1988: Back to the human world for a few years

Chapter 339 Threshold
Facts have proved that Tao Quan is not the only smart person in this world, and Tao Quan’s master is not the only one who wants to contact the drilling company in advance.

So, when Tao Quan went around and came to the Xiahua Investment Promotion Company from the Comprehensive Management Company, he was given a call number plate with the number "8" written on it, and then he could only wait obediently in a hall that looked somewhat special.

Knowing that he was the eighth investor seeking early contact today, Tao Quan was a little surprised, but not that surprised. After all, the situation this year is more tense than last year, and there is no end in sight... The drilling company's umbrella of protection has been so strong in the past year and has helped everyone make a lot of money. Now that something is happening, smart people will naturally know how to seize the opportunity.

However, after he walked around the hall, he was really surprised.

In his opinion, this hall should perhaps be more appropriately called an exhibition hall.

There is a huge sand table in the center of the left side of the hall.

Although the workmanship is a bit rough, it can still fully display the construction plan of the commercial demonstration area.

Phase I Commercial Street 1 and Commercial Street 2.

Phase II Commercial Street 3.

The first phase includes the agricultural products trading center, food trading center, and Chinese medicinal materials trading center.

The second phase includes the light industrial products/electronic components trading center, clothing trading center, agricultural machinery trading center, and building materials center.

The first phase includes a storage area with three large warehouses and a large cold storage warehouse.

The second phase covers storage areas of ten large warehouses, two giant warehouses, and four large cold storage warehouses.

This does not include surrounding facilities such as leisure and entertainment plazas, vegetable markets, and subsequent related planning.

To be honest, Tao Quan was a little scared.

Although the area of ​​the Phase I functional zone is as high as 310 mu, which is considered very large at present, it is still dwarfed by the total area of ​​more than 1400 mu after the completion of Phase II.

And you have to understand that this is not an urban planning done by the competent authority, but an industrial park planned and built by an organization itself. No matter when it is placed, this is a jaw-droppingly huge plan!

If another company had put up a sand table like this, Tao Quan would probably curl his lips after being shocked, thinking that he had encountered a fraudulent company that relied entirely on its mouth to deceive people... Although the scale is not so exaggerated, there are many similar companies in Shantou, all relying on a design drawing that was obtained from nowhere and incomprehensible documents to "attract investment" everywhere.

But the drilling company is different. Anyone who has a basic understanding of this company will not doubt that they have the courage to build such a large industrial zone.

This is not only because of their status as a central enterprise, but also because the company has always been known for being "willful" and "rich"... It is no news that the drilling company spent 200 million to build Hope Primary Schools. It is no news that they injected more than 700 million yuan in one go to the newly established department of Momo Baitou last year. It is no secret that the Dahua Company, which is in a joint venture with Dongying, has more than one billion yuan in funds in its account this year.

More importantly, there is a guy in their company who is not sure whether he is a madman or a genius.

The guy named Yang Mo has always been famous in some small circles for his big money. In just one year, he contributed hundreds of millions of sales with the Momo Baizha and 817 broiler projects, and pulled out a business group with a potential value of billions... Just based on this point, no matter how scary the plan on the sand table is, he doesn't think he is bragging.

If you are still in doubt...

Please, use your butt to think about it, where do these industrial lands come from?
That must have been given by the competent authority of DZ City!
If the drilling company's industrial park plan had not been repeatedly certified and confirmed by the leaders and experts of DZ City, would they have been able to give up such a large piece of industrial land?

Unlike the special economic zones, the leaders of these old industrial cities in the north are not so easy to talk to!

The drilling company is a state-owned enterprise, and this industrial park has also received strong support from local authorities. How could this project be fake?

Of course, Tao Quan and others didn't know what the agreement between Yang Mo and the relevant authorities in Texas was, nor did they know what Yang Mo's intention was in throwing out this sand table. If he knew, he might not have this idea.

………………

Well, if the huge sand table gave Tao Quan a huge shock and an irrepressible excitement, then the product display cabinet on the right side of the hall, which occupied 2/3 of the entire space, gave him a heavy blow.

Nowadays, there are many beautifully packaged soaps, laundry detergents, soap powder, toothpaste, toothbrushes, shoe polish, pots and pans.

Pre-packaged medicinal teas, sodas, fruit drinks, local and even foreign specialty foods.

Various Chinese medicinal materials, various Chinese patent medicines, and more than thirty bottles of unknown liquid or powdery objects sealed in small brown bottles, each with a thick stack of information attached.

There were a dozen small piles of cotton and several rows of cloth and leather products that were obviously imported from abroad.

There are only shells, but the tape recorders, walkmans, TVs, computer monitors, game consoles, etc. are full of technology. Some of them also have some parts next to them.
A collection of pictures of vegetables and fruits from Dezhou, Lanling, and other parts of Qilu, as well as related matching information;

The scientific research results and photos of Qilu Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

Some research results and physical samples of the Provincial Department of Science and Technology and its subordinate scientific research units.

Etc., etc……

To ordinary people, these various things might make them think that a small exhibition of Qilu specialties and scientific and technological achievements was held here at some unknown time. However, to an old hand like Tao Quan who has rich working experience, it undoubtedly gave a clear hint that could not be clearer.

Zhongying Street!
Sure enough, the drilling company was planning to turn those three commercial streets into the Sino-British Street in the north, and then use them as market and information drivers to expand the corresponding industrial chain!

Tao Quan was horrified and glanced at the dazzling array of goods on the display area. The little confidence he had originally had was gone.

………………

The so-called "Sino-British Street" is actually a specially opened duty-free street in Sha Tau Kok at the junction of Shenzhen and Hong Kong in 1979 after the reform and opening up.

Since its establishment, it has become an important source of influence on domestic fashion trends and has been crazily sought after by Chinese people.

How popular is this duty-free street which is only 250 meters long and 4 meters wide?

Let’s put it this way, once the street was opened, it came to the point where it became necessary to limit the number of visitors.

If Chinese people want to shop on this street, they must first sign up for a tour group, go to a designated travel agency, join a designated tour group, and obtain a "license". Only then can they queue in a long line at the immigration office and wait for an hour or two to enter this small street to shop.

Until 97, Zhongying Street was one of the most coveted shopping destinations for countless domestic consumers. During holidays, this small street of more than meters received as many as tourists every day.

Therefore, the profits generated by this duty-free street with only more than 300 small shops are astonishing.

During the time this street existed, countless mainland tourists flocked in every morning when the shops opened...

People scramble to buy video recorders, cameras, watches, gold jewelry, clothes, handbags, belts, sneakers, health pills, and even Lux soap, and basically do not bargain. Almost all the goods in the store are sold out in just three or four hours, and the owner even has to hire people to restock them continuously.

Of course, the year-round popularity of the Chung Ying Street is not just about creating huge profits. To a certain extent, it has directly boosted Hong Kong's import and export trade, as well as factory construction and processing-on-commission business in coastal areas.

Therefore, from the core logic point of view, this commercial demonstration zone developed by the drilling company is almost a replica of the "traffic diversion-high-frequency consumption-orders-trade/investment and factory construction" model of Zhongying Street.

No, judging from the dozen or so bottles of pre-packaged medicinal tea drinks that Tao Quan saw just now, they don’t just want to rely on these three commercial streets for sales, but also want to market their products and push them to other regions or even the whole country!
Tao Quan knows that for a model like this, the most important thing is product selection, upgrading and innovation, otherwise it will not be able to attract enough people and it will not be able to ensure the circulation.

Therefore, when he vaguely realized what the drilling company wanted to do, he had the idea that "the initiative may not be in my hands."

It's very simple. As the general manager of a trading company, the foreign goodies he saw in a place like Shantou are definitely not comparable to those of a company in the northern inland area. In addition to the advantages brought by his own business, he has sufficient confidence in product upgrading and innovation, selection and evaluation of commodities with market value, and even evaluation of the potential of some industries.

but……

When he saw the samples in most of the room, especially those in the three categories of medicines, electrical appliances, and beverages that were deliberately placed in the most conspicuous places, he knew that the other party's trend judgment and product innovation in this area were definitely more in-depth than his own research.

So, an hour and a half later, when Yan Laoxi, who was in charge of investment promotion, sent away two guests with somewhat conflicted expressions with a calm but polite smile, Tao Quan, who was invited into the manager's office for a chat, no longer had his previous reserved expression.

(The Zhongying Street model was widely used in various places in the 1990s and even in the early 2000s. There were even countless "Little Hong Kongs" emerging across the country, but most of them later disappeared. The most regrettable one was Wuzhou in Guangxi... It's not that this logic doesn't work, but due to other reasons, which I will elaborate on later.)
………………

"Mr. Tao from Shantou Canjin Import and Export Trading Company?"

Yan Laoxi, who always seldom smiled, pronounced the name of Taoquan Company with some difficulty, then gently put down the simple registration form and asked directly, "Mr. Tao, I want to know if you have any referrals for this visit?"

The current meaning is very clear. If there is no introducer, then there is no need for both of us to continue the discussion.

Looking at the guy in front of him with a rather cold face, Tao Quan's mouth twitched.

He knew that there were thresholds for cooperating with state-owned enterprises, but he didn't expect that there were also thresholds for coming here to invest and give money, and this threshold was so capricious... Even if you asked for the capital to be shown on the spot, I could accept it!

It's such a big project, but you treat it like a private club. What's the connection?
However, human nature is always a bit humble. The more arrogant the other party behaves, the more in awe he has for the drilling company that planned such a large project.

"My recommender is Mr. Jiao, Jiao Chengyu... He is one of the franchisees of your company's Mo Mo Bai Zha in Tianjin."

With a smile on his face, Tao Quan reported a name that made him very uncomfortable.

"Oh... Jiao Chengyu... Jinmen... found it!"

Yan Laoxi took a list and searched for a long time, finally finding Jiao Chengyu's name. The expression on his face seemed to soften a little: "So you are Mr. Jiao's friend, welcome!"

MD, that guy still has the nerve to say that he is one of the drilling company’s most valued partners. He is just trying to be rich!

Have you ever seen a company that can't remember the name of an important partner and has to spend a long time looking for it in the roster?
After secretly criticizing someone with gloating feelings, Tao Quan had a different understanding of the drilling company's strength.

If I remember correctly, Jiao Chengyu spent more than 1989 million yuan on the drilling company last year. Not only did he pay a huge special deposit, he also chose a good location in the prime area of ​​Tianjin. He also started the three projects of Momo 150 Fried, Momo Stir-fried, and Momo Stewed. For this, he even took the initiative to rent the store next door... million yuan in ! Among all the franchisees, this investment cost is definitely in the top five.

However, the other party didn't even remember the name of this franchisee who contributed 150 million in investment costs and more than 180 million in comprehensive sales.

Although Momo Baizha is a subsidiary project of Qingfeng Food, and Qingfeng Food is just a subordinate unit of the drilling company, you are too disrespectful to others, right? Hmm...

Well, compared to drilling companies, which are super monsters that allocate hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars, an investment of just one and a half million is indeed not worthy of being remembered.

Thinking of the other party's exaggerated capital, which was so strong that it was not even what a second-level unit of a central enterprise should have, Tao Quan unconsciously showed a trace of awe on his face, and adjusted his posture silently to sit up straighter.

Seeing the guy's straight body, Yan Laoxi, who had never liked these traditional merchants, nodded and said, "Mr. Tao, there is still half a month before the commercial street is officially opened, and there is still some time before the time agreed with you by Section Chief Yang... I guess you came here early this time, just like the previous few people, to understand the situation, right?"

As he spoke, Yan Laoxi stood up, took out a booklet from the filing cabinet behind him and handed it over, with a trace of apology on his face: "Regarding this point, it is indeed an oversight in our work. We have been coordinating resources from all sides for some time, and Section Chief Yang has given us many tasks, so we only revised and printed this "Overview of the DZ City Commercial Demonstration Zone Project" a week ago... I originally thought that there was still some time before the agreed time, and it would still be in time to mail it to you as soon as possible, but I didn't expect that you all were so anxious... I am really sorry."

Are you all so anxious?
Tao Quan stood up and took the heavy file with both hands, then asked curiously, "Boss Yan, you mean... we are not the only ones who came to visit in advance?"

The so-called “we” refers to the eight people who came to visit today.

Upon hearing this, Yan Laoxi's stern face tightened and he smiled. "Although Mr. Tao came early, he was not the first one... As early as five days ago, people came to visit one after another... Of course, there were also uninvited visitors, but since Section Chief Yang has given instructions, we must naturally give priority to our former partners. As for those visitors who don't have a referral... Although I'm sorry, I can only let them wait."

Tao Quan's heart tightened as he quickly grasped the message implied in these words.

It turns out that there were many people who came to contact us in advance, and there were also many people who came up on their own.

It's a bit troublesome. Although the cake in front of me is big, everyone has their own specialties. I am only familiar with one or two fields. If someone else gets there first, it will be troublesome... Although the owner has given a lot of budget, the requirement is "in-depth cooperation" rather than simply "paying protection fees", so naturally they are thinking of a win-win situation.

Realizing this, Tao Quan suddenly became grateful for the referral rule adopted by the drilling company in this matter.

I am already a step late. If those uninvited guys get involved, I may have no chance of getting those projects that I initially liked.

Thinking of this, Tao Quan flipped through the information book, not in the mood to read it carefully, and smiled: "Boss Yan, to be honest, I admire your company very much. It's rare that your company wants to help us, so of course we have nothing to say, whether it's money or effort, we will definitely do our best."

"It's just that we are just small fry, and although we will definitely follow your company's orders, we are afraid that we are not capable enough and will hinder your company's development..."

"So, this time I came here, I wanted to communicate in advance to see if we can take on projects within our capabilities. In this way, we can certainly contribute our own strength, and your company can also save some tedious work!"

After stating his demands directly, Tao Quan's smile became more humble: "Boss Yan, don't worry, we have no other intentions, we just don't want to cause trouble for your company;"

"Of course, I won't hide it from you. In order to respond to Chief Yang's call, I have prepared a budget investment of 850 million this time... This is all my family assets."

"People are always a little selfish. Now that I have spent all my money, I naturally want to invest in projects that I am familiar with and feel I can handle, right?"

Since we want to gain the initiative in selecting projects, we have to show our cards clearly. Besides, the owner's demands are there, so now is not the time to waste time.

850! ?

Yan Laoxi looked at him in surprise. Although there had been inflation for most of last year, this figure reported by a private import and export company was still a bit scary.

It is no exaggeration to say that in this situation, as long as the leadership approves, the 850 million is enough to buy a medium-sized ordinary state-owned enterprise.

These white gloves!
Skillfully suppressing the instinctive disgust in his heart, Yan Laoxi smiled and said, "I may disappoint Mr. Tao. Section Chief Yang has explained... A man cannot stand without trust. Since he said that the project contact and work allocation would be open in mid-April, he will not break his promise."

As he spoke, Yan Laoxi looked at him seriously and said, "To be honest, in the past five days, almost everyone has been like Mr. Tao, either openly or secretly trying to lock in the project in advance. Some of them have promised to invest more than Mr. Tao... But even when I called Chief Yang on the spot to ask for instructions, I was rejected without exception!"

Section Chief Yang's instructions consisted of only two sentences: "Let's wait until mid-April to decide everything, and... follow the rules in everything!"

Tao Quan's face tightened when he heard this. The first part of the sentence was fine, but the part that emphasized the rules later...

Coming from Yang Mo, the real boss, it was obvious that he was furious.

Damn it, I hope I didn’t leave a bad impression on this little boss whom I have never met before?
He knew very well that in today's society, a good impression in front of the leaders was very important, especially for a person like Yang Mo, whose real power far exceeded his position. He didn't even need to say anything, just frowning could make him return with nothing.

Thinking of the task assigned by his master and the possible consequences of returning empty-handed, Tao Quan took a deep breath: "But Mr. Yan, I came here to communicate in advance this time not entirely out of selfishness, nor to pick fat meat... I know very well that a plan like your company's can't be a fool's project that really sits and waits to count money!"

"Oh?"

Yan Laoxi squinted his eyes slightly, revealing a hint of interest.

Seeing this, Tao Quan first briefly summarized his speculation on the operation logic of this project in his own words, and then looked at the rock-like middle-aged man in front of him with a serious face: "Mr. Yan, I was born in Guangzhou, and grew up drinking all kinds of herbal tea. I have been engaged in import and export trade for six years. I have my own observations and understanding of the fast-moving consumer goods and health care products industries at home and abroad;"

"To be frank, if your company really intends to turn these improved medicinal teas into fast-moving consumer goods and launch them into the market, whether it's building a factory or operating it, or even further improving the products, there are few people more suitable than me!"

"What's more, I come from an import and export background, and I have certain channels and resources both at home and abroad, which can help me avoid domestic and regional protection barriers, which is a headache for most businesses. "

"Also, although I am not very talented, after living in Shantou for a few years, I have gained some experience in marketing and management... Adding all these factors together, there are only a handful of people who are more suitable for the medicinal tea project than me."

"So, my coming here this time is not so much about planning a project in advance as it is about recommending myself... Letting the most suitable person do the project he is most confident in is itself an optimization plan for resource allocation."

"I think that even if a leader like Section Chief Yang, who is known for his boldness, knew about this, he would not object to letting me try some of the medicinal tea products, right?"

At the end, Tao Quan bit his lip and said, "Since Section Chief Yang has set the rules, I naturally dare not let him make a break for me."

"so……"

"I would like to ask Mr. Yan to mention this to Section Chief Yang when it is convenient, and say a few good words for me, so that Section Chief Yang knows that there are such people and such a thing... If Mr. Yan is still worried, I can sign a memorandum and write down the investment amount, promised sales volume and other contents!"

After saying the last sentence with some difficulty, Tao Quan seemed to be relieved, and the expression on his face quickly turned into the kind of smile commonly seen on businessmen: "Of course, I will definitely trouble Mr. Yan this time. I just arrived in Texas yesterday, and I am really unfamiliar with the place... So, in a few days, when I have settled down completely, I would like to invite Mr. Yan to dinner. Please do come!"

Although Tao Quan said a few nice words in front of Yang Mo, everyone knew what he actually meant.

And Yan Laoxi also knew very well what this guy meant by "invite him to dinner after he settles down."

He waved his hands and said, "Boss Tao, the drilling company is different from other companies. You don't need to have meals here... Also, don't do this here in the future, otherwise it will hurt others and yourself!"

Yan Laoxi paused for a moment and said, "But Mr. Tao is right. If you are really confident, recommending yourself is not a bad solution."

After closing his eyes and thinking for a while, Yan Laoxi said in a deep voice: "How about this, Mr. Tao, first submit your resume, the business scope of Shantou Jincan Company, and past information and business reports for filing in accordance with the regulations."

As he spoke, Yan Laoxi glanced at Tao Quan and said calmly, "Don't be bothered, the more detailed the better... Our project contact and allocation this time was made by the drilling company, the leaders of the competent unit, the brother units of the relevant industries in the city, the Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and the units under the Science and Technology Department. The teams from these parties will jointly review and evaluate the information you provided and the negotiation intentions, and jointly give allocation opinions after coordination."

After pointing out the key point and hinting at the huge scale of the drilling plan, Yan Laoxi added lightly: "But I will mark it for you after checking the authenticity of the information submitted by Mr. Tao... If Mr. Tao's conditions are really one of the most suitable candidates, I believe that the final result will not disappoint Mr. Tao."

Tao Quan was overjoyed when he heard this. He saw that there was hope that the task assigned by his master would be completed, and was about to say some words of gratitude.

However, Yan Laoxi waved his hand and said, "But Mr. Tao, don't be too happy. If you want to get the cooperation project as you wish, it's not enough to just have money, experience and ability... For example, for medicinal tea, our company has done a lot of preliminary work and has even tested the potential products of the first round of market feedback information. If you want to successfully win it, you have to accept other additional conditions."

Tao Quan's face suddenly became uneasy: "Other conditions?"

Yan Laoxi nodded, with a hint of coldness in his eyes: "Yes, other conditions... The drilling company is a central enterprise and does not pursue pure market benefits... It is not enough to just have money and ability to release this kind of potential product that has been evaluated to have a potential market size of tens of millions or even hundreds of millions!"

The potential market size is tens of millions or even billions every year! ?

Tao Quan was frightened.

He really wanted to say, isn’t this nonsense!

But when he thought of the various mysterious and obviously systematic planning methods he saw on the commercial street, and the small boss of the drilling company who had created a business worth billions in just one year, he believed it all of a sudden... Their impressive record is there, so where do you get the confidence and qualifications to doubt their assessment?

"What are the conditions... I hope President Yan can tell me."

Tao Quan asked with some difficulty.

………………

Fifteen minutes later.

Seeing Tao Quan standing up to say goodbye with great confusion and hesitation on his face, just like the seven waves of people before him, Yan Laoxi finally showed a smile on his rock-like face.

Although Tao Quan's face was full of embarrassment, he believed that after careful consideration, the other party would eventually agree.

Ok……

Section Chief Yang was right. These people are after money in their hearts. As long as they can make money, they will agree to any harsh conditions.

Therefore, no matter how hard the work in the past three months was, it now seems to be completely worth it.

If it weren't for the painstaking preparation work done before, how could these people fall into the trap and how could so much social capital from illegal sources be used for their own benefit?
Money should come from the masses and go to the masses!

Very good, it looks like there should be no problem in the normal launch of the first batch of projects in the commercial demonstration zone.

The people of Xialiu Village, the surrounding villages, and even the one hundred aid villages finally have hope for the future...

After being stunned for a while, Yan Laoxi put away the smile on his face, returned to his cold and stubborn expression, and picked up the phone on the desk.

There are still three waves of visitors that need to be received today, so I have to do my job well...

(End of this chapter)