2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 689 The Milestone of 20,000 Vehicles
"Holy crap, you sold nearly 20,000 cars in less than two and a half months. Why don't you manipulate the data and make it look like you sold 20,000 cars? Wouldn't that look better?"

"There's no need. We're not worried about selling them. Why make things difficult for the dealers when we're only a few hundred cars away from sales?"

There are many ways to falsify car sales figures. The simplest way is to pressure dealers to take on too much stock, or, as was done during the new energy vehicle subsidy fraud period, to set up a shadow sales company and transfer the company's vehicles to the shadow sales company.

In short, there are many ways to falsify data, but for Yuechi, none of them are necessary. There's no need to go to such lengths just to round up the numbers.

Although 500 vehicles is less than two cars per 4S store, Tan Jincheng wants clean sales figures for the first year.

"Only you would have such a bizarre idea. Anyone would want to take the plunge."

"Haha, we failed to break into the top 10 in total sales again. If we were only a few hundred cars away from making it into the top 10, then we could give it a try."

It's not uncommon for sales to be faked. For example, the Haval CUV, which ranked first this month, previously had an average monthly sales volume of five to six thousand units, but in December it saw a surge to 9047 units.

It increased by 40.44% month-on-month and surged by 90.42% year-on-year, surpassing the Honda CR-V to become the sales champion in December.

It's so obvious, it's right there in front of you.

However, there are many similar cases. Take Zhongtai 2008 for example, its average monthly sales are less than 2000 units, but this month it sold 4999 units. In short, everyone tries to do something different.

However, overall, relatively few car companies made a "sprint" to boost sales in the last month; the vast majority of data were normal.

In December, sales of the Toyota RAV4 were poor, declining by 16.16% month-on-month to only 6945 units. The Yuechi A1 surpassed the RAV4 to rise to third place in monthly sales.

The Yuechi A1 achieved a perfect end to its first year on the market, with sales exceeding 15 billion yuan in just two and a half months.

20,000 units sold is a milestone for the Yuechi A1. Tan Jincheng came to the store today to promote this sales target of 20,000 units.

Besides Beicang 4S store, other dealers in Weilai will also be holding this promotion today. Weilai Auto is short 499 vehicles and wants to achieve this sales target on the first day of 2010.

On average, each 4S store only needs to sell 1.7 cars on New Year's Day, so there is still a good chance.

It was quite meaningful to achieve sales of 20,000 Yuechi A1 units on the first day of 2010.

"Qingqing, you can stay upstairs and keep watch for a while. There are probably too many people downstairs. If you get squeezed out, our Boss Tan will probably smash up the store."

Tan Jincheng and Zhang Xupeng were chatting idly, while Nie Ruoxi, who had stopped working, was also chatting quietly with Gu Qingqing. Her office had a whole wall of glass windows, and she could see the view downstairs from the windowsill.

"Then I won't go down; sitting by the window and watching is just as good."

Gu Qingqing listens to advice. She definitely won't squeeze into crowded places, even if there are people around her. There's no guarantee that something unexpected won't happen, so there's no need to be stubborn.

"It's almost lunchtime now. I'll have someone arrange for lunch to be served. We can eat here. Do you have any dietary restrictions?"

"Anything light and refreshing will do."

"Okay, I'll have someone arrange it."

Nie Ruoxi was truly envious of Gu Qingqing. She was beautiful, came from a good family, and had outstanding abilities. She had heard that although Gu Qingqing no longer worked at Orange Technology, she was still sought after by the old employees whenever she appeared at the company.

It takes more than just good looks and wealth to win over a group of unruly programmers and tech guys.

Before she managed the 4S store herself, she didn't have a deep understanding of this, but after she actually became the boss, she understood the difference.

During her tenure, she managed an internet company that had its own venture capital funding rounds until it went public, and she also built the headquarters building. These are all manifestations of Gu Qingqing's achievements. Although the company's specific business planning is not directly related to her, it still requires her, as the CEO, to coordinate it.

"By the way, when will Orange Technology's headquarters building be officially handed over?"

"Around February, Orange Technology will be moving its entire headquarters to their new building. How about it, are you interested in moving Jinpeng's headquarters to the Flashpoint Building?"

The conversation, which started with mobile phones, led Zhang Xupeng to think that relocating the headquarters building this year would also be a major event for Orange Technology.

"Is it really necessary? I'm not at the company much anyway, and besides, I have an office there."

Jinpeng Industrial's business revolves around the apparel industry, operating apparel exports and managing its own brands such as GXG domestically. Both of these businesses are centered around its factories.

If we go outside the factory premises, it might be inappropriate.

"The e-commerce division can be moved to the headquarters building, and the design department can also be moved here. There's no need for these two departments to be located in the factory area. Let's give them a good working environment."

Compared to the relatively remote Dagang Industrial Park, the headquarters building is located in the center of the district, which is a better location for departments that need to communicate with the outside world, such as the e-commerce division and the design department.

As for the design department, their work style is inherently flexible, and it doesn't matter where they are located.

After a moment of contemplation, Zhang Xupeng nodded and said, "That's fine. I'll make the arrangements in a while."

With the core departments located at headquarters, Zhang Xupeng's control over Jinpeng Industry has diminished compared to before. Just like Yangzi Automobile, the Dagang Industrial Park was previously like a small kingdom independent of Beicang District.

It belongs to the Flash Group, but it also seems to have a sense of separation from the group.

This was something Tan Jincheng noticed after accompanying the Luzhou inspection team. While most employees of Jinpeng Industry were aware that they belonged to the Shanchi Group, they didn't have much of a sense of belonging to the head office. From Luzhou to Chuzhou, and then through the comprehensive inspection by the Luzhou inspection team, Tan Jincheng gained a completely new understanding of the entire group.

When a large company develops to a certain extent, factionalism is bound to emerge. Tan Jincheng is not particularly opposed to factionalism; this problem has been difficult to solve throughout history.

Tan Jincheng also didn't believe he had the ability to solve it.

It is necessary for subsidiaries to maintain a certain degree of independence for their operations, but they should not be overly independent and detached from the parent company.

Everything must be done in moderation.

Just as Yangzi Motors returned to the Weilai Motors lineup, Jinpeng Industry, which is fully controlled by Zhang Xupeng, also needs to return to the Shanchi Group lineup, maintaining its independence while providing services to the parent company.

Moving the core e-commerce business unit and the design department to headquarters was Tan Jincheng's first step.

The e-commerce division is managed by Li Jinglan, who is trustworthy to both Tan Jincheng and Zhang Xupeng. As for the design department, Tan Jincheng's next step is to push Gu Qingqing's senior to take control of the design department behind the scenes.

"Don't overthink it. Jinpeng is still Jinpeng. It's just that during my trip to Luzhou, I discovered that our company is too scattered, and the headquarters seems to be dispensable."

In a pyramid-structured company, the top two founders are responsible for managing not just a single branch, but the entire system.

The flat management structure that internet companies often talk about is actually just a way to better centralize power.

"It seems that the development of Dingding needs to be accelerated," Tan Jincheng sighed inwardly.

Internet companies do have their unique management style. If it were more than 10 years ago, Tan Jincheng might not even know what some of the subsidiaries of a group company like Flash Group, which had a nationwide presence, did.

Even if the leadership of a subsidiary secretly empties out the company's business and operates outside, it would take a long time to find out. However, with the management model of an internet company, at least Tan Jincheng has a thorough understanding of the finances of each subsidiary.

Changes in monthly, quarterly, and annual financial data, employee compensation, and the number of people enrolled in social security can all provide insights into specific changes in the business.

The company's business is all sunrise industry. If there is a significant decline in a certain quarter, Tan Jincheng will pay special attention to see if there is an insider.

Zhang Xupeng smiled and said, "I hadn't thought about it that way. I just felt that if it were located in the factory area, things like shipping would be much more convenient."

Whether Zhang Xupeng thought about it or not, Tan Jincheng didn't care. With their assets at that level, how could they not think about it? It's only human nature, as long as it's within a controllable range.

It will not affect their friendship.

From the very beginning of Jinpeng Trading's establishment, Tan Jincheng has been instilling the concept that a company can only have one voice in charge, a point that Zhang Xupeng surely understands as well.

"Let's eat, stop chatting."

Just then, Nie Ruoxi's voice rang out: "It's 11:30. After lunch, the official event will begin in the afternoon. Boss Tan will provide a surprise for customers who buy cars today."

In the morning, only reservations are available; the real highlight is the official car delivery in the afternoon, which is what Mr. Tan is waiting for.

"Let's go, it's time to eat. I haven't had breakfast yet. I just wanted to see how President Nie is managing the cafeteria." Tan Jincheng stood up and patted Zhang Xupeng on the shoulder.

"Haha, I really didn't know that. I don't come here often."

Zhang Xupeng composed himself, stood up, and laughed, "You know what, we've done quite a few businesses, but it seems like we've never run a shop before. I wonder what it would be like if we were to run this 4S store."

Tan Jincheng gave Zhang Xupeng a strange look.

Hehe, you used to own a shop in your past life, and you did it very well, although it wasn't a 4S shop.

At 1 p.m., the Weilai 4S store in Beicang District officially launched a milestone delivery ceremony for 20,000 vehicles.

The internally defined "sprint to 499 units sold in a single day" promotional campaign was also launched at the same time in Weilai Auto's 4S stores across the country, and preparations had been underway for several days.

This morning, every 4S store launched its promotions in an orderly manner, a fact that was also noticed by consumers who came to look at cars this morning.

The event in Beicang District was the most interesting; they even hired a local host and did some minor decorations for the event venue.

"Next, please welcome Mr. Tan Jincheng, President of Flash Group and President of Weilai Automobile. Mr. Tan will personally hold a handover ceremony for the customers who purchased today."

As the host finished speaking, Tan Jincheng slowly appeared at the event venue, waving his hand.

"Hello everyone, today is a special event day for Weilai Auto. Since the launch of the Yuechi A1, thanks to everyone's support, sales are about to reach 20,000 units."

"As the founder of Weilai Auto, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all Yuechi A1 users, as well as to the 4S stores and all the dealers."

"As the New Year approaches, I would like to do my part for everyone, so please treat me as just an ordinary car salesperson today."

When it comes to causing trouble, Tan Jincheng has plenty of methods. Weilai Auto certainly can't afford a 6000 million yuan cashback event for two-wheeled electric vehicles, but if you buy a small car for around 10 yuan, a billionaire will personally open the car door for you and hand you the keys.

Isn't that a pretty impressive display?
(End of this chapter)