Other distributors remained steadfast in their united effort to block Minhong Pharmaceutical. They even held a meeting to discuss how to counter Minhong in their respective regions. Some underhanded and malicious tactics came from the mouths of these big bosses, whose net worth was at least tens of millions, making those who were slightly more kind-hearted shudder.
Merchants will do anything for profit.
Late at night, Luo Jimin and his family gathered in the conference room of Minhong Pharmaceutical Factory for a discussion. Wen Youmin and Wu Jianwei were also present. Qiu Zuiyue also put down her work and came to the factory, where a private room for staff members was arranged for her.
"Wow, 2.61 million in sales in just half a day! That's much more profitable than wholesale agents." Lin Hongmei's eyes were shining with gold, making Lin Yao feel like his mother's eyes were full of ¥ symbols. "Yao'er, what you said about direct selling is correct. I support you. This way, you don't have to put up with those distributors."
“Hongmei, stop dreaming about being a money-grubber.” Luo Jimin looked at his wife speechlessly. “We can’t keep up with management work right now, and we lack talent. In fact, we are even more short of talent in various provinces and cities. Not to mention the towns and villages across the country, we are already overwhelmed just by the provincial capitals. Distribution and agency are the only options we can choose.”
“I know.” Lin Hongmei gave her husband a charming sidelong glance. “I just see that direct selling has high profits, can’t I even dream about it? Do you really think I’m that shallow?”
Lin Yao didn't shut down his parents' previous accusations. He looked at the documents in his hand and said, "Distributors in Beijing, Zhejiang, and Hunan have signed agency agreements. Beijing is understandable, after all, it's the capital. It would be difficult for them to use any means to block Minhong's products from entering the market. But the distributors in Hunan and Zhejiang are quite bold. They can be considered people with foresight and decisiveness."
"Should we consider the other distributors who have expressed interest as key potential candidates? If people from those provinces or cities come to discuss it, should we postpone it for now?" Wu Jianwei's loud voice rang out. He admired Luo Jimin's decisive action in standing against the major distributors today. These days, which manufacturer dares to offend a major distributor? Even Guomei, which is just a chain retailer, has to be mindful of the attitudes of large home appliance manufacturers.
"There's no need. Whoever comes to us first will get the product. We welcome anyone who is sincere about cooperating, as long as their distribution network is sound," Luo Jimin said calmly. "Even city-level and county-level distributors are welcome to come to us, as long as the product can reach patients as soon as possible."
Lin Yao glanced at his father, Luo Jimin, without showing any emotion. He thought to himself that his father had already figured out his plans to establish hospitals and clinics in various places and had determined the main sales model for the future. This was just a temporary recruitment operation, and these distributors would eventually be transferred to branches in various places.
"As expected of a father and son of one mind," Lin Yao thought to himself with a smile.
“Now there are ads everywhere, but the effect isn’t very good anymore. I think it would be better to use online hype for advertising in the future.” Lin Hongmei started a new topic. “The cost of one second of advertising on DDTV can do a lot of things online, and the effect is no worse than theirs, and even much better.”
Lin Yao grinned. His mother, Lin Hongmei, was particularly sensitive when it came to money, and her experience in advertising and promotion had also reached a very high level. "Mom, we've worked with these promoters before. They did it all for free last time, and they're charging very little this time. It's not their real appearance fee at all. Don't be so ungrateful."
“I know that, you don’t need to remind me.” Lin Hongmei glanced at Lin Yao. “I’m just stating the facts. I didn’t use the cost of this publicity stunt as an example. Look at the last online publicity stunt of ‘Your mom is calling you home for dinner,’ it only cost tens of thousands of yuan, which is cheaper than DDTV.”
“Aunt Lin, the price of these 1,200-plus speculators is more than just a few hundred thousand yuan. If it were a few hundred thousand yuan, each of them would only get a hundred yuan.” Qiu Zuiyue explained with a smile, “Everyone says that the post-80s and post-90s generations are a confused generation, without beliefs and pursuits, but that’s not true at all.”
“These young people actually have ideals and ambitions. Once they recognize and accept something, they can unleash tremendous energy, even disregarding personal gains and losses. Just today’s hype alone would cost over a million at a normal price. And you know, they are the most professional ones.” Qiu Zuiyue corrected Lin Hongmei’s understanding. “The example you mentioned is outdated. When it first came out, it was reported by major media outlets, and even television and newspapers promoted it as free news. Now everyone is numb to it, and the cost of hype to achieve the desired publicity effect is much higher.”
"Oh, advertising really costs money, but it's still more effective than DDTV," Lin Hongmei said awkwardly, as if she had a grudge against DDTV and was determined to cause them trouble.
Lin Yao knew that the reason why simple hype and publicity could achieve such a high effect was because the public was very reassured by Minhong Pharmaceutical's standardized operations in the early stages.
During the disaster relief efforts, donors across the country were able to find out the final beneficiaries of their donations on Minhong's official website. Some even traveled to the disaster area to verify the information and presented receipts with the signed dates downloaded from the internet to the victims for verification. All of this demonstrates that Minhong Pharmaceutical ensured that every penny of the donations was used effectively. These individuals published the results online, raising public trust in Minhong Pharmaceutical to an unprecedented level.
Word-of-mouth advertising is always the most effective, which is why citizens quickly notified their friends and family to gather and buy after the decision was made to sell on-site at the exhibition. The foundation of everything lies in the reputation of Minhong Pharmaceutical.
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Chapter 184 Spark Support
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The second day of the Western Pharmaceutical Trade Fair was even more bustling. Before the exhibition hall opened at nine o'clock, tens of thousands of citizens had already gathered in the square of the Shawan Convention and Exhibition Center, densely occupying most of the open-air parking lot. Cars could only park in a parking lot on the other side of the convention center, but due to the lack of parking spaces, they began to encroach on the sides of the nearby streets. Fortunately, this was not a main road, so it would only have a minor impact on traffic.
The Chinese love of joining in the fun, a tradition that was once again proven true. More and more people gathered around the still-unbuilt open-air booths, creating a sea of heads as far as the eye could see from the entrance steps of the convention center. Chengdu people are known for their gentle nature and soft speech; acquaintances and strangers alike began chatting animatedly under the hazy sky, creating a festive and peaceful atmosphere.
The Jinniu District government urgently deployed a large number of police officers to maintain order at the scene in order to prevent a stampede. These days, human lives are at stake; any negative news could wipe out decades of hard work for officials. Therefore, these tasks didn't require instructions from above; they made the most detailed arrangements on their own initiative.
At 8:40, Luo Jimin and his family, sitting in their Toyota minivan, stared at the massive crowd of people, their shock leaving them speechless.
"This is too exaggerated, Yao'er." Lin Hongmei was the first to come to her senses. The dense crowd didn't look like banknotes to her. She was worried that a stampede would happen. This crowd was obviously mostly elderly people, and they were most vulnerable to accidents.
“Jimin, shall we not sell today? Or should we sell directly to pharmacies in Chengdu? Last night, several chain pharmacies, including Daji Pharmacy, Minkang Pharmacy, and Fushengtang Pharmacy, called, saying they wanted to sign agreements to become distributors according to the plan we announced.” Lin Hongmei was a little worried, turning to look at her husband Luo Jimin, who was frowning and thinking of a solution. “This won’t work. If something goes wrong, the consequences will be terrible.”
"Hmm." Luo Jimin nodded heavily, looked back at the small trucks loaded with medicine in the convoy following behind, and thought that this truckload of medicine would be sold out in no time, and the speed at which he could go back to the pharmaceutical factory to pick up the goods could not keep up with the speed of sales.
"Have the planning department contact those chain pharmacies immediately, sign agreements, and try to get the medicine on the shelves of all pharmacies today." Luo Jimin made a decisive decision. "I'll call Xiao Ding and have him get some banners right away to announce that all major pharmacies in the city will be open for sales starting tomorrow, to alleviate the pressure here."
"It's not like we're selling scarce goods. Why do I feel like it's the same as the rationing for New Year's goods in the 1970s? People these days have the least confidence in the future..." Luo Jimin shook his head, his tone full of sighs.
Lin Yao patted Qiu Zuiyue, who was sitting next to him, and laughed, "Ah Qiu, it's all because the publicity you guys did yesterday was too good. People thought it was a miracle cure. Those reports made it seem like Minhong was about to go bankrupt. No wonder everyone was rushing to buy it. It was just like the rush to buy Banlangen and white vinegar during the epidemic. It was too crazy!"
"It's not my fault." Qiu Zuiyue, who lived and ate at the pharmaceutical factory and had practically become half of Minhong's employees, curled her lip. "The hype wasn't that exaggerated. This medicine is already very effective. Plus, with the problems Minhong is facing now, if there are no countermeasures, it's only a matter of time before it goes bankrupt. Do you think every pharmaceutical factory is like yours, able to open hospitals and clinics all over the country? And you're not allowing us to publicize these things for the time being."
The convoy entered through the side gate of the convention center plaza and parked on the side of the plaza, which was already crowded with cars, blocking the only passage. Even though the convoy did not have the red logo painted on it, it still attracted the attention of the management, and several people walked over from a distance.
The security team members got out of the car first; this complex and chaotic environment was the best test of their security work.
The day before yesterday, I met the Deputy Director of the Economic Committee, Mr. Chen, who came to the venue in person. He led the welcoming party, followed by the staff of the organizing committee who arranged the booths. Under Lin Hongmei's explanation, this middle-aged man named Liu Quan made things difficult for Minhong in every way, and the worst booth was arranged at his behest.
"President Luo, President Lin, it's nice to see you both again. President Lin is getting more and more beautiful." Director Chen chuckled and stepped forward to shake hands, thinking to himself, "Minhong has made such a big fuss, are you trying to make my life impossible? If there is even one safety incident, not only will I not pass my year-end performance review, but I might even face a lawsuit, because I was in charge of the preparations for this exhibition."
"Director Chen, you even came to inspect our work in person?" Luo Jimin knew what was going on, but pretended to be confused.
"What inspection work? This is simply my job," Director Chen said matter-of-factly, his face displaying an air of self-importance as if he were a public servant. "President Luo, how about canceling the on-site sales event today? This can't go on like this. Although the district is taking it very seriously and has allocated police officers to maintain order, there are just too many people in the square. There will always be times when we can't keep an eye on everyone. What if..."
Director Chen didn't give the strikingly beautiful Lin Hongmei much of a look. He valued position and power more. Women were plentiful; as long as you had money and influence, you wouldn't lack them. Besides, a woman of Lin Hongmei's caliber wasn't someone you could mess with. Even if she didn't even look at you, her media-famous status made it unsuitable for you to have anything to do with her.
It's better to find a low-key woman for a mistress or concubine, since I'm just a civil servant, not a businessman or big boss, and my conduct has serious repercussions.
“This…” Luo Jimin did not directly respond to Director Chen’s request, but quickly glanced at his son beside him.
After receiving his father's prompting, Lin Yao stepped forward and interjected with the arrogant expression and tone of a young man, "How can that be? We've already paid our fees. Even if we can't attract exhibitors, we should at least sell on-site to recoup our costs. Which of these exhibitors hasn't done on-site sales? How can you limit us to just one company?"
Chairman Chen cursed under his breath for being a brat, but a warm smile appeared on his face. After laughing, he said, "Isn't this all because Minhong Pharmaceutical has a big reputation? Look at the scene outside, it's even more lively than inside the exhibition hall. It's turned the trade fair into a live sales promotion event."
Turning to Luo Jimin, she lowered her stance and said, "Mr. Luo, please do me a favor. If this continues, the exhibition will be ruined, and I won't be able to explain myself."
Just as Luo Jimin was about to respond, Banan whispered a reminder in his ear. He quickly nodded to Director Chen, turned around and walked towards the direction behind him. Several people came from the opposite direction. Duan Qing and Chairman Chen walked in front, apparently because their car was blocked on the street outside the square, and they walked in from a distance.
"Jimin, Chairman Chen and I have come to see you. We heard you achieved remarkable results yesterday." Duan Qing walked alongside Chairman Chen, not even half a step ahead despite being the vice mayor, and called out loudly from afar.
"Mayor Duan, Elder Chen." Luo Jimin went up to shake hands, then complained, "We haven't achieved anything. We haven't recruited a single distributor. We were forced to buy some medicine on the spot to recoup some of the booth costs, so we wouldn't go hungry."
"Haha." Duan Qing laughed heartily. After stopping his laughter, he turned to Chairman Chen and said, "I knew this guy would start complaining as soon as we met. I was right."