Rebirth of America, this is my time

Warner Communications Chairman Steve Ross’s doubts actually have a theoretical basis.

Last year, when the Star Wars electronic arcade machines were launched, their instant sales did exceed 20,000 units. After deducting the bulk purchases from North American theaters, Destiny Games still shipped 10,000 electronic arcade machines in a short period of time. But that process lasted a full month.

There is a problem of production capacity, but more importantly, it is a problem of transportation. When the purchasers of arcade machines are located in every corner of America, in an era when the air freight business was not born, do you want to quickly distribute goods in America? That's an impossible thing to happen.

If Destiny Games received an order for 20,000 electronic arcade machines in ten days, then this Steve Ross would believe it, but if he wanted to ship 20,000 electronic arcade machines with full special codes in ten days ? Even if you beat him to death, he won't believe it.

The reason why Michael Blanco Manufacturing Company is so busy is actually...

Ah--

Destiny game is really a hit!

Before the new product launch conference, Ethan was full of anxiety. He didn't know the sales volume of the games he launched this time, because three of the four games had nothing to do with his past life memories. After the BUFF 'Learning from the Big Fire Game' no longer existed, the unknown and uncertain future made him a little nervous. But at the press conference, buyers were placing orders frantically, and after the news was broadcast, all the phone calls in the marketing department were filled with calls. Ethan suddenly woke up. In his previous life, there was a word that was widely circulated in the business field, That's the word-of-mouth effect.

The phenomenon of word-of-mouth effect has actually existed for many years, or it is originally a concept in marketing. It refers to consumers’ evaluation of a product or service through oral or written communication, thus affecting the purchase of other consumers. Behavior.

To put it simply, this effect is actually a manifestation of gold always shines.

But it is difficult to do all this.

Only when the product quality itself is excellent, users will help promote it like tap water.

In fact, this effect has never been reflected in Ethan, because from the beginning, he has taken the path of becoming famous as early as possible. When Snake took America by storm in just two months, when Pac Bean People sold out at the first release, and when Star Wars rode the wave of the times...

What is the word-of-mouth effect?

He doesn't even know!

Because he was at the top when he debuted!

Then he kept refreshing his own records!

And it was Ethan who achieved success again and again, so he also directly entered the second stage of word-of-mouth effect. When everyone on the market knew that Destiny Games would only launch high-quality games, they believed it with their eyes closed, that is. Something that countless people would do.

Unless Destiny Games encounters a well-known Waterloo, buyers will definitely buy up his machines without thinking because of the popularity and trust of players.

Just as this was the case, at the ordering meeting after the press conference, the 150 participating merchants piled up sales orders for more than 8,000 electronic arcade machines for him!

This data may seem a little small, but it is actually a lot.

Because no matter how much those bosses believe in the products of Destiny Games, the number of places under their names that can accommodate arcade machines will not suddenly increase as the games make money.

The average number of more than fifty units per person actually proves the strength of these bosses. They have at least four or five entertainment clubs on their own territory.

Not to mention having a net worth of tens of millions, I still have millions.

After they digested the bulk, what was left was actually the same telemarketing and phone calls as before. Since the former governor used public broadcasting to swipe his face in front of gamers all over the United States, most people knew that Destiny Game had released a new game. Therefore, those who did not get the invitation but did not want to fall behind others in making money The little boss called me and wanted to place an order.

In this process, these small bosses also showed their ‘shrewd’ side.

After the call was connected, they did not ask about the specific content of the new game. They just asked the sales specialist of Destiny Games to find out whether any big bosses in their area attended the new product launch conference. If there is, they start asking the bosses what orders they have placed, and then follow the trend to buy; if not, then they ask the sales staff which games are selling well, and then try it with their eyes closed.

Under normal circumstances, all merchants will brag about their products and coax their bosses to place orders.

But after tasting the dividends of word-of-mouth effect, Ethan banned sales from doing so.

If buyers want to know which games are selling well, just tell them directly.

When he has the future in his head...

The sustainable fishing behavior that caused Atari's collapse no longer needs to exist.

Perhaps because they actually informed customers of the real-time ranking of each game at the signing meeting, the bosses who called to order were very happy to buy. Even if the sales reminded them, some of the products they ordered may not reach the market they want. When expecting, some people will also express their intention to buy and try it.

In their words, that is——

If no one buys your lowest-selling game, then I will definitely make money if I buy it! Because players will be curious to know what the fourth game is that other merchants are unwilling to order. Even if this is It doesn’t matter if the performance of the game is average. When players are mentally prepared, they won’t feel that their twenty-five cents are wasted.”

With the belief of mindlessly following the trend and the desire to seek novelty, the booming scene of Michael Blanco Manufacturing Company appeared in front of the Hollywood giants.

Boss, we have calculated the sales data for last month.

We have also made the final expectation you asked for.

When Ethan was standing by the office window with his hands behind his back, looking at the beautiful scenery of the Stanford Research Park, Ballmer, the big bald man, walked in with a stack of reports.

His words also made Ethan turn around quickly and asked expectantly: How much?

The total sales of the four games exceeded 20,000 units. As of May 31, their total shipment volume was 24,780 units, bringing revenue of US$49.56 million to our company.

Wow - cool! Ethan clapped his hands hard.

Although this result is not as good as Star Wars, or in other words, the current sales of these four games have not even touched half of the total sales of Star Wars.

But resting on one’s laurels and focusing on innovation are two different concepts!

The former means lying on your laurels and waiting to die!

The latter is self-innovation for development!

Even though this kind of innovation may not be able to refresh the previous record, how can the scenery of the wave of the times be so easy to touch? If you can touch it once, it is already a big profit, but you still have to return to normal for the rest of the day.

What about the data of various games? Ethan asked with a smile.

Ballmer looked at the report and said: Boss, the best-selling among the four games is Snake 2. In the past ten days, we have sold a total of 12,000 units. The boss at the new product launch conference or the merchant who called to place an order all bought it... and according to the calculations of the marketing department, the expected sales volume of this game should exceed 20,000 units.

This result is in line with our previous expectations. Ethan nodded.

To be honest, Ethan still doesn’t know the true sales volume of the game “Snake” because Nolan Bushnell and Don Valentine concealed their income when they cooperated with Atari.

If there had been no lawsuit from Milova, he would definitely have gone to court with Atari, but after Nolan Bushnell and Don Valentine took on the issue of Snake's patent infringement on the video game , the sales volume of Snake has become an eternal mystery.

However, Ethan made his own calculations. He felt that the influence of Snake in North America would require at least 10,000 arcade machines to support it. Now, the sales of Snake 2 have convinced him of this. . If those merchants hadn't made huge profits from the green snake...

So how could they trust the little green snake to come again?

Oh Jack~ You are so awesome~

Ethan came to the west wall of the office, where there was a wall of honor made by himself.

The first one on the list is the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars. There is a series of numbers written on the back of the hand-painted spaceship, '53,271', which is its current total sales.

After a year of long-distance running, while small places followed suit and large places needed repairs and replacements, 50,000 units of the Star Wars arcade machine have been sold.

This number actually fits its identity, right?

After all, this is Star Wars, not Space Invaders.

Similarly, this number also made Ethan feel a little regretful. If he remembered correctly, in his previous life, the game Donkey Kong sold nearly 100,000 units in North America.

As things stand right now, Star Wars has no hope of ever surpassing it.

This is not to say that Star Wars has no potential to be tapped, but that the Destiny game is too productive.

When their Destiny Games continues to launch new games, products that can be sold in the long term will naturally be affected by sales, and this is something that cannot be avoided.

Ranked second is the yellow whirlwind master in Pac-Man. The number written behind it is '48,933'. It is also the first Destiny game to have a sales volume of over 40,000.

Like Star Wars, its sales were affected.

Ranked third is Snake, with the words 10,000+ written behind the green snake.

As the first game produced by Ethan, it was also the first pot of gold that allowed him to gain financial freedom. Ethan named it Jack very affectionately. After the two-player version was released, the second snake in the game was taken by him. It is set to be female, the vertical painting on the machine is pink, and her name...

Shredded meat~You are great too~ Ethan smiled and glued the pink snake and the green snake together, and then wrote '12,000' behind them.

This behavior was noticed by Ballmer. After Ethan finished his work, he said: The second best-selling game is Windfall. They sold a total of 8,000 units.

According to the calculations of the marketing department, this game also has the potential to exceed 20,000.

The sales volume of Windfall was also within Ethan's expectation.

At the press conference, many bosses liked it.

When customers think it's great, it's bound to be successful.

Ever since, Ethan hung a yellow gold nugget in fourth place.

Then write ‘8,000’.

Third place is Taken, which sold 3,500 units.

The potential of this game should not be great. If it can exceed 10,000, it is a success.

The fourth place is Need for Speed, which sold 1,280 units.

Uh... maybe five thousand. This number may be its best fate.

The two people at the bottom are really like brothers.

The former Hurricane can be said to have lost to our own people. If it hadn't been for the sudden rise of Windfall, then Hurricane, which debuted first, might have sold more.

And Need for Speed simply lost to competing products. When there are similar games on the market, the lack of outstanding highlights is their biggest mediocrity.

Okay, after the funds are withdrawn, we will prepare to distribute bonuses.

Ethan attached a hand-painted sight and a hand-painted car one after another, then clapped his hands and said, Let's set the time in July, as the first half of the year is over.

I have already set the bonus payment standards for the R\u0026D department before. The remaining marketing and finance departments have also been very busy recently. Everyone has worked hard, so they all have a share.

Go and communicate with Allen Massey and ask him to come up with a distribution standard for me.

Oh, by the way, yours needs to be a little special.

The chairman said that you hosted the press conference very well. She will give you a bonus of 50,000 yuan separately. This money will not be included in the unified bonus. You should remember it yourself!

I won't make up for the leaks!

Okay boss. Ballmer was happy when he heard Ethan's words.

Thank you, boss. He bowed, turned and left.

To be honest, Ethan actually knew that he was a little too generous, giving bonuses when the company makes money?

But he didn't care about these things.

First of all, he himself has been a laborer, and he knows better than anyone that wages that exceed the industry average and excellent employee benefits are the best way to win over people.

All the promotion of corporate values ​​and special codes are inferior to getting paid for good work.

Secondly, when external enemies are eyeing you, improving the treatment of your own employees is the most effective way to break down the enemy's internal defenses. When Destiny Games allows game producers to take commissions directly from the projects they are responsible for, producers from other companies who cannot get commissions will definitely leave.

In his previous life, he had encountered such real cases, such as Hootsuite and Naifei, which all used this method to rob people. Of course, this kind of high welfare will also breed a lot of idle people, such as the Bluebird that was renamed Operation. However, this kind of problem usually occurs after the company's employees reach a certain scale, so Ethan can now safely and boldly issue bonuses.

Looking at the results on the honor list, Ethan clenched his fists happily and waved them vigorously in the air twice. Then he came to the desk and opened a notepad.

There are two numbers recorded on it. According to the area code, the first number belongs to Los Angeles, and the second number belongs to New York.

After staring at the number twice, Ethan picked up the phone and dialed the first one.

After a few beeps, an old voice penetrated into his ears.

Hello? I'm Steve Ross. Who are you?

Such words made Ethan purse his lips to suppress a smile, and then said: I am Ethan Jones.

???How do you have my office's private hotline number? The other person was shocked.

You don't have to worry about this matter. I'm calling today just to tell you the news. Our Destiny Games sold 25,000 electronic arcade machines in ten days. Ethan said seriously.

As soon as these words came out, the other party fell into silence.

After about five or six seconds, a banging sound suddenly came, followed by a busy tone.

This performance made Ethan smile from ear to ear. After pressing the receiver, he dialed the second number. It took about ten seconds before the call was connected.

Hello, this is Philips North America.

My name is Cornelis van der Crucht, who is my friend?

Ethan asked Roy Disney for these two numbers. When giving the numbers, Roy Disney had already stated that Cornelis van der Krugt was a Dutchman who joined in 1950. Philips Corporation, currently CEO of Philips North America.

And he...

He took office last year.

He came to North America from the Netherlands because his predecessor was forced to retire due to company performance problems and serious mistakes in strategic planning in the video game industry.

Therefore, after taking office, he made drastic adjustments to the strategic planning of Philips in North America.

Including but not limited to He Zong Lian Heng playing in Hollywood.

Of course, none of the above has anything to do with Ethan. After hearing the other party's question, Ethan, who was leaning on the boss's chair, immediately smiled and said, I am Ethan Jones.

...

Like Warner Communications Chairman Steve Ross, Eason's self-identification silenced Philips CEO Cornelis van der Krugt.

After a long while, he asked: Mr. Jones, are you here to surrender?

? This rhetorical question made Ethan feel that something was wrong with him.

But Ethan didn't care and said with a smile: No, I'm here to announce the good news.

We at Destiny Games have sold 25,000 arcade machines in the past ten days.

As he finished speaking, Ethan heard a sharp intake of breath coming from the other end of the phone.

The next second, a banging sound exploded in his ears!

The sudden sound made Ethan instinctively frown.

But after he took the phone away, he laughed again while leaning on his seat.

cut--

That's all you have to do?

I made a phone call on purpose and you couldn't help it?

Real food!

That's right!

Ethan called, he was deliberately disgusting them!

When these guys wanted to kill him in business, he, Ethan, would not be a good guy, let alone make money by being friendly.

Before, when Steve Ross tried to block him, he responded directly.

And now...

Don't you want to compete with me?

Aren’t you guys studying me every day?

Then after my new game sells out, it should be reasonable for me to post the sales on your face, right?

Hum~

After putting the receiver away, Ethan immediately felt physically and mentally relaxed and his thoughts were clear.

And just when he was wondering whether he should eat more for lunch today, Steve Ballmer's bald head came back again, Boss, I have something to report to you.

Just say it. Ethan, who was in a good mood, waved his hand.

Well, the people in the marketing department just received a new order.

New order? Just transfer it to Michael directly. Why are you talking to me?

Because this order puts them in a bit of a dilemma.

What do you mean? Ethan didn't understand.

Steve Ballmer explained: The order is very large. The other party needs a thousand electronic arcade machines, and all of them are Windfall.

What? This order made Ethan frown.

A thousand copies of Windfall? He suspected that his ears heard it wrong.

No, is the person who placed the order sick? Which store needs so many Windfall?

Ballmer looked at the record in his hand and said, The shipping address is New Jersey.

Atlantic City.

Note: ① Although the aviation industry in the United States is very developed, their air transportation business did not officially develop until after 1978. Before that, all transportation was by land, either railway transportation or land transportation. What changed this situation was the promulgation of the U.S. Civil Aviation Deregulation Act in October 1978. It was only then that FedEx began to develop air transportation on a large scale. ②The game Windfall is actually a snowball-catching game made by people at Activision. The gameplay is the same as described in the article, except that I turned the snowballs into gold, and it sells very well in North America. Atari made a lot of money, and the people at Activision wanted to take a share, but Warner didn't agree, so they left. Then after they founded Activision, they also copied this game and it still sold well.