Chapter 058 Sales Strategy
Lian had been in exile these days and had become accustomed to wearing coarse linen clothes, but this morning Xu Qingying had pulled her out of bed early and even asked her to borrow so many precious treasures from the Fang family.
Lian was almost suffocated by the weight of all the jewels and jade on her head. She was afraid that if they were lost or damaged, she would not be able to explain to the Fang family.
But Xu Qingying encouraged her to show her the aura of the fifth aunt of the Lian family to scare others today.
Xu Qingying didn't want Lian to come, but she had arranged a play today, and the main characters were all rich ladies. She had to work hard to find these people by piecing together various people from the exile team.
Facing Zhao Bantou's questioning, Xu Qingying simply said, "These days, these people only respect the clothes and not the people themselves. If we don't dress brightly and beautifully, how can we spread the fame of our soap?"
Zhao Bantou was about to speak but hesitated, so Xu Qingying continued to add fuel to the fire, "Bantou and I are now on the same boat. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing and will never give anyone anything to talk about."
After that, she turned to the girls behind her and said, "Are you clear about today's mission?"
"Understood!" came a series of intermittent replies.
Perhaps because they felt that their status as exiles was inferior, and wearing silk and satin would be an even greater sin, the girls were very frightened and spoke and acted quite hesitantly.
Seeing this, Xu Qingying added, "Don't be afraid, everyone. As long as we don't cause trouble, no one will know who we are. I've already explained clearly on the way here what to say, what to do, and what effect to achieve. It's not difficult. Haven't you been to these grocery stores before? Go in and ask about the goods. Let the store know that there is soap, what its benefits are, and where to buy it. As long as we achieve these three goals, we can leave with a successful outcome. Remember the trick for today: you are not an exiled prisoner. You have a lot of money. You are a proud guest. The more assertive you are, the less likely others will look down on you. Come on, come on, put on a cold face!"
Xu Qingying gave everyone a bowl of freshly cooked chicken soup and encouraged everyone. Finally, a few girls slowly found their feelings and were no longer frowning.
Zhao Bantou didn’t know what Xu Qingying’s plan was. He was just wondering if selling something had to be so troublesome. Why didn’t other business people make such a fuss like them?
At this moment, Zhao Bantou, who had already boarded the pirate ship, was about to back out, but Xu Qingying said again, "Everyone, cheer up! Today, I'm going to let every grocery store owner in the city know that there's a good thing in the world called soap, and from now on, you can only buy it from me, Xu Zhenying!"
Seeing his daughter working so enthusiastically, Xu Degui couldn't bear to interrupt her, so he asked, "Qingying, why did you even change your name?"
Xu Zhenying said without blushing, "We're out and about, and our identities are quite sensitive. How can we use our real names? We also need to keep our story consistent. From now on, we'll all say our boss's name is Xu Zhenying. That way, they won't be able to track him down. Wouldn't that be safer?"
Xu Degui suddenly understood and actually praised Xu Qingying sincerely, "Your method is thoughtful. It also prevents people from prying and revealing our secrets—"
"Alright, enough talking, everyone split up and remember to meet at the city gate after noon!"
At Xu Qingying's command, the team in the city was divided into several waves again.
Xu Qingying had to buy raw materials, and the girls had to go around the city's grocery stores to sell soap.
Although the thing has not been made yet, the name has to be typed out first. This is called warm-up.
Xu Qingying walked around the city, her first stop being a shop specializing in rattan chairs. She briefly explained her needs, and the carpenter immediately understood. "Your idea isn't difficult. Just make ten molds, each with ten cylinders. Each hole is one inch deep, and a cross is carved on the bottom. Is that right?"
Xu Qingying thought the mold was simple, and a carpenter wouldn't have trouble making it. But if she wanted to raise the price, she'd have to work on the exterior. After some thought, she changed her tune: "I'll make eight molds for this, and carve patterns on the bottom of the other two. The more elaborate, the better... Hey, I'll use them as molds for pancakes. Do you understand?"
Seeing that the carpenter had figured out what she meant, she felt relieved and turned to the shopkeeper and said, "By the way, do you have any exquisite wooden boxes here?"
The boss originally saw that they were dressed in ordinary clothes, but they had a strange demeanor. He thought they might be servants of a wealthy family and guessed that there was not much money to be made from them.
Now, hearing that there was a big business, he smiled and asked, "Are you buying it as a gift or for your own use?"
“Packaging and giving away.”
"The wooden boxes we have here are all quite large. What do you need?"
Xu Qingying smiled and said, "I want to use it to package soaps. I'll put four in a wooden box. The most important thing is that it looks beautiful and exquisite, so that the grandmothers will think it's high-end at first glance and be willing to pay for it."
The shopkeeper was stunned and asked, "Excuse me, young lady, what is this soap you are talking about?"
Xu Qingying pretended to be surprised. "The shopkeeper doesn't even know what soap is?"
The shopkeeper was not angry, but said politely, "Please enlighten me, young lady."
"That soap, it's a bit like scented soap, but it's slightly different. It's said to be only the size of a palm, as translucent as jade, and incredibly powerful at removing dirt. After using it, your skin becomes smooth, your hands are fragrant, and your whole body feels slippery and fragrant... The ladies of Bianjing City have been using it for a long time. It's now priced at three or four taels of silver per piece, and demand still outstrips supply—"
Xu Qingying paused for a moment, and seeing the shopkeeper's interest, she continued, "We also came from Bianjing City. We wanted to buy some soap to give away. You know we're in business, so the things we give away have to be presentable. But I've been looking around your place and haven't seen any soap for sale."
She shook her head and said to the people behind her, "Tell me, how is it that in such a huge county like Pingyang, there's no place to buy a bar of soap?"
Zhao Bantou was as shrewd as a man. He knew Xu Qingying was trying to trick the shopkeeper. He immediately responded, "I heard that thing is only popular among wealthy ladies. Maybe the supply hasn't flowed in yet—"
"After all, it's not Bianjing City. It can't compare to its prosperity." Xu Qingying shook her head, deliberately showing a hint of disappointment. "We can only buy a few packaging boxes for now. When Pingyang County has stock, we must grab them first and give them to the ladies to try as soon as possible. Shopkeeper, make a few boxes first. The more exquisite the better. They must show off the exquisiteness of the soap..."
The shopkeeper was so excited by what she said that he rubbed his hands and said, "Girl, is that soap really that magical?"
"Oh, how would I know? I just heard my wife mention it when she came back from the chrysanthemum viewing banquet last month. She said that as long as soap appears on the market, we must grab all of it..." Xu Qingying seemed to realize that she had said too much. She immediately stopped talking and smiled. She said, "Oh, no, no, I was just talking casually. Shopkeeper, make me four boxes of this shape first. The price is not a problem, but I need it urgently. When can you pick it up?"
The shopkeeper traveled all over the country selling goods all year round, so he knew that it was Xu Qingying who let the secret slip. If the soap was really such a good thing, she naturally wouldn't let others get it first.
But this is a huge business opportunity!
Even if he doesn't know what soap is, even if he doesn't do soap business, but he opened a woodworking workshop, wouldn't it be a great idea to do the gift box business?
What is the most important thing when opening a business? Isn’t it the information gap?
If you don't know what furniture styles are popular now and what patterns women like, then this business probably won't be very successful.
At this moment, the shopkeeper's expression could no longer be described as affectionate. He stopped in front of Xu Qingying and said with a more attentive look: "Miss, why did you stop talking halfway? You are making me itch. I tell you the truth, I would ask for two taels of silver for this box, but for your sake, I will give you a 30% discount. Tell me more about the soap..."
Xu Qingying acted cautiously and waved her hand, saying, "You're not selling soap, why are you asking so many questions?"
"Well, if I don't sell soap, I'll just sell your packaging. I can make money just as well, right? Don't worry, I won't compete with you..." The shopkeeper asked the waiter to bring tea, smiling like a Maitreya Buddha. "Tell me more about that soap. If it's really so effective, then from what you say, it must be a fragrant soap. Why is it so popular with the ladies above?"
Seeing the shopkeeper being so attentive, even Zhao Bantou and Xu Degui, who had seen many scenes, couldn't help but twitch their lips.
Xu Qingying is really good at fooling people.
This three-pronged approach of being hesitant to speak, wanting to refuse but also to welcome, and playing hard to get has fooled the shopkeeper to the point where he is obviously at a loss.
But let alone the shopkeeper, even they didn't know what soap looked like.
Never mind, just fool around.
The two were horrified when they heard this and almost got caught several times.
In order not to hold Xu Qingying back, the two of them began to act cold and unfriendly, which actually made the matter more credible.
"Hey, you old man!" Xu Qingying pushed him away impatiently. "I told you, I haven't seen that thing either. Besides, it doesn't matter whether I've seen it or not. How can the things that those ladies like be bad? We are servants. We do whatever the master says and what we are told. We don't care about other things. Can people like you and me afford a bar of soap that costs only three or four taels?"
"Hey..." The shopkeeper pulled her back. Facing Xu Qingying's impatience, the shopkeeper was even more convinced and his tone became even more flattering. "That's what I said, but it's not a big deal for the girl to reveal her underwear..."
After saying that, the shopkeeper actually took out some loose change and quickly stuffed it into Xu Qingying's sleeve.
Xu Qingying was stunned for a moment. She never expected that she could advertise for herself and receive advertising fees sponsored by others.
She felt embarrassed to accept the money.
Even Zhao Bantou and Xu Degui were shocked by the shopkeeper's action.
Xu Qingying was quick to react and immediately changed her expression. She coughed softly, "I didn't say anything—"
She even looked around deliberately, and after making sure that no one was around, she pretended to be mysterious and said, "Anyway, I guess that thing has become popular recently. We are just a small county town, and there is no guarantee that the supply will flow to Henan Prefecture. As you know, it is richer there than here, and there are more wealthy people. If the shopkeeper really wants to take advantage of it, he should pay attention to the situation over there. As far as I know, several families are eyeing it. If you don't act quickly, I'm afraid you won't be able to earn this first wave of gold-"
The shopkeeper's eyes rolled around. Regardless of whether he believed what Xu Qingying said or not, his heart was aroused and he remembered the word "soap".
The two parties agreed to pick up the mold and wooden box at noon, and the conversation ended happily.
After they walked out of the carpentry workshop, Zhao Bantou gave her a thumbs-up and said, "Miss Xu Liu, you are truly an amazing person—"
Xu Degui was still a little flattered. This was the first time he'd heard of doing business this way. He was both excited and uneasy. "Ying'er, do you think the shopkeeper believes what we're saying?"
"Believe it or not, it doesn't matter. Our goal today is to let everyone know about soap as soon as possible. The more half-hidden the information is, the more true and false it is, the faster the rumor will spread, and the more curious people will be about soap. Let's heat up the situation here first; the real battleground is still in Henan Prefecture!"
Zhao Bantou's blood boiled when he heard this. He felt as if he was on the battlefield. All of a sudden, he felt strong. His eyes sparkled. "Miss Xu, what else should we buy?"
"I also need pig pancreas, alkali, and wood ash..."
"I just saw a pork shop in the west of the city."
This time, Xu Degui finally stopped caring about his own face and asked without shame, "Ying'er, what are Second Sister-in-law and the others doing?"
"Of course, you're going to promote our soap, too?"
Xu Degui pressed the issue, "Tell me, Dad, how are you going to promote the soap? Are you going to go door to door to tell people? Or are you going to hire a lion dance troupe or something to liven things up?"
"Just like what I did just now. I asked Second Aunt and the others to dress up and go to every grocery store in the city to buy soap."
Xu Degui scratched his head, puzzled. He felt that all his years of business in Bianjing City had been in vain. He could not understand why Xu Qingying did this.
Helpless, he decided to risk his skin and said, "But our soap hasn't been made yet, so they definitely can't buy it, right?"
"Yes, it's just not available." Xu Qingying blinked and smiled slightly. "Buying soap isn't the purpose. Second Aunt and the others split up and went around to various grocery stores. The store owners naturally know that there's something called soap that sells extremely well among wealthy women, and it's even hard to find a single piece. This way, they can create the illusion that our soap is selling like hot cakes. Most people buy when prices are rising, not when they're falling. The more the price goes up, the more they'll chase it. That way, when our soap goes on sale in Henan Prefecture, it'll definitely attract the local store owners to rush over and grab some."
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