Siheyuan: Returning to 61 to collect waste

Regardless of my intentions, these two electronic watches are new products of our Huade Electronics Factory, named W01 and W02. As the two predecessors have seen, the touch of W02 is much better than that of W01, because some alloy materials are added, while W01 has an ordinary plastic touch.

"Boy, what do you want to say?" Chen Xiangdong asked.

"After internal discussions at our factory, the retail guide price for the W01 electronic watch is set at 9.9 yuan, while the retail guide price for the W02 is 19.9 yuan!"

"What!" Chen Xiangdong stood up suddenly when he heard the price.

Wei Dong's face also showed obvious surprise. If Ye Chuan was right, his comments on the two electronic watches were a huge mistake. 9.9 yuan and 19.9 yuan were not even worth a dime of the price of ordinary mechanical watches. No wonder the young man said frankly that he had no intention of competing with mechanical watches in the market.

Chen Xiangdong picked up the W01 watch and stared at it in disbelief.

"Xiao Ye, you mean this watch is sold for 9.9 yuan? Is this the price in the mall or the supply and marketing cooperative?"

Ye Chuan nodded and said, "You two heard it right, the retail price is indeed set at 9.9 yuan! What about the wholesale price?" Chen Xiangdong asked anxiously.

"The wholesale price of the W01 model is 6 yuan, and the W02 model is 15 yuan." Ye Chuan said calmly.

The two looked at each other, unable to conceal the shock in each other's eyes.

Even if the function is novel, if a watch is sold for 120 yuan, the market acceptance will certainly be limited, but if it only costs 10 yuan, it will definitely become a hot-selling item. Even in the 80s, shopping with coupons was still a part of people's lives. Not to mention watches, even radios were not fully popularized in every household.

Bicycles, watches, sewing machines and radios were not widely owned and were one of the most important items for young people when they got married. Many people still could not afford a watch, one of the "four treasures". So when a watch priced at only 9.9 yuan was launched at this time, you can imagine how popular it would be.

With this electronic watch alone, Huade Electronics Factory may achieve sales comparable to that of large state-owned enterprises. Chen Xiangdong, director of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, and Wei Dong, who grew up at the grassroots level, naturally understand the meaning behind this price.

"Xiao Ye, the factory price of your W01 electronic watch is only 6 yuan? Can you still make a profit?" Chen Xiangdong was puzzled with a little disbelief.

Ye Chuan nodded confidently: "Adding up all the costs, the cost of each electronic watch is only about 2 yuan. The selling price of 6 yuan has greatly exceeded the cost, and there is a lot of profit margin."

Just 2 yuan?

After hearing this, even the knowledgeable Chen Xiangdong and Wei Dong could not help but be astonished. The cost of this electronic watch could be reduced to such a low level. They were filled with curiosity and confusion.

"Xiao Ye, don't come here to brag. Be serious. What do you really mean?" As he spoke, Ye Chuan handed the two of them a cigarette, lit one for himself and took a deep puff.

"My two brothers, I want to organize a commercial promotion event to test the market reaction and increase the popularity of Huade Electronics Factory."

"Brother Ye, you want to call supply and marketing cooperatives from all over the country to the capital? But can your factory's production capacity really meet the demand?" Wei Dong asked.

"I think we can use the time difference to operate. It does take time for the public to accept new products. My current task is to let them know about this product and the brand of 'Huade Electronics Factory'. During this period, I will expand production and increase output."

Chen Xiangdong pointed at Ye Chuan and said with a smile: "You are a very far-sighted guy."

Ye Chuan shrugged helplessly and said, "There is nothing we can do about it. State-owned enterprises will have superiors to help them solve sales channels, but private operators like us have to find ways on our own!"

"Okay! I'll help you with this. I'll notify the supply and marketing cooperatives in the provincial capitals to attend the recommendation meeting held in the capital. Your performance will depend on you."

Then, Wei Dong added: "Department stores in Beijing are also preparing to participate."

Then, Ye Chuan took out a few pieces of paper from his briefcase and put them on the table while smiling.

"Two leaders, this is a poster designed by our factory. We hope that the supply and marketing cooperatives can help post it."

Chen Xiangdong picked it up and saw that it was very well designed, with artistic words written on it: "Time is defined by me!"

"You kid, it's really hard to figure out what you're thinking." Chen Xiangdong and Wei Dong are both well-informed people. They had seen promotional posters when they visited Hong Kong Island and Japan more than ten years ago, but the one made by Ye Chuan was superior in terms of both its sophistication and promotional slogans.

After bidding farewell to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, Ye Chuan went to a small transportation company not far from Zhengyangmen...

The company is limited in scale, with about a dozen trucks, and mainly provides short-distance logistics services to some small state-owned enterprises.

"Hello, comrade, what can I do for you?"

When he entered the yard of the transport company, he saw less than ten trucks parked in the yard. A staff member came towards him with a smile on his face, showing a warm attitude that was completely different from that of ordinary state-owned enterprises.

"I'm here to see the comrade in charge of the transport company."

"Please wait a moment." The staff may have thought that Ye Chuan was willing to cooperate, so they were particularly enthusiastic. Soon a bald man who looked to be in his forties or fifties came running over.

"Young man, is there anything I can do for you? Want to rent a truck?"

That title almost made Ye Chuan laugh, but he still smiled and said, "I'm here to discuss a deal. Are you the person in charge here?"

"Yes, I am the manager here, my last name is Hou."

"Hello, Manager Hou. I am the director of Huade Electronics Factory. My name is Ye Chuan."

"Ye Chuan?" Manager Hou seemed to feel that the name sounded familiar, and immediately responded after hearing it: "You...you are Director Ye?"

Ye Chuan shook his head and said, "I'm not a director anymore. Manager Hou can just call me Ye Chuan or Director Ye."

"Director Ye, it's you. What an honor! Please come in and take a seat!"

Manager Hou had met Ye Chuan once before, and when he heard that Ye Chuan had turned to business, he looked down on him. But it was not until he saw the news about the founding of Huade Electronics Factory on TV that he realized the difference between different levels in the business world.

The two came to the office of the transportation company. Manager Hou asked Ye Chuan to sit on the sofa, grabbed some tea leaves, and filled the teacup with water from the thermos.

The office was quite simple, with two desks with almost peeling paint placed by the window, and the desktops were piled with documents. In addition to a green metal filing cabinet and an old sofa, there were many greasy oil drums placed throughout the room.

"Manager Hou, this is the peak season for transportation. Why are there so many idle trucks in your yard?" Ye Chuan asked.

Manager Hou smiled bitterly, "Hey, Director Ye, please don't mention it! Our company's business has plummeted in the past two years. Those large state-owned factories have their own transportation departments, and many small factories have also bought cars. If our superiors hadn't assigned us some business, I'm afraid we wouldn't even be able to pay bonuses."

Ye Chuan was delighted. This situation was exactly what he wanted. If the other party's business was booming, he would probably not easily agree to his request.

"Manager Hou, I'm here hoping to cooperate with your company."

Manager Hou's eyes suddenly lit up. He had heard of Huade Electronics Factory, but he didn't know what specific products it produced. "Director Ye, how do you plan to cooperate?"

Ye Chuan laughed, took out a Qinjian brand cigarette from the cigarette box on the table and lit it, then coughed a few times because of the choking. "Manager Hou, your cigarette is really choking."

"Director Ye, our monthly allowance and bonus are only a few dollars. It's good enough that we don't have to smoke." Manager Hou said with a wry smile.

Ye Chuan flicked the ash off his cigarette and continued, "Manager Hou, you know I run an electronics factory. The factory doesn't have its own transportation department, so I want to cooperate with a transportation company for the time being. I wonder if your company is interested in cooperation?"

Manager Hou nodded like a chicken pecking at rice: "I'm interested! Very interested! It's our honor that Director Ye has considered us!"

"It's just..." Ye Chuan said with some embarrassment, "It's just that our factory's shipment volume may be relatively large. I wonder if Manager Hou can bear it?"

"No problem, Director Ye, don't worry. Although our company is small, it is a collectively owned company after all. Even if there is a shortage of transportation capacity, we will find a way to solve it and will never affect the transportation of your factory's goods."

"I can rest assured that."

Just as Manager Hou was about to propose preparing a contract, Ye Chuan spoke again: "And... I have an additional request."

"Director Ye, please speak!"

"I hope that while cooperating with your company, we can also hang advertisements of our factory on all trucks." Ye Chuan stated the main purpose of this visit.

"What? Put up an advertisement? What does that mean?"

Ye Chuan patiently explained: "It means hanging banners on both sides of the truck to promote our products, with some slogans on them."

Manager Hou fell silent immediately. They had never tried this method before, so it was difficult to answer immediately. "Director Ye, this is really embarrassing for us..."

Ye Chuan counted on his fingers and said, "Manager Hou, do you think this is okay? We will incur some freight costs if we use your company's cars, and we will also pay the corresponding advertising fees if your company puts up advertisements for us. The only thing you need to do is to hang a banner."

Manager Hou was very excited, but he still replied cautiously: "Director Ye, I dare not make the decision on my own. I have to ask my superiors for approval."

Ye Chuan was extremely anxious. Even if everything went well, it would take a long time to get approval from his superiors. With the current efficiency, it might take a month.

"Manager Hou, if you can get a reply within an hour, then go ahead and apply." Ye Chuan said. "Within an hour? I'm afraid that's impossible!" Manager Hou shook his head.

Ye Chuan pretended to leave, and said with regret on his face: "Manager Hou, in this case, let's cancel our cooperation. I will try to find another transportation company."

Manager Hou quickly stopped him and said anxiously: "Director Ye, don't worry, we can discuss any problems." He knew that his transportation company was already running at a loss, so how could he let such a big customer slip away.