Around ten o'clock in the morning, at the entrance of Dongcai University, Chen Pingjiang looked around.
"Is everyone here?"
The six people led by Li Xi and Che Jianlong exchanged glances.
After two days of training, Chen Pingjiang was taking them today for a sales negotiation demonstration, so they were all dressed very formally in shirts and dress pants, some even wearing suit jackets.
Only Chen Pingjiang wore a simple dark blue polo shirt.
"The first lesson I'm giving you is that while you should dress a bit more formally on formal occasions to show respect for the client, formality doesn't equal a suit and leather shoes, and you only need to dress one notch more formally than the client,"
Chen Pingjiang said, clasping his hands behind his back and walking like an old leader.
"For example, if the client is shirtless and you're wearing suits, it will create a strong sense of pressure for them."
"Then... Boss, should we go back and change?"
"No need, it's good to learn a lesson,"
Chen Pingjiang waved his hand and led the way.
For all the part-time university students, Chen Pingjiang assigned Zou Yu, Zhuo Ling, and two others to the content department.
Gao Songbin, Kong Susu, and another six people were sent to the neighboring university for ground promotion, and Li Xi, Che Jianlong, and others were responsible for attracting investment.
The content department had day shifts and night shifts, with two people per shift.
The ground promotion team had already started promotions at the Normal University and Police Academy yesterday.
Everyone arrived at a hair salon called A Liang Hair Salon.
Chen Pingjiang pushed the door open and went in.
The shop owner, a "Tony teacher" with dyed yellow hair and earrings, was instantly startled to see a group of people in formal attire.
"What are you doing here?"
Chen Pingjiang smiled and handed over a business card:
"Hello, Boss, I am the sales manager of Renrenwang. Our website currently has tens of thousands of registered users at Dongcai University. We're here today to discuss cooperation with you."
The yellow-haired Tony teacher took the business card.
"As long as you're not from a student union or club, they badger us for money every day with no results whatsoever."
"That's naturally different. Their methods only involve organizing parties and hanging banners, not to mention the small target audience, and the advertising effect isn't sustainable."
Chen Pingjiang turned around and pulled out a Huazi cigarette, offered it around, and lit it for the Tony teacher.
The Tony teacher, with a cigarette in his mouth, tilted his head and glanced at the business card, then said,
"What kind of cooperation?"
"Our Renrenwang is not only very popular at Dongcai University but also has a significant influence at the Sports Institute and Normal University. You can try advertising on our website. We have two payment methods: monthly subscription and pay-per-click. For pay-per-click, if no one clicks, you won't be charged."
As soon as the Tony teacher heard it was another person asking for money, his expression changed, but he still had the cigarette Chen Pingjiang offered in his mouth.
Suppressing his discomfort, he asked again,
"What are the prices?"
Chen Pingjiang timely pulled out an advertising brochure:
"We have Banner ad slots, link ad slots, and pop-up ad slots. Banner slots are divided into homepage and secondary pages, with varying prices. Pop-up ad slots have the best effect, at fifty thousand a month. For details, you can look at this brochure to understand the prices of various positions."
Upon hearing this, the Tony teacher dropped the cigarette from his mouth and hastily waved his hand:
"Can't do it, can't do it. You should try other places. I might not even earn fifty thousand in a year." Without further explanation, he pushed Chen Pingjiang and the others out of the hair salon.
After leaving the hair salon, Chen Pingjiang wasn't annoyed. Instead, he put his hands on his hips and laughed:
"Hey, don't laugh, I never intended to close the deal from the moment I went in."
Che Jianlong asked doubtfully,
"Boss, then why did we go in?"
"This is our second lesson today. Before looking for clients, you need to think first: can the client you're looking for afford to invest so much in advertising? Can their profits support them in investing in advertising?
In other words, whether the client is precise or not, the right direction leads to twice the result with half the effort. Taking this hair salon as an example, the owner has been bombarded by various student union clubs for years and has lost hope in advertising. It's also an economical hair salon with limited profits, so our target was wrong from the beginning,"
Chen Pingjiang said.
"By the same token, this can be extended to convenience stores, snack stalls, breakfast shops, and so on."
Li Xi and the others were thoughtful.
Honestly, if Chen Pingjiang hadn't given them this lesson, Li Xi would have planned to go door-to-door, and it's imaginable how many walls he would have hit if he hadn't had this lesson.
Chen Pingjiang looked at his phone and said,
"It's almost mealtime. Let's go to Wangyue Tower for dinner, and I'll give you your third lesson."
Someone in the crowd laughed and said,
"Ho, Boss, your teaching costs are quite high."
Wangyue Tower was a relatively high-end restaurant in the commercial street, where small restaurants nearby cost thirty to forty per person, Wangyue Tower, however, cost seventy to eighty.
"Hello, how many people?"
The waitress in a work uniform, with a warm smile on her face, enthusiastically welcomed Chen Pingjiang and the others in.
"Seven people, arrange a private room."
Chen Pingjiang seemed to have forgotten about the investment attraction.
He ordered a table full of dishes and led the way in feasting.
This once again confused everyone.
"Weren't we supposed to have a lesson? Why are we eating now?"
Chen Pingjiang wolfed down his food, his mouth greasy with oil.
Seeing the thoughtful expressions on everyone's faces, he still urged,
"Eat, pick up your chopsticks!"
Everyone didn't know what trick he was up to, so they could only transform into "meal-eaters."
After eating their fill, Chen Pingjiang went to the front desk to pay the bill and casually started chatting with the owner's wife of Wangyue Tower.
"Sis, your restaurant's food is really delicious, especially the Squirrel-shaped Mandarin Fish, it's particularly authentic."
The owner's wife of Wangyue Tower looked about forty, well-maintained and prosperous, wearing a Cartier LOVE rose gold bracelet on her wrist.
"Hehe, as long as you enjoyed the meal. What do you guys do?"
The owner's wife looked at the group, all dressed neatly in suits but also very young, making her a bit uncertain.
Chen Pingjiang paid promptly, then shifted his gaze to a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy lying on a nearby table doing homework and asked,
"We're in the internet business. Is that your child? He's very diligent."
When her son was mentioned, the owner's wife rolled her eyes:
"Diligent, him? Classes start tomorrow, and he still hasn't finished his homework."
Chen Pingjiang laughed:
"Isn't it just noon? There's still an afternoon and an evening."
"With his dawdling, he wouldn't finish even if given another day. The high school entrance exam is coming soon, and he's not nervous at all."
"Which middle school is he planning to test into?"
The owner's wife sighed, looking at her son:
"Getting into a key school is out of the question. He's attended many tutoring classes, but his math is still a mess, and he's really weak in certain subjects."
Chen Pingjiang kindly consoled her:
"The young man looks quite smart. Sometimes attending extracurricular tutoring classes isn't very helpful. Teachers only know how to drill problems and explain them, but they never consider reinforcing fundamental knowledge points.
In this regard, it would be better to find a private tutor to systematically reinforce the knowledge points from junior high first and second grades."
The owner's wife's son, hearing his mother talking about him with someone, listened with ears perked up and had no mind for his homework.
When he heard Chen Pingjiang say that extracurricular tutoring classes weren't very helpful, he secretly rejoiced, hoping his mother would take it to heart.
However, Chen Pingjiang's words changed, suggesting finding a private tutor, which again plunged his joyful heart to the bottom.
The owner's wife shook her head:
"The teachers also say his foundation is weak. Hiring a private tutor isn't about the money, but rather finding someone who can manage him and is also good."
"Boss's wife, with Dongcai University and the Normal University nearby, isn't it easy to find a tutor for a junior high student? I have a classmate from the Normal University who specializes in math teaching. His level is very high, and he's tutored many students."
The owner's wife's eyes lit up, and she immediately became interested:
"Little brother, can you introduce him? Don't worry, if he's really good, I'll give you a referral fee."
Chen Pingjiang nodded,
"No need for a referral fee. Next time I bring colleagues over to eat, just round down the bill for us, Boss's wife. I'll go back and mention it to my classmate first, and ask if he has time."
The owner's wife's face blossomed into a smile, and her gaze at Chen Pingjiang was especially gentle.
No referral fee, and he'd come back to patronize her business next time.
She suddenly felt very lucky today.
"Little brother, what's your number? I'll add you. You must help your elder sister. Next time you come to eat, it's on the house."
After leaving Wangyue Tower, Li Xi followed up and asked,
"Boss, weren't we here to talk about advertising? How come we ate first, then talked about tutoring for half a day, and didn't discuss any serious business?"
Chen Pingjiang walked ahead, speaking as he walked:
"Sales experts follow a 7-2-1 rule when closing deals, where the '7' means 70% of the time should be spent building trust. We ate at Wangyue Tower, and I chatted with the owner's wife about tutoring for half a day, catering to her preferences by helping her find a tutor.
Initial trust has been established. Next, I just need to help her find a good tutor at the Normal University and then come back for another meal, build a good relationship. Do you think it will be easy to discuss advertising and investment attraction then?"
Li Xi nodded and replied without thinking,
"It will definitely be easy to talk about. You've helped her so much, patronized her business, and become friends. She'd be too embarrassed to refuse."
"Therefore, building trust is very important; it's a necessary step for closing big deals. Small deals don't require this much trouble; the commission earned isn't even enough for a meal. But big deals are different from long-term clients.
Whether it's discussing work, life, or hobbies, the only goal is to understand the client's needs and build trust. Of course, when chatting, you should also cater to their preferences and not just chat aimlessly.
Talk about benefits when communicating with the poor, talk about taste when communicating with the rich, pay attention to the other person's feelings when communicating with women, and give enough respect when communicating with the vulnerable."
Chen Pingjiang continued,
"Once the other party completely trusts you, you send a greeting text during holidays, buy a small gift for their birthday. Little by little, you become friends. Then it's time for the fish to bite. Discussing proposals, prices, and case studies will be very smooth, and finally, address their concerns, and the deal is done."
Li Xi suddenly realized,
"I learned something."
Che Jianlong laughed,
"Isn't this just like dating? If you confess right away without knowing each other well, you'll likely be rejected. But if you frequently eat and watch movies together, treat the girl well, and send gifts, then confessing is basically a sure thing."
"Haha, you know what, it's truly identical," Everyone said with a laugh.
Chen Pingjiang then stopped, turned his head, and said,
"This afternoon, each of you will practice at one business."
(End of this chapter)
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