Back to the prime of life

Chapter 192 Taking advantage of the situation
In March 2009, Lu Changge met with four investors through Liu Wen's introduction, including the two he had met earlier.

However, he did not rely entirely on Liu Wen, so he also contacted investors on his own.

Some of the more well-known ones include Tiger Global Management, IDG Capital, and Capital Today.

Lu Changge volunteered through conventional channels, and while the results were debatable, at least his application didn't disappear without a trace.

Those who clearly showed interest were the venture capitalists represented by Xue and Xu, whom I had talked to at the beginning. Now that I think about it, it doesn't seem so coincidental that they were able to meet and chat with me so coincidentally.

There is still a lot of work to be done after this, after all, this deal is worth at least 3 million US dollars, which is more than 20 million RMB, and cannot be taken lightly.

The specific investment process was basically the same and there was nothing to praise about it. The only difference was that Lu Changge met a celebrity he would later see on TV frequently: Liu Qiangdong.

At the time, he was also at Today Capital, and to Lu Changge's surprise, he recognized him and immediately said that they were from the same hometown.

Well... we're practically from the same hometown, from the same province.

At this time, Lao Liu was going through a bankruptcy crisis at the end of 08, and his signature white hair had already appeared on his forehead. The company was far from being out of the ICU.

Simply put, both Mr. Liu and Mr. Lu are queuing up for money at Capital Today.

As a veteran in the investment world, he also chatted with Lu Changge about the company's investment style, saying, "When we first started raising funds, I also attached great importance to the business plan, but after a few years I've realized that it's actually not that important. Do you know the owner of this company? What kind of investments does she make?"

Looking at his seemingly simple smile, Lu Changge knew in her heart that this guy was a very ruthless businessman, and many thoughts flashed through her mind.

"Is there anything Dong-ge can teach me?"

“Teaching you is just bragging. I just got in touch with you a little earlier… This company invests in people; they value the mind of entrepreneurs.”

……

Two days later, Lu Changge began his return journey south, while Dong Ge received news that Today Capital was planning to make further contact with Lu Mang Company.

Out of curiosity, he went to ask the other party.

The person on the other end of the phone was also somewhat surprised, "Do you know him?"

"I only just met them, but I've known about them for a long time. We're both in the e-commerce business, and with such a powerful company suddenly emerging, I'm bound to pay close attention."

"That's true. I had a good chat with him. This young man is very capable, with an exceptionally sharp business acumen and a deep understanding of e-commerce. Oh, by the way, we talked about logistics, and he seems to be optimistic about your asset-heavy logistics model."

"Oh? Really? What's the reason?"

"It seems your discussion wasn't very in-depth. The reason is that, in his view, you're not an e-commerce company, but a retail company, or, if you had to make an analogy, an online supermarket. Solving the pain points of logistics is a necessity for you, and also a way to widen your competitive advantage."

Hearing these words, Dong Ge felt understood.

"Looks like you guys are going to vote for him."

"You can't say that. Actually, the more accurate his analysis, the more I feel that the market prospects for this kind of internet fast fashion brand are not that broad. I'm investing in him as a person. He has a business mind that is better than the average person. There are other companies, and I'm more interested in those. Why don't you take a look with me sometime?"

"it is good!"

……

……

Lu Changge arrogantly believed that truly insightful investors should be more interested in Pulsego. He used to think that this view was a bit harsh, but after going to Beijing, he realized that it wasn't, because the industry leaders were already quite certain that the arrival of the mobile internet era was unstoppable.

Of course, this doesn't mean that people who are optimistic about Lu Mang lack ambition or vision.

Vancl's success precedes it, and there's no winner-takes-all mentality in the apparel industry, which is actually beneficial for Lumang.

Some people suggested that Luman should adjust its focus slightly. Vancl focuses on shirts, while Luman could focus on women's clothing and make some slight differentiation.

The reason, as Lu Changge himself said, is that he is better looking.

This is also an option. What's even more ingenious is that there are ecological niches between genders. Even if Vancl itself is not aware of this, after Lumang occupies the female market, it can try to squeeze it into the male market.

Moreover, in terms of clothing consumption, women make purchases more frequently and spend more money than men.

After he returned, he discussed this with Chen Xiaohe.

Chen Xiaohe not only agreed, but she agreed with great delight. For some time now, she had been troubled by the fact that Lu Mang had started later than Vancl and its sales volume was also smaller. Therefore, the entire company was considering how to overtake them. Under this method, she even believed that Lu Mang could quickly close the gap with Vancl; after all, how many men actually like buying clothes? So, there are many capable people out there; Lu Changge doesn't have all-powerful abilities just because he has a prophetic ability.

As a result, the focus of the entire marketing department shifted, while the sales department began to study which SKUs could appeal to women's hearts.

However, the spokesperson was not changed. After all, it would be a foolish move to neglect the male market before cultivating the female market.

After that, Lu Changge negotiated with investors while trying to increase sales, and advertising and marketing naturally received a lot of his attention.

At such a crucial moment, some hidden tricks were brought out.

That's right, it's the Vancl style that later became a viral marketing phenomenon online. Its original advertising slogan was also very simple, with two versions corresponding to a man and a woman.

Even now, Lu Changge still finds it captivating: I love the internet, I love freedom, I love sleeping in late, I love late-night food stalls, I love racing; I also love 59-yuan canvas shoes. I'm not a flag bearer, not anyone's spokesperson, I'm Han Han. Just like you, I'm Vancl.

Wang Luodan's motto is: I love acting, not acting; I love striving, and I also love enjoying life; I love pretty clothes, and I love discount tags even more; I'm not Mi Lai, not Qian Xiaoyang, not a big star, I'm Wang Luodan, I'm nothing special, but I'm very special; I'm different from others, but I'm the same as you, I'm Vancl.

Now that I've changed, I'm no longer Vancl, but LUMO.

Lu Changge thought it was better to use an English name, as young people like things that sound sophisticated. He then gave the advertising slogan to Li Ming, asking him to keep it strictly confidential. The advertising company also had to sign a confidentiality agreement and was not allowed to change a single word.

Li Ming, of course, didn't understand. He confirmed, "It's not that I don't trust you, but this time we've hired a very professional advertising company. They've even designed a set of special advertising slogans based on our company's brand characteristics. Are you sure you don't want to take a look? Or are you going to use the one you wrote yourself?"

"Let them use whatever good stuff they have next time; for now, let's use mine."

Li Ming muttered a few words.

Lu Changge reminded him again, "Don't go looking for President Chen to bother me, it's useless. Don't waste the three of our time. Just use this one, I'm sure of it."

When they got to the advertising agency, the creative directors were also confused. What kind of style was this? They talked about the celebrity for a long time, but didn't express anything about Lumang Company.

But there's no way around it; whoever spends the money is the boss, and that's how the boss operates.

This marketing approach has a weakness: if the product has any problems, it can easily become the target of jokes and spread rapidly.

Fortunately, Lumang is actually quite resilient in terms of supply. The factory owners know that if there are any problems, the small business owner will go directly to the director of the management committee. As a local factory, you should consider the attitude of the local officials.

Besides all of these things, Lu Changge had actually made another preparation.

(End of this chapter)