It was decided to develop a new channel for raw materials.
Hua Qingqing brought up the second issue to be discussed at this meeting.
The problem was that the schoolbags were too expensive. Nan County couldn't compare with the capital in terms of development. People there had to focus on making a living before they could spare any thought for other things.
Surely there would be people buying the schoolbags when they went on sale, but the quantity wouldn't be large. At least, the sales wouldn't be as smooth as in the capital.
So price was a major issue at this moment.
Moreover, the first batch of schoolbags had already been produced and were about to go on sale. This problem had to be solved.
Hua Qingqing threw out the problem and asked for their opinions.
The others immediately fell into deep thought.
Zhou Cai was the first to speak up. "Pricing is indeed important. This price isn't high in provincial capitals and big cities, but it's not suitable here. How about lowering the price?"
Yang Wang objected. "No way, Uncle Zhou!
"If we lower the price now, it'll be hard to raise it later. And when our products gain popularity in various places in the future, there will be distributors coming to us. They'll surely get the goods at a price lower than the selling price. With such a price cut, we won't make much profit, if not incur losses."
Zhou Cai was taken aback and nodded repeatedly.
"You're right. You young people really have quick wits."
Zhou Cai felt a bit embarrassed, probably thinking that he had come up with a bad idea.
Hua Qingqing sized up the two of them and calmly said, "So you two don't have any other ideas?"
Both of them shook their heads at the same time.
So Hua Qingqing turned her gaze to Yu Linxiu, looking at her encouragingly. "Cousin, what about you?"
Yu Linxiu blushed and also shook her head. She had spoken up before because she had happened to read some news in the newspaper, but now she had no good solution.
In the supply and marketing cooperative, if the price of a product was lowered, it meant that the product couldn't be sold. But this method wasn't applicable here.
Hua Qingqing sighed inwardly.
Alright, the limitations of the era restricted people's thinking.
But it was already good enough. The performance of the three of them had exceeded her expectations.
To put it bluntly, this was just a makeshift team. Everyone was groping their way forward. They were groping in this factory, while she was groping in this era.
"Actually, what Uncle Zhou said just now isn't completely wrong. And you, Yang Wang, what you said also makes sense. Since that's the case, why don't we combine the two?"
Zhou Cai looked up and listened silently.
"The schoolbags are too expensive, but we can't really lower the price. So let's hold a promotional activity. We can have a grand opening sale with the schoolbags available on a first - come - first - served basis. I used this method in the capital before. I told the public that the original price of each schoolbag was seven yuan, but I sold them for five yuan. It's a simple tactic. After all, everyone wants to buy things at a lower price.
"However, this method can only be used in big cities like the capital and Shanghai. In Nan County, we have to modify it."
Hua Qingqing stopped here and picked up her water cup to take a sip.
She finally understood why other leaders always brought a thermos to meetings. It was really tiring to do all the talking.
Yang Wang asked anxiously, "How should we modify it?"
Hua Qingqing said, "You can think about it yourself. I've almost run out of ideas. Can't you use your brain to improve this plan?"
Yang Wang honestly shook his head. "I can't."
"..."
Hua Qingqing looked at Zhou Cai and Yu Linxiu again. The former shook his head, while the latter finally spoke up.
"Qingqing, do you mean to lower the price even more than in the capital? Sell the first batch at a low price to build up our reputation, and then the price of the second batch will be reasonable."
Yu Linxiu sensed something different, but that feeling was so elusive that she couldn't grasp it.
Hua Qingqing nodded and then shook her head. She looked at Yu Linxiu approvingly.
"Not only that. The price discount in Nan County should be even greater. If you buy one, it's at the original price. If you buy three, you can get a discount of one yuan and fifty cents for each. And we need to advertise that only a thousand schoolbags will be sold at the discounted price in the first batch in Nan County. Once they're sold out, the price will return to the original level."
The three of them gasped.
A discount of one yuan and fifty cents for each when buying three meant that each schoolbag would only cost four yuan and fifty cents. For a thousand schoolbags, that would mean a significant loss of income.
Yang Wang immediately felt heartache.
"Do we really have to do this? If not, we don't have to make Nan County our main sales area. We can just transport the schoolbags to other big cities."
Before Hua Qingqing could speak, Yu Linxiu looked at Yang Wang seriously and retorted, "The transportation cost for so many schoolbags will definitely be high. Do we have the qualification to negotiate a dedicated transportation line now?"
Yang Wang scratched his head and said nothing.
Hua Qingqing secretly admired Yu Linxiu. She was indeed the talent she had spotted.
Although the promotional activity seemed to reduce a lot of profits, from a broader perspective, they wouldn't suffer losses and the profits would still be considerable. Secondly, a county - wide promotion could create a buzz and completely build up their reputation.
They were actually creating revenue for the whole of Nan County!
Once their reputation grew, other good things would come their way.
After all, the schoolbags were mainly related to learning. They could then set up a scholarship in the name of the factory. Their reputation would soar. Even though they were just a small factory, they would be a small factory with an excellent reputation, standing out from the rest!
In the future, whenever people thought of schoolbags, they would think of Dongxing Luggage Manufacturing Factory!
"Cousin is right. The transportation cost will be a big problem if we transport the schoolbags to other cities. But if we open up the market in Nan County, it will be different. As long as the higher - ups notice us, it will be much more convenient for us to do business outside."
As soon as she said this, Yang Wang immediately understood.
He was actually a quick - witted person.
Five days later, Yang Wang boarded the train to Shanghai, followed closely by five hundred schoolbags.
On this trip, he not only had to negotiate the raw material channel but also sell the five hundred schoolbags.
After Yang Wang went on a business trip, Dongxing Factory was extremely short of management personnel. Hua Qingqing promoted several people from the list left by Yang Wang to fill the grass - roots positions.
Yu Linxiu also made up her mind to quit her job at the supply and marketing cooperative and came to the factory to help. Holding the management manual summarized by Hua Qingqing, she boldly and confidently got to work and quickly got the hang of it.
Dongxing Factory provided lunch. Yu Linxiu came out of the office. Along the way, many people greeted her.
She smiled and nodded to each of them, and could accurately call out everyone's name.
After working as a temporary salesperson in the supply and marketing cooperative for several years, she was excellent at dealing with people. Remembering people's names was even easier than remembering the prices of goods.
It had been almost ten days since she came to work in the factory, and she had changed from being uncomfortable at first to being generous and natural now.
As the deputy director, she couldn't let Qingqing down.
"Director Yu, are you going to have lunch?"
Yu Linxiu nodded with a smile.
"Yes, Aunt Wang."
Aunt Wang, who had spoken, had a square face. She wore the factory's exclusive headscarf, with her hair neatly tied up at the back. Her eyes were narrow, and there was always a glint of light when she stared at people.
Aunt Wang was very sociable. Hearing Yu Linxiu's response, she immediately left her companions and came over, with a warm smile on her face.
"Director Yu is really pretty and capable. You're also a high - school graduate. I heard that you're from Hongqi Commune. What a coincidence! My natal family is also there, in the commune. I'm half a city dweller."
Yu Linxiu just smiled and said nothing, but Aunt Wang obviously didn't want to let go of this opportunity to chat.