Chapter 37 Chapter Thirty-Six

Stores are holding up amid difficulties. Today, Zhao Jun called me and asked me if there were any vacant stores in the market, and he wanted to rent one. I said, "You don't want to run a factory anymore?" He said: "There are too many bridges being produced now. I want to open a display window in the market and accept some scattered customers." I joked, "It's better to set up the window here, and you can help me pay some rent, and I will be your agent." Zhao Jun said: "This is really an idea. If you are interested, we can really talk about it."

Seeing that Zhao Jun was serious, I hesitated.I helped Zhao Jun run the business before, but the sales targets were all on the construction site, and setting up a window in the building materials market, I guess the effect is not great. I said to Zhao Jun: "Don't worry, you still have to check whether I am qualified or not. Why don't we all think about it?" Zhao Jun said: "Okay, we are all old friends, and we have a basis for cooperation." It's okay to say this, I didn't take it seriously.But Zhao Jun called me every three days, asking me to sell his bridges in the market, and once even went to my store to do ideological work for me.

I said: "Bridges are a large-scale business. Generally, salesmen from the manufacturers go to the construction site to sell them. Or people who are responsible for materials on the construction site go to various manufacturers to inspect them. Few construction site owners go to the building materials market to look at the bridges." Zhao Jun said: "Don't just stare at the construction site. There are several bridge factories that have opened their stores in the market now. Hurry up and open them while you don't have them here. Maybe there is still a chance." I asked Zhao Jun which building materials markets were available, and Zhao Jun mentioned a few places, and asked me to take the time to see them myself.I am very embarrassed, just now we have decided that our main business direction is wire rods, if we devote our energy to the bridge, it will be a bit of a waste of time.

The younger brother said: "Wires and bridges are a big category. Aren't those wires and cables on the construction site used with bridges? I think bridges can be made, and maybe it can bring us sales of wires." I think what my brother said is reasonable, and because of Zhao Jun's affection, I agreed to go to other markets to have a look, and give Zhao Jun an accurate reply within half a month. In the building materials market that Zhao Jun mentioned, I found the store that sold bridge frames.I said that I was a material worker at a construction site and needed a batch of bridges, and asked him to quote me a price.

I casually quoted several specifications of the bridge, and asked him to quote for me.After weighing it in my heart, the price he quoted was nearly 20% higher than the bridge frame I got from Zhao Jun's factory. I said: "I want a large quantity, and I can pick up the goods in cash. What's the lowest price? If the negotiation is good, I can report to the boss and we can close the deal immediately." The boss who sold the bridge frame calculated it carefully and quoted the price to me.I calculated it in my mind, and it was about 5% higher than the bridge I got from Zhao Jun's factory.

Then no matter how much I lowered the price, the boss who sold the bridge would not drop a penny.This shows that the gross profit margin of selling bridges is around 5%.This level of profit is average, but the transaction amount of the bridge is generally relatively large, there is a base, so the gross profit rate of 5% is barely acceptable. Then what I want to know is whether there are many customers who come to buy bridges.The number of door-to-door customers basically determines the success or failure of a store. I am determined to use the most stupid way to understand. During this time, every morning, I would come to this building materials market, find a relatively hidden corner, hold a newspaper in my hand, and stare at this store from the corner of my eye.Anyone who enters or exits this store, I will record it with a pen.For those who spend a long time talking with the boss in the store while constantly looking at the bridge, I will classify him as a potential customer, and I will focus on recording, and the recording time should be as accurate as possible to the minute.

After squatting for a week, I basically figured out the general situation.On average, there are about two potential customers who enter this store every day to make inquiries, that is to say, the store owner can collect more than a dozen valid information within a week. With effective information, we should strengthen communication later, and there should still be a certain amount of sales. Originally, I wanted to stay for a few days, but the security guards at the building materials market saw me sneaking around every day, and they came to question me several times for fear that I was plotting wrongdoing, so I was too embarrassed to stay here again.

I told my younger brother about the situation of my short-term inspection, and proposed to divide the functions of the store and set up a special place to display bridges.First, it can enrich the products in the store; second, if there are really sales, we can also develop in this area. I called Zhao Jun and asked him to make a contract.The contract stipulates that he is not allowed to open stores in the market where I am located. When there is a mass sale, I can conduct sales activities in the name of his factory; in addition, Zhao Jun gave me a formula for calculating prices, which is based on steel materials. Based on the price, so as not to quarrel with him about the price.

After I explained the terms of the contract to Zhao Jun, Zhao Jun smiled and said, "You are equivalent to opening a bridge factory without paying a penny." I said: "Anyway, you are selling your products. You are equivalent to opening a store without spending a penny, and you have complementary advantages." Zhao Jun is worthy of me.From the beginning of working with him until now, we have maintained a good relationship.It is said that there is no business without adultery, and Zhao Jun is an exception. In fact, judging from some business people I have come into contact with, most of them are very disciplined and say what they say.On the contrary, the truly unruly people are mostly those who are "reputable".Just like Jin Yong's decent and cults, people of cults are often more loyal than decent people.

Jin Yong understands society quite well. Just after negotiating with Zhao Jun about the cooperation of the bridge frame, I received another call from a manufacturer.This factory produces wires and cables. I asked if I would like to sell their products. As soon as I heard it, I became interested, wire and cable, this is a product that can boost sales. I said we could talk, and immediately made an appointment with the manufacturer's representative. I met with the manufacturer's sales representative in a tea house.The sales representative, surnamed Luo, is a young man in his twenties.He said that their factory is in Wenzhou, and he went to City C to develop the market and build channels.He has secretly visited our store several times, and felt that there is a possibility of cooperation, so he called and contacted.

I remembered my experience of going to another building materials market for a short-term inspection, and felt that this kid was more practical in his work. Cables are used in a large amount, regardless of strong or weak electricity, public or private, all cables are used.There are also many stores selling cables in the market, basically every store has cables.Of course, a large part of these stores do not have their own products, they are all samples taken from other stores, and they can be sold if they can be sold, and there is no loss if they cannot be sold. But Ronaldinho told me that the products of their factory already have a general agent in City C, and I can only be his secondary agent.He can ask the general agent to put some samples in our store, and at the same time, make a spray-painted advertisement on the door of my store, indicating that my store is their exclusive store.I am only responsible for the sales in our market. If there is a sale, I have to go to the general agent to pick up the goods. I was a little disappointed and asked Ronaldinho: "Is there any chance for me to be your general agent?" Ronaldinho said: "Everyone has opportunities, but according to my observation, you can't be a general agent at present. Because the pressure on the general agent is quite high, you have to reduce inventory, promise sales, and have more abundant resources. Liquidity." The implication is that I am not qualified to be their general agent. But what Ronaldinho said is also true, I am not strong enough to be a general agent. After negotiating cooperation with Ronaldinho, Ronaldinho began to talk about changing the door.Zhao Jun's bridge samples were also brought over.Ronaldinho asked the general agent to send me a batch of various types of threads as samples, and the store suddenly became crowded.I returned the samples I borrowed from other stores. Now, the main products of our store are wires, cables and bridges. Our store finally has its own clear positioning.