such a deep scheme. Your sister doesn't have a big mouth, and besides, dating is a good thing."

There's no doubt about Taobao's promotional efforts. This first serious Double Eleven event has aroused both the website's attention and consumers' curiosity. GXG's participation in this pioneering campaign and its unique promotional strategies are truly commendable.

In addition to the rather unconventional promotional methods, the event planning also included several solutions regarding the preparation of the supply of goods and the coordination of express delivery and logistics.

In addition, she made ample preparations in terms of sending messages to old customers in advance, as well as promotional plans and adjusting unit prices, which shows that Li Jinglan put a lot of effort into it.

"They are very good and dedicated. I didn't waste my time at Orange Technology; I learned some internet thinking."

"There's not much else to say, just make sure the express delivery is handled well. Don't think about making a lot of money during the first event. Just boost sales and provide good service. There will be plenty of opportunities to make money later."

Tan Jincheng couldn't remember exactly how much Taobao sold during its first Double Eleven event in 2009, but he did remember brands like Jack & Jones. Those cringeworthy names were really useful back then.

"Alright, just do it your way. Do a good job, don't be afraid of making mistakes, everyone has a first time."

If we build up our reputation this time, we can do another Double Twelve event later. There will be plenty of opportunities to make money. Compared to Jack & Jones, GXG doesn't sound much better. If we do a good job with the promotions, we should be able to do very well, right?

Li Jinglan was overjoyed to receive praise from her boss. She had rarely received such praise from him in all the time she had worked for him.

"Okay, we will handle the delivery and after-sales service well."

She understood the key words in Tan Jincheng's words: express delivery and after-sales service are crucial.

After handing the proposal to Li Jinglan, Tan Jincheng said to Zhang Xupeng, "There are no major problems. She has done a good job. We can improve on any minor issues that arise later."

It's hard to say whether Li Jinglan has leadership qualities yet, but judging from her current level of dedication, she has no problem managing Jinpeng Industrial's e-commerce division. With a few years of proper training, she could become a very good senior executive.

Even someone like Li Jinglan, who was initially passive, was able to grow and succeed. Tan Jincheng was quite pleased. It was a good thing that his partners who started the business with him were all growing and succeeding.

"Haha, then Jinglan, you can make the arrangements."

Zhang Xupeng smiled happily, and then said to Tan Jincheng, "Come on, let's go to my office. I have something to talk to you about."

PS: Transitional chapter.

(End of this chapter)