If you need to borrow money.
Lin Meiyu, my best client, and Hu Ling, my current boss who values me highly, are the best choices.
However, the first person Chen Zhe found was Luo Guifang.
While giving him a massage, he asked, "Sister Luo, I'm thinking of opening a supermarket, and I'd like you to help me make a decision."
When she heard it was a business matter, Luo Guifang was happy to answer.
Tell me about it.
“I have a brother in Xicheng District, along Hubei Road. There’s a supermarket on the corner that’s about to go out of business, and I’m thinking of taking it over and letting him manage it. But I’ve never run a supermarket before. Sister Luo, can you give me some advice?”
Luo Guifang thought for a moment; "About how big is that supermarket?"
"Around 1,000 square meters."
How's the foot traffic?
"There are several residential communities, several office buildings, and a newly built construction site nearby, so there are a lot of people coming and going."
Who are your target customers?
Luo Guifang's question hit the nail on the head: if a supermarket can go bankrupt in a place with decent foot traffic, it must be because of something wrong, and the biggest problem is the lack of a precise customer base.
The biggest customers of supermarkets are often housewives and elderly people who buy daily necessities; these people are the main force.
If supermarkets can't stay open, it means these key players haven't been able to fulfill their roles.
"From 3 to around 80 years old."
Hearing this age range, Luo Guifang couldn't help but laugh; "The age range is too big. Those who really have spending power are actually only the middle group, that is, those who have a salary."
“I understand, so I want to open a supermarket to attract customers.”
"Hey, tell me more."
"I've decided not to make a single penny from the supermarket's drinks, snacks, or tissues!"
These are all huge quantities purchased by supermarkets.
Such a bold idea startled Luo Guifang; "Are you crazy? Have you never run a business before? I understand that you want to use these to attract customers, and I can imagine that customers will indeed be willing to go in and buy, but you need money to operate a supermarket. You're not doing charity in business; you can't do anything without money."
Luo Guifang immediately rejected the proposal.
"Yes, yes, I've been thinking about that too, so I wanted to ask you, sister, how can I make money if I want to keep this model going?"
The best way to get help from a smart person is to ask them a question.
Because he gets a sense of accomplishment in the process of solving problems.
Luo Guifang thought about it very seriously; "If you ask it like that, then this is a rather big question. We need to do some statistics to get an accurate answer. My idea is this: since you can't make money from these mainstream products, then you must find ways to get them to spend money elsewhere. For example, if a customer wants to buy water, you can put some filters nearby. People who buy a lot of water every day will eventually turn their attention to filters. If a customer wants to buy tissues, you can display some napkin boxes that can generate profit. At the same time, you can also play around with different types of tissues, labeling the material of each type to make customers feel the difference. Everyone wants to buy good quality and cheap products, so this can meet their different needs..."
Luo Guifang listed several examples, and became more and more excited as she spoke.
"Take our air conditioners for example. We have several types of air conditioners, from entry-level to premium. Each type plays a different role in different situations. We have car air conditioners, portable air conditioners, household air conditioners, and industrial-grade air conditioners. With a complete range of products in one supermarket, customers will inevitably want to compare them when making a purchase."
"Sister Luo is right! Your opinion is very important to me. I have another question: what should I do if I want to improve employee motivation?"
"It's very simple: set up a reward and punishment mechanism. Reward high-performing employees and talk to low-performing employees. At the same time, you need to have a regional mindset. For example, if your supermarket has the highest salary and best benefits in a certain area, they usually live nearby. If they can't find a better job nearby, they will cherish it. A sense of urgency will motivate them."
"Then how can we expand our business?"
"For this, you need a good network of contacts, reputable suppliers with low prices, the ability to train your employees, and a strong cash flow... all of these are indispensable..."
Chen Zhe asked many professional questions, but Luo Guifang didn't find it bothersome. On the contrary, she was very interested in explaining them to him and sometimes even offered Chen Zhe advice.
Time passed by, and Chen Zhe was about to finish his shift when Luo Guifang extended it for two more hours, telling him how to run a company, how to manage employees, and how to expand the market.
Chen Zhe found a notebook and wrote it down stroke by stroke.
As Luo Guifang was leaving, Chen Zhe looked at her with red eyes; "Sister Luo, the lesson you taught me tonight is the most important lesson of my life. I will never forget it. I have organized all of this and will make a plan for you to see. Please be sure to take a look."
When Luo Guifang heard him say that and saw how eager he was to learn, she was also moved. She thought of herself when she was young, when she worked just as hard to learn things.
"Okay! You must remember to give it to me!"
After seeing Luo Guifang off, Chen Zhe wiped away his tears slightly. He wondered if he had overacted, but he felt it should have been effective.
He didn't mention asking Luo Guifang to invest at all; he just wanted her to give him some advice.
As mentioned in psychology.
A person is most satisfied with themselves.
All the plans just now were basically written around Luo Guifang's suggestion. In other words, this plan, which is not yet fully formed, was conceived by Luo Guifang herself. How could she not be satisfied with her own plan?
She's satisfied with her plan and has gained such loyal admirers. Would she be reluctant to invest in it?
Chen Zhe believed she could do it. If she couldn't, it meant there were still some areas where he hadn't done well enough, and he could continue to improve.
Luo Guifang was his first choice, and he also had a backup choice, Chen Si.
Although he had known Chen Si the shortest time, one of her traits was very obvious: she was very willing to spend money.
Moreover, she has enough money, and if she feels satisfied, it's not impossible to attract investment.
The reason I didn't go to find Lin Meiyu and those two young ladies was because my supermarket was very different from their industry.
Lin Meiyu works in the high-end luxury industry, so she finds it hard to understand the mundane family matters of ordinary people. They might be willing to borrow money or invest with her, but that's based on feelings.
Chen Zhe didn't want to waste this feeling.
The same goes for those two young ladies. They owe me a favor, and I can definitely lend them money if they ask. However, these two young ladies are a bit unpredictable. One is very enthusiastic, and the other is very indifferent. Moreover, they are close in age. If I'm not careful, I might be discriminated against by their families, which could lead to bad consequences.
Ask Hu Ling? That's even less likely. She said she wanted to open a supermarket outside, which clearly has a rebellious streak in it.
Even if Hu Ling approves of my plan, she will still forcefully interfere.
For example, the Jinxiu Shanhe Club.
At that time, Chen Zhe will likely become just a shareholder who can only receive a small amount of money.
But Chen Zhe's goals don't stop there.
If I'm going to do it, I'll definitely be the one at the helm!
...
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