The Chief Detective Inspector is dead. I'm now the top police officer in Hong Kong!

Chapter 81 Taking the First Step: Telephone Sales (24)

The term "telemarketing" involuntarily came to Lin Tiansheng's mind. It was a new type of customer acquisition method that naturally emerged in the market after the maturity of communication networks.

This practice became very common in later generations, and "TV shopping" and "online shopping" are both directions in the development of telemarketing. Those who engage in shady dealings also use methods such as "telephone bombing," "debt collection," and "telephone gambling."

In some areas, services such as "telephone karaoke" and "telephone girls" even emerged. To think of telephone sellers when the Hong Kong Island telecommunications market was just beginning to take off in the 1980s was truly a business acumen.

What's the customer acquisition rate like?

As soon as Lin Tiansheng finished asking, Li Zhongying replied, "Very high. Eight percent are potential clients, and the conversion rate is five per thousand."

"People who can afford a mobile phone usually have a little money, and with the housing market booming, everyone's desire to buy a house is very high. People who weren't originally planning to buy a house are now willing to provide their addresses and accept our flyers."

Lin Tiansheng immediately realized that the telemarketing model had the potential to propel the company to the top of the real estate agency market, and the communication costs were negligible.

He immediately made the decision: "Hire more people, set up corporate communications, and divide the company into two parts. Those with good communication skills and good appearance will be responsible for showing houses, while the rest will sit in the company and make phone calls to sell properties."

"As for luxury home transactions, a dedicated team will handle them. Remember to regularly refine your sales scripts to increase the success rate."

Li Zhongying was just trying out telemarketing and had a taste of success, but it wasn't yet a systematic approach. When she heard the words "sales script," she looked surprised and said, "I understand."

By refining your sales pitch and understanding customer psychology, you can not only increase your conversion rate but also shorten the training period for your employees.

Hire a few thugs to sit at the workstation, pick up the phone, read the words from the book, and you've got a commission of 100,000 or 80,000.

Those who lack eloquence will be eliminated immediately, with additional bonuses; fierce competition will bring huge profits.

"It's easy to recruit people to make phone calls, but it's hard to find phone numbers." Li Zhongying quickly grasped the big boss's strategy, but raised a difficult point.

Why haven't intermediary telemarketing services appeared in the market yet?

Because phone betting, phone escort services, and phone stock purchases all involve customers proactively calling the institutions. The biggest challenge in this cold calling model, where sellers call buyers, lies in obtaining phone numbers.

Currently, the telephone business on Hong Kong Island is licensed and monopolized by Hong Kong Island Telephone Company, with Jardine Matheson holding the largest share.

User numbers are a company trade secret and cannot be disclosed. However, in business, there's nothing money can't buy.

In the internet age, is personal privacy still highly confidential?

"I'll take care of the phone number." Lin Tiansheng said calmly, puffing on his cigar. He knew that the telemarketing business hadn't taken off yet, and no one was spending money on the phone companies.

Since you've decided to take this opportunity, spending money to establish connections is an unavoidable cost.

Lai Chung-ying was just a small client, and the phone company couldn't be bothered with him. Having been frustrated twice, he was invigorated by the news and said happily, "With the phone number, the company's monthly commission income will definitely exceed one million Hong Kong dollars within six months."

A million Hong Kong dollars sounds like a lot, but in reality it's just the commission for twenty or thirty ordinary residential properties. Why is it that generations of people who pursue entrepreneurship always reminisce about the vibrant and upward-looking period?

Because in those days, it didn't matter if you failed your whole life; as long as you seized an opportunity, you could turn your life around and become a big shot!

"If you have a brain, you deserve to make money." Lin Tiansheng walked around the desk, stubbed out his cigar in the ashtray, and stared at Li Zhongying, saying, "Work hard, meet the performance targets, and I'll give you five stock options."

Li Zhongying's heart pounded. He hadn't expected the big boss to be so generous. He quickly replied, "I will definitely seize the opportunity."

To buy a phone number, you definitely have to go through a phone company. Lin Tiansheng didn't know anyone at the phone company, but he wasn't exaggerating; the police's Criminal Intelligence Division always had a good relationship with phone companies.

It wasn't the intelligence department begging the phone company for signal locations; rather, it was the phone company that was laying the lines, which, according to the Security Ordinance, required the police force's approval.

Not to mention the future deployment of fiber optic cables and network cables.
If you're going to do civilian communications, don't even think about bypassing the law enforcement.

Chung Chih-hui, wearing a sports hoodie, was crouching in the back seat of a police car, leading a team to follow up on a drug deal. When he received the call, he readily agreed: "After work, I'll ask a friend to sound me out. It shouldn't be a big problem. There's a manager at the phone company who's a good friend of mine."

Lin Tiansheng wasn't surprised and said with a smile, "You've worked hard. You always keep a record of your affairs when you're with women."

Zhong Zhihui cursed under his breath for being stingy. Seeing the target come downstairs, he asked, "Two for each person, no problem, right?"

"Any five will do."

Lin Tiansheng hung up the phone, and Zhong Zhihui was a little surprised. She muttered, "You're not going? You've been eating too much lately."

With nothing to do in the afternoon, Lin Tiansheng rummaged through the storage room for his fishing gear, hand-made bait, and, carrying his toolbox, drove to Tsim Sha Tsui East. Standing on the breakwater next to Victoria Harbour pier, he joined dozens of other anglers, enjoying a moment of tranquility in the evening breeze.

While waiting for the lever to be pulled, I munched on some bread and silently planned what to do after heading to O-Kee.

In the evening, I put the tools back in the trunk of the car, bought a ferry ticket, and took a ferry to Wan Chai Pier.

Sitting by the dumpling stall, I chatted with Miss Zang and shared a simple street meal with the laborers and students.

The next day, Chung Chi-wai called and smoothed things over with the phone company. The number would cost one Hong Kong dollar, and the delivery could be made to Jardine House the next day.

"Money can make a fool of himself."

Lin Tiansheng chuckled, relayed the business to Li Zhongying, and didn't follow up further. Just when he thought he could relax and enjoy his entire vacation, the four sergeants suddenly showed up at his door at the same time.

"What is it, Wisdom?"

Lin Tiansheng opened the refrigerator and helped the four people get drinks.

Zhong Zhihui lay back on the sofa, spread her arms, and yawned, saying, "You didn't go to prostitutes with me, nor did you take A-Quan to gamble. We couldn't find anyone at the mahjong parlors, horse ranches, cigar bars, or dog meat restaurants. They thought you were dead and came to collect your body."

Chen Anquan said in bewilderment, "Yeah, boss, you took four days off and didn't even play a single game of Pai Gow. It's really worrying!"

"Pick that star, and wish me well." Lin Tiansheng was speechless. He pointed to the fishing gear in the corner, grabbed a can of drink from each of them, and smashed it on their heads: "Speak, what's the matter?"

“Yunzi just got out of the hospital, he really came to see you.” After Zhong Zhihui finished speaking, Deng Gengyun quickly put down his drink and raised his hand to explain: “No, I just came to eat dog meat hot pot on the way.”

"You're all so busy, you never come to see me unless you need something?" Lin Tiansheng said with a disbelieving look, "You're kidding me."

Zhong Zhihui shrugged and crossed his legs: "Boss, do you still remember 'Gandi' from the New Bureau?"

"Chen Yaoxing's henchmen, male or female, big or small, good or bad, those bastards who always say 'fight, fight, fight' before they even open their mouths?" Lin Tiansheng's face was grim as he gripped his drink can. "Damn it, of course I remember. My old Bentley cost three million, and he sold it to me in Singapore for seven hundred thousand. Seeing that I've lost power, he treated us like fools! Fight!"

(End of this chapter)