A Tale of Two Cities Supporting Xinjiang

Another week passed, and Batur prepared to return to Xinjiang.

The night before he left, he did one last practice session in front of Lao Yang.

This time, he spoke entirely without notes, his expression natural, his eyes firm, and his words fluent and powerful.

From tracing the origin to showcasing the quality, from after-sales support to closing techniques, everything is done seamlessly.

After reading it, Old Yang was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Xiao Ba, you've graduated."

Batur's eyes welled up with tears: "Teacher Yang, I..."

"Don't get sentimental."

Old Yang waved his hand and said, "Remember a few things when you get back: First, you must prepare before each live broadcast, but don't just memorize them."

Second, interact more with the audience and answer questions sincerely;

Third, after-sales promises must be kept; reputation is built up little by little.

Batur nodded emphatically: "I will definitely do it."

"And another thing," Old Yang said finally, "your advantage is your authenticity."

You truly raise crabs and genuinely understand them; that's something those middlemen can't compare to.

Maintaining authenticity is more important than any rhetoric.

On the plane back to Xinjiang, Batur flipped through his notes from this period.

On the page about live-streaming scripts, he added a line of his own reflection:

The best rhetoric is not about how eloquently you speak, but how sincerely you speak.

Gaining a customer's trust is more important than getting them to listen to you.

Batur Abujiang arrived at Ding Xuemin's residence. "Director Ding, the cold chain packaging material is the biggest expense. Teacher Yang said we need to use food-grade EPP insulated boxes. Although ordinary ones are cheaper, their insulation effect is half as good."

There are also phase-change ice packs, with different specifications depending on the different transportation routes...

Ding Xuemin raised her hand to stop him: "I believe the list that Lao Yang made."

The problem is—

He flipped to the second page of the budget sheet. "Why buy such expensive warehousing equipment—scales, temperature monitors, sorting stations?"

"Old Yang said that cheap thermometers have a large error, which may be two or three degrees, and that can be a matter of life and death for crabs."

Batur hurriedly said, "The sorting table should be made of stainless steel, so it's easy to clean and prevents cross-contamination..."

"What about the operations training part?"

Ding Xuemin pointed to the last item, "Twenty-four thousand yuan, just to buy some filming equipment and lighting?"

Batur blushed: "Yes...it was for the live broadcast."

I'm taking this picture with my phone now, so the image quality isn't good. Old Yang said customers need to see the details of the crab clearly before they can trust the product...

After thinking for five minutes, Ding Xuemin finally spoke, "Batur, do you know why I voted for your project?"

Batur shook his head.

"It's not because you're particularly good at raising crabs; there are plenty of people who are good at raising crabs."

Ding Xuemin said, "It's because when you came to see me, you brought those complaint records with you."

You didn't hide anything, you didn't make excuses, you just said I messed up, but I really wanted to do well.

Batur felt a lump in his throat.

"This budget, over 100,000, is no small amount."

Ding Xuemin pointed to the report in his hand, "I can approve it, but there are a few conditions."

"You say, I'll agree to any conditions."

"First, this money will be given to you as a personal loan, with a formal contract signed."

Ding Xuemin said seriously, "After making a profit from online sales, repayment will be made first."

"Until the debt is paid off, you need to show me the financial statements every month."

Batur nodded vigorously: "Of course!"

"Second, every expense must be recorded."

Ding Xuemin took a thick notebook out of the drawer and pushed it over. "It's not just a simple total record. It's a detailed breakdown of every expense, including when it was purchased, from whom, the unit price, the quantity, and why it was purchased. Make sure you have the invoices. Take a picture and send it to me every weekend."

Batur took the notebook; it felt heavy in his hand.

"Third, and most importantly."

Ding Xuemin stood up, walked to the window, and turned her back to him. "This money must be spent wisely. If I find out you bought something you shouldn't have, or sold inferior goods at inflated prices..."

He turned around, his eyes sharp: "Then not only will our cooperation end, and the loan be repaid immediately, but I'll also make sure you can no longer work in this industry. Understand?"

Batur stood up straight, "Director Ding, if I waste a single penny, you don't need to tell me, I'll get out of Xinjiang myself!"

Ding Xuemin looked at him for a while, then suddenly smiled: "Sit down, don't be so nervous."

He walked back to his desk, picked up a pen, and signed the budget sheet: "Go find Xiao Liu in finance. The money will be in your account before you leave work today."

Remember, compare prices from at least three different suppliers when buying materials. Don't just buy whatever brand Old Yang recommends; choose the cheapest option for the same quality.

"I understand!" Batur's voice trembled with excitement.

"Also," Ding Xuemin added, "learn what Lao Yang taught you well, but also use your brain. He's an expert, but you're the one who knows Xinjiang crabs best. Adapt to the actual situation, don't just blindly apply what he teaches."

Batur nodded emphatically, taking those words to heart.

Before leaving the office, Ding Xuemin called out to him, "Batur."

"Director Ding?"

"Failure is not terrible; what is terrible is not daring to try again."

Ding Xuemin said, "I'll cover for you this time, but only this once."

Next time something goes wrong, you'll have to take the blame yourself.

Batur gripped the budget sheet and notebook tightly in his hands: "There won't be a next time, Director Ding."

At 4 p.m. that day, Batur received a text message from the bank – 100,000.00 yuan had been deposited into his account.

His palms were sweating as he stared at the string of numbers.

He had never handled so much money before.

Taking a deep breath, he dialed the first number on the supplier list given to him by Lao Yang.

"Hello, is this Manager Wang?"

I am Batur from the Xinjiang Tianshan Crab Farm, introduced by Lao Yang.

I'd like to inquire about the price of EPP insulated boxes...

The person on the other end of the phone gave a price.

Batur opened his notebook and took careful notes: "You mean the kind that is 3.5 centimeters thick, food grade, and molded in one piece, right?"

Do you have a test report?

After receiving an affirmative answer, he asked, "If we order 300 at once, how much discount will we get?"

How are shipping costs calculated?

To Urumqi, Xinjiang...

He hung up the phone and immediately dialed the second supplier on the list. He wanted to contact three suppliers for the same product.

Old Yang taught me three principles for purchasing: ask three suppliers, compare quality, and negotiate price.

By the fifth call, Batur was no longer so nervous.

He even learned how to bargain: "Mr. Li, your price is 15% higher than Manager Zhang's. Although you say the materials are better, do you have any actual data to prove that the insulation time is indeed longer?"

At 6 p.m., he compiled the quotes from five insulated box suppliers, listed them in a table, and carefully compared them.

The cheapest one is 0.3 cm thinner; the most expensive one only improves insulation performance by 5%, but costs 20% more.

He ultimately chose the one with the middle price range—the price was reasonable, it had a complete quality inspection report, and it agreed to pay 70% upon delivery, with the balance to be paid after the goods were inspected and accepted.

In his notebook, he neatly wrote:

On September 12th, the intention to purchase insulated boxes was expressed.

Supplier: Xinhua Packaging

Specifications: 3.5cm EPP food grade

Unit price: 48 yuan/piece (tax included)

Quantity: 300

Total price: 14400 yuan

Reasons for choosing this product: Best value for money, comes with a third-party testing report, and offers flexible payment options.

Note: Sample delivery has been agreed upon. The contract will be signed after the insulation performance is tested upon receipt.

After writing this, he took a picture and sent it to Ding Xuemin.

Less than five minutes later, Ding Xuemin replied: "Okay. Use a temperature recorder for the test, measure continuously for 48 hours, and send me the data."

Batur replied, "Received, will definitely conduct the test!"