As no one had expected, within minutes of the directive being issued, the office phones began to ring incessantly, and both Qin Chuan and Fang Rumei's mobile phones also received calls.
Checking the caller ID, they were indeed from distributors in major cities.
Everyone in the office was anxious, their gazes fixed on the two bosses, Qin Chuan and Fang Rumei.
Under their watchful eyes, Qin Chuan picked up the phone on his desk.
The call was from a distributor in Jiangcheng, who immediately began to question the limited supply situation.
His tone was aggressive, directly attributing this action to offending customers.
As businessmen, everyone understood the principle of "the customer is God." Did the manufacturer not fear offending all their customers by doing this, leading them to stop buying their products?
After all, sales had been going well just a couple of days prior. Suddenly, with this move, more than two-thirds of the product was reduced. Who could accept this? (Quick Book Pavilion)
Furthermore, the Xiaomi factory was also asking them to post signs starting tomorrow indicating a daily limited supply, clearly stating that only four thousand units would be available each day and sold out afterwards. Wasn't this purely offending customers?
Faced with such questioning and accusations, Qin Chuan directly explained the difficulty the factory was having in keeping up with production. His tone was gentle, and his attitude was good, but unexpectedly, the other party was very dissatisfied.
They directly accused it of being Xiaomi factory's own problem and asked what it had to do with them.
Since Xiaomi factory was fully prepared for sales, they should have stored more goods.
Hearing these accusations, Qin Chuan's temper flared up instantly, and he exploded, scolding the person on the phone.
"Damn it, even a hen has a limit to how many eggs it can lay each day. If production could keep up, do you think I wouldn't want to make money?"
"Stop pointing fingers here. You are just a small distributor, not a shareholder. Who gave you the courage and confidence to criticize others here?"
"If you don't want to do this, then get out. There are plenty of people lining up to be agents! We'll pay the liquidated damages, and get out now!"
Qin Chuan unleashed a barrage of insults, his furious demeanor stunning everyone in the office into a state of confusion.
Having worked with Qin Chuan for so long, they had never seen this young boss lose his temper. To think that when he did get angry, he was so formidable.
Even Fang Rumei was startled. It was also the first time she had seen Qin Chuan angry. When this man got angry, he was surprisingly manly, a stark contrast to his usual gentle and refined demeanor...
"Let me ask you, could you have predicted that this round of sales would be so explosive?"
"When we signed the contract initially, who didn't even want to take ten thousand units at once? Wasn't it after we strictly stipulated it that you reluctantly agreed?"
"Now that sales are booming, do you distributors, just to make money, not care about the factory's well-being? If those products don't sell and accumulate inventory, will you care about our factory's well-being?"
Qin Chuan, not noticing the changing expressions of those around him, continued to berate and question the person on the phone. The line was silent, and it was unclear what expression they had.
He believed it certainly wasn't pleasant, but so what?
The relationship between manufacturers and distributors had always been very delicate.
Everything depended on market response. If a product was popular, the manufacturer held the dominant position, with distributors playing a supporting role.
Conversely, if a product failed and sales were poor, the manufacturer would be the unluckiest one, with distributors of all sorts taking the initiative, making demands, going on strike, and so on...
Now, with the Xiaomi mp3 selling so well right after its launch, the Xiaomi factory naturally held the initiative and the right to speak, completely unafraid of the distributors who controlled channels and markets.
If you're not satisfied with the manufacturer's arrangements, fine. I'll dismiss you directly. At most, I'll pay some liquidated damages and find another distributor.
In this world, there was never a shortage of so-called distributors. Once a product became popular, countless people would set their sights on this lucrative market.
As expected, after a few seconds of silence, the distributor's representative on the other end of the phone apologized in a low, submissive voice, admitting that their words had been too impulsive and that if production couldn't keep up, then everything would proceed according to the limitations of production capacity.
Seeing the other party lower their stance, Qin Chuan stopped scolding and his tone softened.
"Limited supply isn't entirely a bad thing. While we might not earn as much this time, it's very beneficial for the second and third rounds of sales."
"Human nature is often quite cheap. If you supply a product without limit, people will see it as cheap and ordinary, and it won't be valued."
"But if a product is initially supplied in limited quantities, reflecting its preciousness and rarity, it will create a sense of urgency to buy, giving people the illusion that if they miss this chance, it's gone forever."
Qin Chuan explained the benefits of limited supply to the distributor, who listened in amazement and finally became completely convinced, vowing to offer drinks and apologize in person at the gathering.
Qin Chuan's method was, in essence, the "hunger marketing" that became popular in later generations, deliberately whetting customers' appetites.
However, in this era, there was no such thing as hunger marketing, and people naturally couldn't understand it.
Next, Qin Chuan lectured all the distributors who called in turn. For those with good attitudes, he spoke gently and warmly. For those with bad attitudes, like the distributor from Jiangcheng, Qin Chuan showed no mercy whatsoever.
By the end, Qin Chuan's throat was dry.
Someone nearby thoughtfully handed him a cup of warm water. Qin Chuan thanked them and drank it down in one go.
When he returned the cup, he realized it was Fang Rumei who had given him the water, and she had used his own cup...
Time flew by, and it was the next day.
As expected, when the limited supply signs were put up, they immediately caused a significant reaction in the market.
Taking Longcheng as an example, many customers were very dissatisfied. Many of them had only recently heard about it through friends and family recommendations and had come specifically to buy an mp3.
Unexpectedly, there was now a "limited supply," and they couldn't buy it even with money.
Naturally, this caused great dissatisfaction!
Moreover, each person was limited to purchasing only three units. Any more, and, unfortunately, they were unavailable!
This was very inconvenient for some people who made a living as scalpers. Many people were shouting that they wouldn't buy!
But the rules were there, so what could they do?
Even the relevant departments were helpless in this matter. Just as many people mistakenly believed that this "Xiaomi mp3" would ruin its own reputation, within a morning, the three thousand units in Longcheng were all sold out.
The speed was much faster than the previous day, which surprised many who had been watching with amusement.
The next day, this matter even made the front page of the Longcheng newspaper, with many newspapers also reporting the news.
Because the name "Xiaomi factory" was currently a hot topic, every move it made attracted considerable attention.
The emergence of such a powerful local enterprise was a great thing for any local government, stimulating the economy, increasing tax revenue, and creating employment opportunities, among other benefits.
Some reporters even flocked to the Xiaomi factory to interview the person in charge. Qin Chuan was not interested in such matters and handed over the full responsibility to Fang Rumei.
Thus, the first week of sales for the Xiaomi factory concluded.
In the Xiaomi factory, Qin Chuan and Fang Rumei were discussing matters in the office when suddenly, the tightly closed office door was pushed open, and two men and one woman barged in.
These three were the heads of the finance department, the sales department, and the business development department, respectively. Strictly speaking, they would never exhibit such a reckless demeanor, but today was different...
"Boss, our... our total sales results are out!!"
Qin Chuan and Fang Rumei stopped talking. Qin Chuan remained relatively calm, while Fang Rumei became incredibly excited and expectant, standing up from her chair and eagerly asking, "How much?"
"One hundred and fourteen million five hundred and sixty thousand yuan!!"
The head of the finance department reported loudly in a trembling voice.