Starting out as a drug dealer in 1988

"Honey, 'Fox of Snow Mountain' is about to start!"

"Come on, come on!"

"Hey, that commercial is about a water-boiling device? It looks pretty convenient."

“I’ve never seen anything for sale!”

"Let's go back to the store and ask, maybe it's a new product."

On May 1, the provincial TV station began broadcasting the TV series "Snow Mountain Flying Fox", and Hengyuan Electronics' product advertisements followed suit.

The advertisement is simple and easy to understand, and for most people, it is a new and practical thing, so it naturally attracted a lot of attention.

So, many people will ask and inquire where they can buy it.

The last part of the advertisement naturally leaves the manufacturer's name, address, and phone number. However, ordinary users are unlikely to go to the manufacturer to buy, and most of them will ask nearby vendors.

If only a few people were asking, the vendors would naturally not intervene. But once more people were asking, they would certainly contact the manufacturer out of profit.

So, starting from May 10th, the phone calls in Hengyuan Electronics Company's sales department became extremely busy.

"Yes, this is the Hengyuan Electronics Sales Department."

"Yes, the hot water heater and electric kettle in the advertisement are produced by our company."

"Yes, we welcome you to visit our company to view the products and negotiate."

"Well, we'll hold a negotiation meeting on May 15th, and you can come and listen then."

……

There are only three people in the sales department, and Zhao Wenhao is one of them on a temporary basis.

In just one day, the three of them received no fewer than 300 calls. Zhao Wenhao's arms ached, and his ears were buzzing.

There's no other way. We only have so many employees at the moment. The sales department has just been established and is still recruiting.

"Xiao Qin, have all the incoming calls been registered?" Zhao Wenhao rubbed his arms and asked weakly.

Qin Cheng quickly handed over the registration book and fawningly brought Zhao Wenhao a cup of hot water. "Boss, everything is registered. I plan to visit each of them one by one on the 14th to confirm the meeting time with them."

Zhao Wenhao took the registration book and nodded with satisfaction.

Not only was he satisfied with the registration book, he was also satisfied with Qin Cheng as a person.

The young man is very smart and methodical. If he is properly trained, he will definitely become a good salesperson in the future.

"That's it for today. You guys continue to answer the phone here."

Zhao Wenhao stood up and stretched, then walked out of the sales department and headed to the workshop.

Seeing the boss coming in person, Wang Changzheng and Chen Weiye hurried to greet him.

"Mr. Chen, what is the current yield rate?" Zhao Wenhao didn't say any polite words and went straight to the point.

Chen Weiye replied without hesitation: "Basically, it can reach 99%. All the parts are ready. All we have to do is assemble it. It's not complicated. Practice makes perfect."

Zhao Wenhao nodded, expressing his approval of their work and agreeing with it.

It is indeed not a complicated job. As long as you are familiar with the process, it is very easy to install whether it is a hot water heater or an electric kettle.

"Director Wang, how much inventory have we accumulated now?" Zhao Wenhao turned to Wang Changzheng.

Wang Changzheng immediately replied, "We've produced 5300 hot water heaters and electric kettles, which is more than what we expected. We're still in the adjustment phase, so if there's a need later, we can definitely increase production."

If he was a little nervous before, Zhao Wenhao has become full of confidence since answering so many consultation calls.

"Director Wang, immediately begin the second round of recruitment, targeting 100 people. If all goes as expected, this amount of goods won't be enough to sell. I'll place another order with the parts factory, asking them to deliver the parts as soon as possible."

"This..." Wang Changzheng hesitated.

Zhao Wenhao laughed and didn't care about Wang Changzheng's attitude.

He himself knew that the new company had just opened and had already produced so many products. If he wanted to increase investment now, there would inevitably be certain risks.

But Wang Changzheng did not answer the phone in person and did not know what happened during the process.

With just these 2-plus phone calls, Zhao Wenhao was confident he could sell out his entire inventory. Over 5000 hot water heaters and over electric kettles—is that a lot?

Huining Province is a populous province. According to statistics from relevant departments, as of December 1990, the population of the entire Huining Province was 12 million.

The prices of hot water heaters and electric kettles are not high, especially the hot water heater, which can be said to be used by everyone.

As time goes by, the advertising effect and word of mouth will be transmitted to the outside world again.

At that time, Zhao Wenhao believed that people from not only Huining Province but also other provinces would come to purchase.

"Just do as I say. I know what I'm doing." Zhao Wenhao smiled at Wang Changzheng, appearing very confident.

Wang Changzheng still wanted to say something, but after seeing Zhao Wenhao's actions, he finally gave up trying to persuade him.

In his opinion, they are still young after all and are a bit impatient in doing things.

But it’s better this way. Let him fall and know that this is not how business is done.

Every failure is a learning experience.

"Mr. Chen, I was discussing the issue of self-sufficiency in accessories with you earlier. Do you have any other thoughts?"

Without waiting for Wang Changzheng to stop thinking about it, Zhao Wenhao turned to chief engineer Chen Weiye.

Chen Weiye did not answer immediately, but thought about it for a while.

Zhao Wenhao also didn't push for more, as achieving self-sufficiency in accessories couldn't be accomplished overnight. There were still many steps that needed to be carefully managed.

"Mr. Zhao, as long as you have money, the machinery and equipment are easy to handle. You just need to spend money to buy them. But it's not so easy to recruit workers.

This is unlike the assembly work we do now, where many machines need to be operated by people. For example, forging machines, stamping machines, polishing machines, arc welding machines, etc. all require skilled workers to operate.

If you're sure you want to make the parts yourself, we can purchase the equipment first and then slowly train the workers. However, you need to give me time, at least three months, and I can guarantee that I can meet your requirements."

Chen Weiye told the truth, without hiding anything or exaggerating.

In the early 1990s, industrial workers were not as integrated into the industrial chain as they were in later years, especially in impoverished counties like Ping'an.

If Hengyuan Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. is registered in Guangdong Province and produces there, the required workers can be recruited immediately.

Unfortunately, no if.

Zhao Wenhao fell silent. He knew that the cost of purchasing these equipment alone would be at least 200,000 or 300,000 yuan. If the highest quality equipment was imported, the cost would be even higher.

Of course, he currently does not have the ability to import from abroad.