2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 28 The First Order

Tan Jincheng slept soundly that night.

Similarly, Zhang Xupeng slept very soundly.

Ever since Tan Jincheng arrived in Guangzhou, Zhang Xupeng has called him every night to report on his progress in Beicang and to inquire about Tan Jincheng's situation.

Tan Jincheng didn't hold back at all and truthfully explained the situation to Zhang Xupeng.

A few days ago, although Tan Jincheng was relatively calm, Zhang Xupeng was still worried for Tan Jincheng when he heard that it would cost nearly a thousand yuan a day.

After calculating the money Xiao Tan had left, Zhang Xupeng even considered sending him some money, just in case he didn't have any money to come back, which would be ridiculous.

However, tonight we finally received some good news, and Zhang Xupeng's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was finally able to relax a little.

The next morning, Tan Jincheng arrived at the venue early again, carrying his big backpack. As usual, he came early and brought a pack of cigarettes for each of the security guards.

When the exhibition hall opened, I arrived at the familiar spot from yesterday.

A short while later, Zhang Ge and a few others arrived.

"Good morning, brothers and sisters. I wish you all a big sale today," Tan Jincheng greeted with a smile.

"Okay, good luck, Xiao Tan, try your best to close a deal."

"Thank you for your kind words, Brother Zhang."

Neither of them mentioned Tan Jincheng's suggestion to change locations yesterday; they understood each other implicitly.

As the exhibition hall opened, the flow of people gradually increased. Tan Jincheng was more proactive today than yesterday. After a day of exploration and observation, Tan Jincheng has learned how to introduce products more quickly and effectively.

Today's efficiency was significantly higher than yesterday's. Under these circumstances, Tan Jincheng also appropriately expanded his search area to try and get more business cards from foreign businesses.

In one morning, Tan Jincheng received a total of 20 business cards, more than he had in the entire previous day.

These are all potential future customers.

For lunch, Tan Jincheng, as usual, went ahead and bought 10 portions, which made Lao Zhang and the others look at him with new respect.

"Although Xiao Tan is young, she is not the kind of reckless person."

They didn't become more casual despite the improved relationship; however, it made them a little embarrassed, as they had already eaten at Renren Xiaotan's for three meals in a row, and the total cost per person, including drinking water and fruit, was close to 100 yuan.

Old Zhang, being from Northeast China, felt especially this way; he always felt a little embarrassed if he didn't do something for Xiao Tan.

"Xiao Tan, how much money did you bring? You can't afford to spend like this!"

"Yeah, you definitely can't get reimbursed for this. It's not right for you to keep spending your own money to buy us food. This is the last time."

"Yes, it's not easy for anyone to earn money. You're younger than us, so we can't keep taking advantage of you. We have to give you this money today."

"Yes, you have to accept the money for today's meal. Consider it a favor we asked you to buy it for us."

"No need, no need. There's no reason to collect money from my older brothers and sisters afterward. If it were really necessary to collect money, I would have collected it in advance."

"Xiao Tan, what kind of family do you come from? You're quite generous."

"Haha, my parents are ordinary workers. I was their only child. We were well-off and never had to worry about food or drink."

"No wonder. You didn't suffer much when you were young, so you're more generous with money. Unlike us, who suffered a lot when we were young." "Alright, alright, I won't allow it next time. You're just a little brother who buys us food every day, making it seem like we're bullying you."

Tan Jincheng smiled and didn't continue speaking. He opened his lunchbox and invited everyone to eat.

In his previous life, Tan Jincheng would never have dared to spend money so extravagantly as he does now.

The reason for this is simply the confidence that comes with being a reborn person.

After the meal, Lao Zhang thought about it and felt a little guilty; he pulled Tan Jincheng aside and privately taught him some techniques for selling products to customers.

There's not much they can do to help, and they certainly wouldn't give up their clients to Xiao Tan.

These industry experiences are the result of countless setbacks they've encountered. They may not necessarily help Xiao Tan attract clients, but they will certainly help her avoid some detours.

Tan Jincheng was quite grateful. Actually, he didn't expect these people to be of much help to him when he bought the food; he just didn't want to lose their goodwill.

Building goodwill between people is difficult, but losing it is very easy.

In the afternoon, I continued to hand out business cards in an orderly manner and chat with foreigners.

He appeared in this area for the second consecutive day, and some foreigners passing by even mistook him for a salesperson from a nearby booth, and some would even stop to chat with him.

However, most people lost interest after seeing that there were only four samples.

The shortcomings of having too few samples are obvious; unlike other electronic products, the aesthetics of customers are unpredictable in the clothing category, so more samples provide more choices.

Come to think of it, if I walked into a clothing store and it only sold four kinds of clothes, I wouldn't be very interested.

However, there is no other way at the moment, and Tan Jincheng can only hope that his good luck these days will continue.

In business, luck plays a significant role most of the time. If you happen to meet a foreigner who likes one of these four products, that's great, isn't it?

Old Zhang already had some orders signed that afternoon, though the exact amount was unknown, which made Tan Jincheng quite envious.

On the third day, the process continued; after three days, Tan Jincheng had collected nearly 100 business cards, a considerable achievement.

While keeping an eye on new clients, Tan Jincheng also took the time to call the clients who had received his business card a few days earlier to inquire about potential collaborations.

If you don't like your own sample, that's okay. You can have it processed from your sample. There are many different situations in foreign trade.

No one taught him these things; Tan Jincheng figured them out on his own. Just getting a business card isn't enough; you have to go and bother people.

To be a salesperson, you have to be thick-skinned and not afraid of rejection. It is said that the chance of success is only 1%, so the remaining 99% are failures. Being rejected is to be expected, as long as you have the spirit of not giving up.

I'm a bit tired, but the exhibition only lasts a few days. With my current energy level, I won't last long until the exhibition ends. I'll just get the orders and go back to sleep.

Through tireless efforts and continuous adjustments to the contingency plan, Tan Jincheng even went to guard the area near the toilet for the next two days.

Finally, on Friday, October 22nd, which was the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, Tan Jincheng, who preferred odd numbers, officially signed his first order since his rebirth on what he considered a good day.

A US customer who had previously left his business card has taken a liking to two of the four samples after we communicated, and wants to place a small order to test the waters first.

Although it was just a trial order, it was already a very large order for Tan Jincheng.

The first step to earning US dollars has finally been taken!
(End of this chapter)