Those Years When I Was Forced to Top the Forbes List

Chapter 143 Overseas Market
At one o'clock, a bespectacled young man carrying a black backpack and wearing a casual suit appeared at the iron gate of the land fence, slowly walked in, and looked around the open space inside.

The others had already gone back to the company for lunch. Chen Xuebing was talking to Qi Guangming at the factory gate when he saw the approaching person and waved from afar.

When the person approached, he didn't go to greet him, but just smiled and nodded.

Lu Weibing walked over and tentatively asked, "President Chen?"

"It's me." Chen Xuebing then shook hands with him, and then gestured with his chin towards the factory building, saying:

"This will be our factory area from now on, and this is our temporary factory. Factory Director Qi, would you like to take a look?"

Chen Xuebing didn't stand on ceremony; the other party was a master of job-hopping.

In his previous life, when Lu Weibing went to Tianyu, the "mountain godmother" Rong Xiuli treated him very well, making him the head of the overseas business department. Later, India strictly investigated IMEI codes and imposed punitive charges on Chinese mobile phone manufacturers, causing Tianyu's overseas sales to plummet. Rong Xiuli suddenly parachuted in a vice president to lead him, so he left Gionee, taking a bunch of core personnel from the overseas market with him.

Chen Xuebing didn't know what had happened in between, and Lu Weibing couldn't verify it for him at this moment.

However, judging from his job-hopping experience, he seems to be unable to tolerate being treated coldly. Rather than coming in all smiles, he prefers to let the other party get used to his cold attitude first.

Lu Weibing was not quite used to this kind of directness, which was reflected in her expression; she looked somewhat taken aback.

However, he quickly adjusted, nodded, and looked inside.

"it is good."

The two went inside.

I looked at it quite carefully.

Chen Xuebing waited quietly inside for twenty minutes.

When Lu Weibing came out, he had some questions and went straight to Chen Xuebing.

"President Chen, I heard from Factory Director Qi that you make over a million in profit every month. What are your sales channels?"

Chen Xuebing raised his head towards Qi Guangming, who came out from behind: "Didn't Director Qi tell you?"

Qi Guangming paused, then chuckled awkwardly.

This is a pirated phone; he can't just say things like that.

Chen Xuebing laughed and said, "Old Qi, President Lu will be the company president in the future, your direct superior. What can't you say?"

Qi Guangming then walked over, ready to explain.

Lu Weibing waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no, no, President Chen, I'm not trying to pry into your business secrets. I just want to know, what do you plan for me to do with such a high annual salary? To develop overseas markets?"

"President, of course we need to manage production, R&D, and sales. We plan to make our own mobile phones."

This person had well-rounded abilities in his past life. He was good at research and development, sales, and had a strong learning ability. His Tsinghua University science degree meant he had the ability to learn and understand technology in depth.

Of course, his main ability lies in sales. He can lead an overseas team from scratch, which is Chen Xuebing's greatest value.

"We'll get to know the sales channels when we get back to the company. I heard you submitted your resume last year. What's wrong? Are you unhappy at Konka?"

In Lu Weibing's eyes, this was undoubtedly an interview question.

He pondered for a moment and said seriously, "I feel there are many constraints. The mobile phone industry is constantly changing. Technology iterations and user needs change every year. This industry is not suitable for state-owned enterprises. State-owned enterprises are too slow to adapt. Moreover, Konka's current development path is to produce a full range of home appliances. The business unit model under a large group is also not suitable for making mobile phones."

When answering this question, he stood very straight, giving off a sense of reporting, which is probably a common problem left over from working in state-owned enterprises.

“Konka is a large group, and we are a small group. Do you think our phones will be better than theirs?” Chen Xuebing said with a smile.

Lu Weibing looked inside and adjusted his glasses.

"I believe the Huaqiangbei model is more profitable. MediaTek's turnkey solution marks the second golden age of development for the Chinese mobile phone market. There's a factory called Tianyu. I spoke with their founder two months ago. They were the first to use this turnkey solution this year and plan to use a buyout model to reduce costs. I'm very optimistic about this model. In Huaqiangbei, a sales champion will definitely emerge."

"Yes, sales are king."

Chen Xuebing nodded: "That's right. But if we hire you as president, you need to have a higher level of thinking. We're going to focus on R&D, but not just R&D based on market demand. We're going to guide demand. We're going to target the high-end market. We want to lead not only the domestic market but also surpass the standards of high-end machines abroad."

This boastful talk left Lu Weibing somewhat speechless.

After a moment of hesitation, he continued, "Of course, this is a dream I've had for a long time. I've always felt that Chinese people must have the spirit of daring to fight and surpass."

Chen Xuebing finally smiled.

Not bad, you're very good at keeping your word.

A million dollars can indeed change a lot of things.

"You probably think it's unrealistic right now, but high-end phones are not only about technology, but also about design. Once you see my designs, you'll agree with my ideas. I'm saying this just to tell you that you're the president, and you first need to have the belief in being number one. Otherwise, it will be difficult for the R&D team to have that belief, and it will be difficult for users to have that belief in our products. The mobile phone industry is full of diverse ideas and competing opinions. We need to guide ourselves to determine what the standard for being number one is. In addition to the technology and design I mentioned, there is also marketing."

"Oh, I see."

Anyone in sales knows how to boast.

You think you're the best in the world?

Understand!
Lu Weibing, being a man of action, was a little nervous even when first approached with the dream position of CEO. After thinking for a moment, he asked:

"Mr. Chen, where should we start now? Do you have any plans?"

Chen Xuebing nodded and said succinctly, "Build me a sales team to sell counterfeit phones first, then our own phones."

"Hmm." Lu Weibing immediately understood: "Actually, the prices of mobile phones from Huaqiangbei should be very popular overseas. I have some connections in Southeast Asia and India. Should we expand into overseas markets?"

Chen Xuebing was somewhat surprised, and his mind went blank.

He hadn't really thought about this before.

Because the mobile phones he wants to develop are really unaffordable for people in Southeast Asia.

However, mobile phone stores in Huaqiangbei have a large market in Southeast Asia and Africa!
"These are all knock-offs. Will there be any major problems with customs clearance?"

Lu Weibing smiled and said, "Pure piracy is definitely not an option, but we can expand the production line to do OEM. The government encourages the export of OEM machines. I am familiar with the whole process. Even if we don't produce them, we can still sell other people's machines."

An unexpected surprise.

He earns mostly in US dollars from foreign trade, which is exactly what he needs.

Lu Weibing's overseas connections must have come from Konka.

This guy's got something else going for him; he started poaching from his old employer as soon as he arrived.

However, he's not looking for moral exemplars; he's looking for capable people. As for his bottom line, Lu Weibing has been in the mobile phone industry for over twenty years, and people are still trying to poach him, so he definitely has legal boundaries.

This line is enough.

As Chen Xuebing thought about it, his smile began to brighten.

"Okay, we can do it."

Lu Weibing was actually panicked. He felt that with such a high salary, he should offer a token of loyalty.

Having received an affirmative answer, he began to think.

Chen Xuebing was also pondering: "What about Africa? Could we do that?"

In his previous life, he paid attention to geopolitics, and he was quite clear about the geopolitical distribution of the entire world.

In East Asia, the most recent countries are South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan.

Southeast Asia is next, followed by Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.

South Asia is relatively far away, including India and Pakistan.

Although Africa is far away and not suitable for land transport, the Suez Canal is a crucial point at the junction of Asia, Europe and Africa, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Shipping is well-developed, and trade between Asia, Europe and Africa does not require waiting for ships. Except for West Africa, which is a bit far away, goods can be delivered to other parts of Africa within 30 to 40 days under normal circumstances.

The key is that the future trade pattern of Chinese people in Africa is relatively stable.

Third Brother, he's the kind of guy who likes to invite people to banquets but then put flies in the food.

"As for Africa... that's also possible, but I'd need to train a team to take there, and building relationships takes time."

“No, you can’t go there… Let’s focus on Southeast Asia and South Asia first, and we can talk about Africa later. We have a mature supply relationship in Huaqiangbei, and the purchase price is low. You can find someone to get the products for export, or you can produce them yourself through the production line. But you should focus your main energy on building the domestic team.”

“Okay, I have good connections over there too. I can send a few batches of goods to test the waters first. If the channels are established, there will definitely be money to be made.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Xuebing was somewhat encouraged.

"Let's go to the company, we need to have a meeting."

……

Lu Weibing was puzzled by the fact that Chen Xuebing didn't have a car and that his company's office address was quite dilapidated.

A company with a monthly profit of over one million should not be doing this.

However, he was in sales and good at finding out information. In the ten minutes or so before the meeting, he had already roughly figured out the situation.

The factory is new; the owner plans to buy it and build a large building there in the future.

The boss usually resides in Chongqing and also owns a capital company with a massive fund; that's the group's main business at present.

This situation is undoubtedly the best outcome for him.

This allows him to fully utilize his abilities while also providing external financial support.

When the meeting started, he was already very enthusiastic and began to ask about the identities of each member at the table.

Upon learning that Lu Yiwen was the group's vice president, he immediately gave up his seat on the left and sat down on Chen Xuebing's right.

Chen Xuebing knew he had ambitions, and he also took the initiative to explain in public:
“You two, Mr. Lu, will be the pillars of Shenzhen from now on. Although Lu Yiwen is the group’s vice president and is also stationed in Shenzhen, he is mainly responsible for supervision and learning. Under normal circumstances, he will not affect decision-making. Lu Weibing will still be in charge of Pokong Technology Company. Gou Hongyi is smart, but he lacks experience and is also learning. Weibing, you should mentor him more. In addition, you can take the initiative to recruit a vice president to assist your business work.”

Lu Weibing now understood that Lu Yiwen was the boss's eyes and ears in Shenzhen.

Gou Hongyi needs to be nurtured.

"Another appointment will be announced," Chen Xuebing said, looking at Huo Xiaowen.

"Pokong Technology Company has set up a Huaqiangbei Business Unit, with Huo Xiaowen as the head. This unit is mainly responsible for supporting the company's strategic development in Huaqiangbei. Huo Xiaowen, we are going to expand into overseas markets next, so your income structure will change. The original profit sharing will be changed to quarterly bonuses, which will definitely be lower than before. But I can assure you that once the equity pool is fully operational, you will be among the first in the technology company to receive stock options. Do you have any objections?"

Huo Xiaowen felt conflicted and remained silent for a moment.

He had been waiting for a permanent position.

Now that I've finally gotten this position, it feels like this role is getting further and further away from my position as chairman of the Chen Xuebing Group.

He was the actual number one employee, someone who ventured into Huaqiangbei with Chen Xuebing.

Seeing his silence, Chen Xuebing knew what he was thinking and laughed, "I'll put it in parentheses: Vice President of the company, the same level as Gou Hongyi, and the same salary. However, you won't be involved in the company's decision-making. Your main job is to handle the follow-up work in Huaqiangbei, okay?"

He didn't want to create so many obstacles for Lu Weibing in the company. Gou Hongyi was already full of ulterior motives, and there was also Lu Yiwen above him. If Huo Xiaowen were to sit in the meeting as well, Lu Weibing would definitely feel like he was being watched everywhere.

Huo Xiaowen has a rough,江湖 (jianghu) personality and doesn't usually spend much money. He even took the initiative to suggest lowering his share of the profits to avoid making others envious.

All he wants is status.

Sure enough, Huo Xiaowen immediately chuckled.

"Okay, Chairman!"

This is the first person to be called Chairman.

Everyone realized that the group was about to be officially established, and the board of directors would soon be formed, so the title of "General Manager Chen" should be changed.

"Ahem, Chairman." Lu Weibing had just arrived and quickly adapted to the change in address, though his expression was somewhat conflicted.

"Breaking Through the Void Technology... doesn't that name... sound a bit off?"

Chen Xuebing smacked his lips.

This isn't the first person to bring this up with him.

Gou Hongyi was even more direct, saying the name sounded like someone who collects junk.

Then it dawned on me that I remembered how I was exploited in my previous life when I was in dire straits. I was so angry that I just wanted to take down the short sellers. I never thought that the people in the company would have to go out and do business under that name.

Stock market stability is enough.

It's better to keep the broken sky in your heart.

Chen Xuebing looked up at everyone.

"So, what name do you think would be good?"

(End of this chapter)