Chapter 201
It is not yet the season for using electric fans in the north, and most of the electric fans on store shelves are just for display and are not connected to the power supply.
Apart from the different functions, Shuguang Factory has not found any differences in quality among the electric fans of different brands.
Until Ye Manzhi and Kang Jian came to the Canton Fair.
As traders, they have to work with everyone to set up and familiarize themselves with the light industrial products exhibition hall.
This was Kang Jian's first time to come into close contact with so many brands of electric fans, so he wanted to take the opportunity to study the products of other manufacturers in order to improve the functions of his own products.
When he picked up the first electric fan, he exclaimed "Huh".
"What's wrong?" Ye Manyi asked.
"With a base of the same size, this one is much lighter than ours."
"That's why their profits are higher and their prices are lower!" Ye Manzhi said matter-of-factly. "I've noticed long ago that before we added in the regional price difference, fans from other places were only ten yuan more expensive than ours, but they have timers and speed control. If we developed those two features, the retail price would definitely be more than 230 yuan."
Kang Jian said unconvincedly, "Our Shuguang brand is made of solid materials. The base is all cast iron, so of course it's much heavier."
Ye Manzhi agreed with his statement, but still had to consider the market's acceptance.
So while placing the goods on the shelves, he whispered about a scientific method that emerged in the field of industrial management after the end of World War II - value engineering.
"At that time, a certain country's fire protection law enacted a new regulation to prevent fires caused by paint solvents. When workers were painting products, they had to lay a layer of asbestos sheet on the ground."
Kang Jian asked, "Wouldn't the asbestos sheets be sold out immediately?"
"Yes, and the price went up dramatically!" Ye Manzhi continued. "At the time, some people believed that people didn't buy a product simply for the product itself, but for its functionality. So, they came up with the idea of using asbestos paper instead of asbestos board. Asbestos paper is just as fireproof and much cheaper."
Ye Manzhi cautiously replaced "America" with "a certain country" and popularized the "value engineering" of reducing costs while ensuring functionality.
"Consumers buy electric fans to cool down. If we make the base and blades so heavy, the cost will be too high."
Kang Jian said uncomfortably, "When the factory formulated the design plan, they should have considered the safety and stability of the oscillating fan and used a cast iron base to prevent the fan from tipping over or shaking."
Ye Manzhi thought, since the products have already been produced, they still have to sell them.
Let’s talk about cost savings after they return to the factory.
She plugged in each electric fan, pressed the switch, and then pressed different buttons back and forth to ensure that each sample was working properly.
"Ours is pretty good. Other electric fans are definitely not as stable as ours!"
It was meant to be a self-comforting remark, but after saying it, Ye Manzhi and Kang Jian both stood there in a daze.
Kang Jian looked at the row of electric fans in front of him working simultaneously and said in a vague tone, "They really don't seem to be very stable!"
He reached out and pressed the speed buttons of several electric fans.
When using the lowest wind speed, everyone performed well. Apart from a little noise when shaking the head, there were no major problems.
However, as the wind speed was increased step by step, the big head of the electric fan began to shake gradually.
The higher the wind speed, the more obvious the shaking.
And all electric fans, without exception, make noise.
This unexpected discovery made the two of them excited.
Kang Jian suppressed his excitement and said, "You see, the quality of our military products is much higher than ordinary civilian products! Whether it's shaking or blowing directly, the Sugon fan does not vibrate or make noise!"
It has been less than half a year since the Shuguang Factory was converted from military to civilian use, but it has encountered many obstacles on the road to conversion.
The poor sales of electric fans before actually made those technical people quite frustrated.
They have always had a high opinion of themselves and are proud of their technology and quality, but they did not expect that their new products would be suppressed by other brands after they were launched.
Looking at the row of gently shaking electric fans in front of him, Kang Jian suddenly felt a sense of pride and satisfaction!
When it comes to quality, you have to look at the Shuguang brand!
After get off work that day, the two of them drew up a battle plan to make good use of this new discovery.
However, they have been keeping their hands off the ball these days. On the one hand, it is because the transaction rate in the first half of the Canton Fair was relatively low, with more people looking than buying; on the other hand, they are still unable to get over the hurdle in their hearts.
Doing such small tricks will inevitably offend other manufacturers.
Once discovered, there is a 99% chance that you will be scolded.
Today, seeing other manufacturers placing orders one after another, they had no choice but to make a painful decision, sacrifice themselves, and take a crucial step!
After turning on all the table fans, Ye Manzhi and Kang Jian looked around like thieves, made sure that no one was paying attention to them, and then looked away guiltily.
Their eyes met, and Kang Jian comforted her: "We have no choice but to do this."
"Well, there's nothing we can do about it."
They really had no choice but to do this!
The pricing rules for electrical appliances are somewhat different from those for canned goods.
To prevent price wars between ports to grab customers, all similar canned goods across the country have the same export price. No matter who signs the order, everyone has the opportunity to get the task and eat from the big pot.
However, electric fans are priced according to their functions.
The one with shaking head function has one price, the one with timing function has another price, and the one with timing and wind speed adjustment has another price.
When customers place an order, if they specify to purchase a table fan with complex functions, the Shuguang brand will not get any credit at all, and there will be no chance for them to experience the superiority of socialism.
…
Just as the two were standing in front of the shelf trying to convince themselves, a very tall African man came over.
He asked a bunch of questions in a jumbled manner, but they didn't understand a word.
The exhibition hall is staffed with traders who can speak various foreign languages. If you encounter such a situation, you just need to call the corresponding trader.
But as soon as they plugged in the power, a big brother came. Isn't this God's will?
Kang Jian can't speak foreign languages, but he has body language.
He first turned all the electric fans with adjustable wind speed to the highest level.
When all the other fans started shaking, he pointed at the Sugon brand oscillating fan, shook the body of the fan, and gave a thumbs up.
It means that this electric fan is of the best quality.
The elder brother asked questions again in a jumbled manner, and Kang Jian really couldn't understand him, so he had to call a trader who could speak English for help.
There were few serious buyers in the exhibition hall, so Ye Manzhi and Kang Jian stood by and listened to other people's business talks.
Kang Jian wanted to sell the goods so badly. Seeing that the other party pointed to the Shuguang brand the most times but was reluctant to place an order, he raised his hand and made a shooting gesture, then shouted "biu~biu~" twice.
Then he said to the English trader, "Luo Hao, tell him that this electric fan is the cheapest. The manufacturer used to produce rifles. They have excellent technology and good quality. This electric fan is guaranteed to last for more than 30 years!"
Luo Hao relayed the content to his elder brother.
Whether it was because of the cheapest price or the 30-year guarantee that impressed this African customer, he actually placed an order for 150 Sugon oscillating fans.
The unit price is 28 pounds each, totaling 4,200 pounds!
When they saw their elder brother nod, Ye Manzhi and Kang Jian secretly clenched their fists excitedly.
It’s finally open!
Before Luo Hao asked people to go to the small round table to sign, he casually lowered the speed of several fans and gave the two of them a meaningful look.
Kang Jian felt insecure after being looked at by that person. He tilted his head and asked, "Director Ye, did Luo Hao find out?"
"Well, who would turn all the fans to the highest speed when giving a demonstration to a client?"
Their behavior was a bit too deliberate.
However, it can be said that Big Brother signed the order because of the good quality or the low price.
Who cares!
Having tasted the sweetness, the two men decided to stick to it and continue selling goods using this method.
In the following days, they learned from their first experience and tinkered with it carefully, trying not to arouse other people's suspicion.
Ye Manzhi suggested to the team leader that in order to let customers understand the functions of electric fans, all electric fans should be turned on.
In April in Guangzhou, the highest daytime temperature can reach 27-29 degrees, so you can use an electric fan indoors.
The team leader thought her suggestion made sense and agreed.
Kang Jian does not speak foreign languages. As a trader, he mainly provides technical commentary, so he has a lot of free time.
Electric fans usually run at a low speed. When a customer walks into the electric fan exhibition area, he strolls over, turns the wind speed to the maximum, and demonstrates it to the customer.
As the demonstration went on, Shuguang Factory signed an order for 180 direct-blowing fans and 120 oscillating fans.
There was one order every day for three days, and the amount did not exceed 5,000 pounds, which is actually not a particularly outstanding achievement.
However, this is only the first half of the Canton Fair.
There are more people waiting and watching than placing orders.
In this situation, you can still sign a deal every day, and each deal is a Shuguang deal, which will inevitably attract attention.
So, when they wanted to continue tinkering on the fourth day, they ran into a tough guy.
Among the electric fans used as a control group for the Shuguang brand, there was a brand called Red Star, produced by the Red Star Machinery Factory.
The main business of the Red Star Factory is turbochargers. The factory director works as a trader in the machinery exhibition hall and rarely comes to the light industrial products exhibition hall.
While chatting with his deputy factory director, he heard that Shuguang brand had signed three orders, and that they were military-to-civilian products with really good quality, so he decided to come and see what made Shuguang brand so special.
However, what he never expected was that he couldn't see what was so special about the product. But the director of the Shuguang factory was quite different!
After the last wave of customers left, Director Chen took a few steps forward and lowered the speed of his electric fan.
"What's wrong with you, comrade?" he frowned. "We're introducing the Shuguang brand to customers, so why are you turning on all the other fans?"
Kang Jian signed several orders and prepared himself mentally for a few days, ready for the truth to be exposed.
He said calmly, "How can merchants choose goods if they don't turn on the electric fans? The electric fans have been on all day these past few days."
Director Chen, a man with a short temper, glared at me and asked, "Are you really selling something? Just introduce it properly and use a low or medium speed setting. What's the point of turning all the fans up so high?"
Kang Jian replied confidently, "The fan has a high-speed function, so of course I have to demonstrate it to the customer! That high-speed button isn't just for show!"
"Haha, after the demonstration, we haven't sold any other brands of electric fans. All the orders signed in the past few days are for Shuguang brand!"
"What the customer wants to buy is the customer's choice. What does it have to do with me?"
The two factory managers started arguing here, which soon attracted the attention of others.
After hearing the commotion, Team Leader Xu of the Light Industrial Products Group did not step forward to coordinate.
A quarrel between two factory directors was nothing. He had even seen two port directors and bureau chiefs quarreling!
Every Canton Fair emphasizes the unity of the whole country, but every year there are people quarreling to attract customers, and he has long been accustomed to it.
Ye Manzhi was still introducing a universal electric sewing machine to a customer. After sending the customer away, he hurried to support his teammates.
"Comrade, please talk nicely. Aren't you making a fool of yourself by shouting so loudly?"
Director Chen sneered, "If we don't speak up a bit, we'll become a laughing stock! I was wondering how Shuguang could sign orders for three consecutive days. It turns out they were using such shady tactics!"
Ye Manzhi, never afraid of arguments, replied bluntly, "Only two people from our Shuguang factory came, and they don't speak foreign languages. We weren't responsible for signing any of the orders these days. It's the customer's freedom to choose what products they want to buy. What does it have to do with us? Tell us, what shady tricks did Shuguang use? We're not afraid of what others say, just tell us!"
If you don’t mind being embarrassed, just say it!
Director Chen really couldn't admit in front of everyone that the electric fans produced by his company were slightly less stable and the fan blades would shake when rotating at high speed.
But he was no pushover. He put his hands behind his back and hummed, "I don't need to tell you all. Even if I did, you wouldn't admit it."
The two parties are not companies from the same province, and it is unknown when they will have dealings again. It is easy to fall out.
He asked his deputy factory director to guard the electric fan exhibition area.
If Kang Jian wanted to repeat the same trick and use other brands to complement the Shuguang brand, the deputy factory director would just squeeze in and adjust the wind speed back to low or medium.
The moves of both sides are relatively straightforward, equivalent to fighting shirtless and in close combat.
If their sister units knew about this, they would definitely say they were incompetent.
However, an export order involves hundreds of electric fans, which is equivalent to nearly 30,000 yuan in RMB.
If we only rely on the domestic market, how many days will it take to sell 100 units?
Everyone is looking forward to clearing out their inventory at the Canton Fair!
After being stared at, Kang Jian really couldn't move his body.
For several days afterwards, Shuguang Factory failed to receive any more orders for electric fans.
"Don't you think the Red Star Factory is harming others and not benefiting itself?"
During dinner, Kang Jian complained to Ye Manzhi.
"Their deputy factory director has been messing with us several times. We can't sign the contract, and they don't have any orders. Instead, they get a bargain for others. What a problem!"
Ye Manzhi sat on a bench, drinking seafood porridge, and chuckled, "They're not trying to harm others and benefit themselves. Although they don't have any orders, they've signed two orders in the past few days for oscillating fans with timing and speed control functions. The customer didn't specify a manufacturer, so when the head office assigns production tasks, they may be assigned one."
In contrast, Shuguang Factory does not have this product and cannot even get a sip of soup.
From a certain perspective, Sugon is actually in opposition to other manufacturers.
"What should we do now?" Kang Jian asked.
"Let's think of other ways." Ye Manzhi comforted him. "Actually, these few days haven't been in vain. We even signed an order for 3,000 toy guns yesterday."
The iron pistol produced by Shuguang Factory can be used as a model for national defense education, and the degree of simulation is actually quite high.
The details of the appearance are very well done, which is incomparable to the wooden guns and iron guns produced by ordinary toy factories.
Therefore, when the import and export company set the price for the products, it listed a separate price for the Shuguang Factory's toy guns.
The export price of other toy guns did not exceed 30 pence each, but the head office priced the Shuguang factory toy guns at 42 pence.
It is twice as high as the domestic retail price.
When they first saw the price, Ye Manzhi and Kang Jian were both surprised.
Worried that the price is too high and no one will buy it.
But yesterday a French toy underwriter came. He has an annual underwriting quota of 200,000 pounds. After seeing this year's new toys, he placed an order for 3,000 toy guns without much hesitation.
Kang Jian put the empty bowl aside, took a sip of soda and said, "The order for 3,000 toy guns has the same total price as 45 electric fans. We might as well just produce electric fans!"
"Toy guns have high profits! Don't be picky at a time like this. We have to make every penny, and the factory is still waiting for the money to build a fleet of vehicles," said Ye Manzhi. "Plus, electric fans are seasonal, which puts pressure on inventory and ties up capital. After we make money, it's best to find a way to switch to other products."
Kang Jian sat by the river and did some calculations.
"Our factory's annual production capacity for electric fans is about 15,000 units. If we split the sales between domestic and export, we need to sell at least 7,500 units at the Canton Fair. However, the three orders we signed previously only totaled 450 units."
Ye Manzhi corrected him, "There are two Canton Fairs a year, so if we can achieve our goal of 4,000 units in the first half of the year, that's pretty much it."
Kang Jian muttered, "Relying on peers to set off the others probably won't work. How about we think of another way?"
"The main problem is that we don't speak English, French, or anything like that," Ye Manzhi said regretfully. "Otherwise, we could communicate directly with the client, tell them the advantages directly, and then provide a demonstration. That would save a lot of trouble."
Kang Jian suggested, "How about I find someone to help write an English introduction, and we can memorize it?"
"Haha, if I had this much time, I might as well find more customers from Hong Kong and Southeast Asia!"
Ye Manzhi thought it was unreliable, but the other party's idea also gave her new ideas.
When she went to the exhibition hall the next day, she went to the office to find some paper cards, and then asked an English translator to write down the content she had prepared in advance.
Harmony brings wealth, so she wrote an introduction card for each electric fan.
For example, the Red Star brand electric fan is written in English:
Shake your head√
Speed regulation√
Timing√
Metal casing√
When it came to the Shuguang brand electric fan, she wrote:
Shake your head√
Noise x
Easy to operate√
Cast iron base√
Aluminum alloy blade√
Each paper card is quite large and stands out next to the electric fan.
On the introduction cards of other products, there were all check marks, but when it came to the Shuguang brand electric fan, a big red cross suddenly appeared.
The curious people would stop and see what was going on.
After a closer look, oh, it turns out there is no noise.
Ye Manzhi laid out the cards that morning. When she met the deputy director of the Red Star Factory, she said bluntly, "The team leader has agreed to put up the introduction cards. If you're not satisfied, you can write your own."
The other party didn't say anything, just nodded and went to entertain the customer.
Ye Manzhi spent the whole morning carefully observing the situation in the electric fan exhibition area, but unfortunately he just looked and didn't buy anything.
It was not until after lunch, when she was trying out a Fei Ge women's bicycle in the exhibition hall, that she suddenly heard Kang Jian calling her name.
She stopped her bike and saw a middle-aged man in an Arab robe standing next to Kang Jian.
She walked over quickly and asked, "What's wrong?"
Kang Jian couldn't hide his excitement and whispered, "This customer is asking about the contents of the card. He speaks Russian!"
Ye Manzhi glanced at the man's face. He looked a bit like a European and was wearing an Arab robe. He might be doing business in the Middle East.
She felt a surge of excitement.
She negotiated so many orders for sewing machines, but she didn't sign any of the orders for her own business!
After waiting for so many days, I finally got a customer who can speak Russian!
Ye Manzhi first tried to greet the other party in Russian, and when she heard the other party respond in fluent Russian, she felt relieved.
Under the other person's gaze, she took the Shuguang brand oscillating fan off the shelf.
He said professionally, "The base of this electric fan is made of cast iron, so despite being of similar shape and style, it weighs more than twice as much as other electric fans. The blades are made of aluminum alloy, and after being cut using a one-time stamping technology, we can ensure that each blade has a consistent thickness and evenly distributed components."
When she said this, she could clearly feel that the other party didn't seem to understand.
In fact, Ye Manzhi didn't quite understand it either. This was the introduction she memorized after discussing it with Kang Jian.
She didn't know some of the terms, so she asked the conference's Russian translator for help.
She didn't want to go into such detail, but to demonstrate her professionalism, she continued, "The manufacturer of this electric fan was once a military factory. They strive for excellence in technology and quality. Every component is polished and assembled to a perfect fit. They don't use ordinary motor oil to lubricate the parts, but graphite high-temperature grease. It's resistant to high temperatures, oxidation, and corrosion, and won't leak. This ensures the fan is silent."
The man in the Arab robe finally gave his feedback, saying, "Sounds good."
Ye Manzhi thought that the other person might have been confused by what she said.
So he switched to introducing the fan: "The biggest advantage of this electric fan is that it is easy to operate, stable, safe, and silent. It is especially suitable for the elderly and children. It is especially suitable for families with babies. The electric fan will not be easily knocked over by children, and the silence will not disturb the children's sleep."
The Arab nodded and asked, "What's the name of the lubricant you use?"
"Graphite high-temperature grease."
Ye Manzhi patiently recited its characteristics again.
She didn't know what it was specifically, but it sounded very high-end.
She thought that Middle Eastern customers were not short of money, so she did not say that the price of this electric fan was very cheap, and she kept introducing the performance advantages of the machine.
Kang Jian was worried that customers had no idea about stability, so under the deathly glare of the deputy director of the Red Star Factory, he pressed the high-speed buttons of several electric fans.
A row of electric fans began to shake as expected.
"Hahaha."
The Arab man laughed out loud and then asked again what the lubricant was called.
Ye Manzhi knew that the word was difficult to pronounce, so he repeated it patiently.
The man muttered "graphite high-temperature grease" under his breath, nodded to the two men, and left.
Ye Manzhi looked at Kang Jian and said, "You see, our introduction is too complicated, and no one can understand it!"
Kang Jian sighed: "Then keep it simple next time. I think this will make us look more professional and sophisticated!"
The two left the electric fan exhibition area and shook their heads regretfully.
I thought the man would leave without saying anything and that the deal was lost. But when it was almost time to get off work, the man in the Arab robe came with another man in the Arab robe.
This time the robe has a standard Middle Eastern look.
The two spoke in Arabic, but Ye Manzhi could occasionally hear him say "graphite high-temperature grease" in Russian.
He looked mysterious.
When the two of them were stunned, the man in the Arab robe suddenly turned around and asked her in Russian: "The commission is 5%, right?"
Ye Manzhi smiled and nodded, thinking that those difficult introductions were not memorized in vain, it seems that some people really fall for it!
"Mr. Mohammed wants to purchase 1,000 oscillating electric fans. Please give him more details!"
Ye Manzhi found a trader who could speak Arabic to receive Mr. Mohammed.
It was a rare opportunity to catch a wealthy client, and she didn't want to miss the opportunity, so she asked the Soviet big brother beside her: "Do you need air guns in the Middle East?"
She wanted to say that our air guns were very effective in shooting sparrows, but shooting sparrows might not be popular among people there.
Having heard that wealthy people in the Middle East have a wide range of entertainment, she then said, "Our factory used to be a military factory, and the air rifles we produce are really amazing. Most air rifles on the market are 4.5mm caliber, but ours are 5.5mm caliber, with a range of over 100 meters. They're really great for hunting!"
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