Chapter 116: 1 villain
In recent years, Yuncheng has been undergoing demolition and construction everywhere, with many buildings rising from the ground.
At the end of 2014, when the housing prices in Yuncheng had not risen much, Ye Zhenzhen paid a down payment for a pre-sale house in a property in the north of the city, which was delivered two years later.
After making the down payment, I only had a little over 100,000 yuan in savings.
The pressure was overwhelming in an instant.
Fortunately, she worked hard and her annual income exceeded twenty dollars.
Although the income is not low, no one working in sales can guarantee that things will always go smoothly.
Over the past two years, she and Wen Baijing have gotten along very well.
They had a lot in common, and Ye Zhenzhen didn't need to go far away to ask others for help with many of her work problems. Wen Baijing was happy to teach and answer her questions.
Ever since Ye Zhenzhen sprained her foot, she didn't dare to run anymore. After get off work, the two of them would go cycling at Phoenix Lake.
Three inches of sunlight fell in her palm, and they watched the sunset side by side. The man she loved was healthy and kind, and tolerated her stubbornness. He also appreciated her occasional romance.
It's just that they all have a tacit understanding and no one mentions a topic as realistic as marriage.
Both of them were covering their eyes and catching birds.
The tacit understanding makes them seem like a perfect match.
After the Spring Festival in 2015, Wen Baijing encountered some troubles at work.
Dozens of provincial representatives united and went to Zhichu Company, angrily demanding an explanation.
With the rise of online shopping, most brands have registered flagship stores on the two major e-commerce platforms. One more sales channel means one more opportunity. It is almost a win-win situation for the platform, the brand, and the consumer.
The first people to be infringed upon by this are the interests of the agents. Many consumers can shop without leaving their homes, and everyone buys clothes online, so the agents' business has become relatively slow.
In the past, agents in each province could only sell in their own province. Clothes sent by brands to each province had their own numbers, and if they dared to sell across regions, they would be severely punished once discovered.
Now that brand companies have launched e-commerce businesses, for agents, this is clearly a move to compete with national agents for a living.
The agents sat in the conference room, making endless complaints.
There was a lot of noise.
Mr. Wang from Anyang Province said excitedly, "Mr. Wen, we are the provincial agent to expand the market for your company. You can't cut off our retreat."
Mr. Wu from Beihuai Province spitted: "Yes, most of the provincial agents here have grown up with Zhichu step by step. We agents have also contributed to Zhichu's success today. Are you doing this now to get rid of the donkey after it has done its work?"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Mr. Zhou from Peishan Province also stood up and complained: "We should be conscientious. It is so difficult for us to expand the market as provincial agents! When Zhichu first started, we were not well-known, and we were looked down upon in the market. In the early days of our business, we had no money to hire salesmen. My wife and I drove around the market, and we were reluctant to spend money to stay in a hotel that cost dozens of yuan a night. My wife and I squeezed in the car to sleep..."
Mr. Zhou, a fat and big-eared man, couldn't help wiping away his tears and choked for a long time.
Mr. Zang from Hualin Province burst into tears. He took over the conversation and said, "My wife didn't even have a confinement period. She went to the warehouse to pack the goods seven days after giving birth. After shipping the goods, she had to go to the store to look after them..."
President Zhou calmed down and continued, "President Wen, we have worked so hard to build up the Zhichu Market and make it famous. What you are doing is so immoral. It makes those of us who have followed you all the way feel disappointed..."
Mr. Zang’s words were somewhat threatening: “Since your brand company does this, our franchisees have been asking us for explanations every day. Many franchisees want to return the products and close the stores…”
If franchisees withdraw from the store, Zhichu will lose these customers. Clothing brand companies make money by supplying these agents and franchisees.
The more they talked, the more angry they became.
From the history of entrepreneurship to the present.
The agents have only one request, that Zhichu shut down its e-commerce business, otherwise franchisees will close their stores in large numbers.
Wen Baijing and Lu Yu exchanged understanding glances.
E-commerce business is the general trend, and those who don’t do so are doomed to be eliminated.
Lu Yu smiled, stood up, cleared his throat, and said soothingly: "Everyone sit down and take a rest first. We have been together for so many years and we are brothers and sisters. We can discuss anything together."
The agents stopped talking and prepared to listen to what Mr. Lu had to say.
Seeing that everyone had quieted down, Lu Yu gave a clear and logical analysis to everyone: "All walks of life are doing e-commerce. Take clothing companies for example. How many brands do you know that don't do e-commerce? It's not that we are just killing the donkey after it has done its job. The times are advancing. If we don't do this, we will be eliminated."
When everyone heard this, they lowered their heads and whispered to the people around them.
Of course, the agents know that clothing companies are all doing e-commerce. They don’t have agents for other brands, so it has nothing to do with them.
They are not here to reason, but to achieve their goals.
Wen Baijing motioned Lu Yu to sit down, and faced the crowd with a polite smile, and said with reason: "As far as I know, there are many provincial agents representing multiple brands here. Everyone is well aware of the industry dynamics, and we are not the only company doing this."
Wen Baijing crossed his fingers on the conference table and assured everyone with a serious expression: "We know that it is not easy for everyone, and we are very grateful for your support for Zhichu. We guarantee that every new model sold on the e-commerce platform is sold at the regular price, and the price of the old model in the discount store will not be lower than the supply price to the provincial agent. When there are holiday promotions and discounts, the price is the same as your provincial agent's retail price. Everyone is welcome to supervise."
Everyone discussed the matter for a long time.
This can be regarded as a reassurance to provincial agents. Provincial agents can enjoy a 3% to 5% discount on goods. As long as Wen Baijing guarantees that he can do what he says, agents can still make money.
Business is on track and it is the harvest season. No one will really give up.
Changing careers is not that easy. The bigger and better the physical business is, the harder it is to turn around. All the money is tied up in the goods, and the decoration of the store is also a real investment. The return rate of brand companies is only 20% to 30%.
In the end, everyone had to settle for the next best thing and note Wen Baijing's promise in the agency contract.
After appeasing the agent, the matter was finally brought to an end.
Wen Baijing asked someone to get information on the first day the provincial agent came to ask for an explanation. It is said that there are countless clothing companies joining the e-commerce industry, but it is rare for agents to gather together to cause trouble.
It is very likely that someone was behind this incident and was fanning the flames.
Lu Yu knocked on the door and walked into Wen Baijing's office, a little indignant: "Do you know who is behind this?"
Wen Baijing closed the folder and sat upright, waiting for him to continue.
Lu Yu was angry and gnashed his teeth as he said, "Shen Guangtou!"
Wen Baijing understood instantly. It was probably because Guangtou Shen was holding a grudge against him for the termination of his contract in 2012 and Shen was looking for an opportunity to take revenge by doing something behind his back.
After all, it's not presentable!
A villain.