Rebirth 04: Starting from Taking an Unconventional Approach

"I couldn't convince her." Lu Yiming gave a confident and experienced smile. "I asked her, 'What questions do your customers ask you most often?' She said many mothers ask, 'My child is three years old, what characters should they learn?' She couldn't answer because she didn't understand education. I made her a simple chart showing which characters each age should recognize, and I also designed a small display stand for her next to the cashier. She just needs to point to that display stand when customers ask."

Han Fei raised an eyebrow, a slight smile appearing on his face. He picked up a pen and wrote a single word on the interview evaluation form: Wild. Then he looked up at Lu Yiming.

"Qingniao is now launching a magazine in rural towns. If you were in charge of Songjiang and Qingpu districts, what would be your first step?"

Lu Yiming rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger: "I won't start distributing magazines right away. I'll go and visit them first. I'll spend three days visiting every outlet in both districts that sells magazines—newsstands, small supermarkets, general stores, even the village shops—to see what they're selling, how well they're selling, and what kind of people the owners are. After talking to them, I'll have a clear understanding, and then I'll determine different distribution strategies based on the situation of each outlet."

"For example?"

"For example, newsstands next to train stations have high foot traffic, but customers are mostly passersby who buy magazines to pass the time. These places are suitable for magazines like 'Story Club,' which you can easily pick up after flipping through a couple of pages. Our magazine is fine there, but we need to pay attention to turnover rate; if it doesn't sell, we need to replace it promptly. Another example is small supermarkets in towns, where customers are locals who might buy magazines to take home. These places are also suitable for our magazine because the content is continuous; readers who buy the first issue will be looking forward to the second. As for places like village convenience stores, there aren't many people on weekdays, but the foot traffic increases during holidays. They're not suitable for permanent placement, but we can put out a batch of magazines before the holidays for holiday marketing."

Han Fei nodded and wrote the character "透" on the interview evaluation form.

"You previously worked in educational materials, so you've dealt with publishers, printing plants, and logistics companies. Qingniao's magazine printing is currently done at the second factory; do you think costs can be further reduced?"

"Yes," Lu Yiming said without hesitation, "but not by lowering the printing factory's price. The printing factory's profit margin is already very low, and if we lower it further, the quality will be compromised."

"Then how should we apply pressure?"

"We can reduce logistics and warehousing costs. Qingniao currently delivers by renting its own vehicles, which is not only costly but also inefficient. If we could distribute the magazines to towns and villages through the postal service, the cost could be reduced by at least 30%. The postal service has the most mature network in towns and villages, but many people don't know how to use it."

Have you ever dealt with people from the post office?

"Yes, we did. When we were distributing educational supplements, we cooperated with post offices in several counties in northern Jiangsu. In addition to delivering newspapers, they also wanted to expand their business, and magazines were a category they were willing to accept."

Han Fei closed the resume, thinking that he might have found a talent who was a perfect match for Qingniao.

"Start work next Monday. Your salary will be 15% higher than your previous job. There will be a one-month probation period. Any questions?"

Lu Yiming smiled slightly and stood up: "No problem. Thank you, President Han."

......

The person who applied for the initial review position for one-line submissions is named Lin Xiaohe. According to her resume, she is 23 years old, a local, and graduated last year from a junior college with a major in publishing and distribution. She previously worked as a customer service representative at an online bookstore for six months, leaving because she "wanted to do work closer to content."

Han Fei felt immediately upon seeing her that she was very suitable for the position, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why. Perhaps it was because of her oversized red T-shirt and tight jeans, and the way she used pink socks as a hair tie—these elements made her look clever and witty.

"When you worked in customer service at an online bookstore, what kind of readers did you interact with every day?"

“All sorts of people,” Lin Xiaohe said. Han Fei noticed she emphasized the word “all.” “Some are looking for out-of-print books, some are asking about shipping times, and some are complaining that the courier damaged the books. But most of them are asking for book recommendations.”

"So how would you recommend it?"

"I'll first ask them what they've been reading lately and what kind of books they like, and then recommend some books in a similar style based on what they say. If they can't clearly say what they like, I'll ask them about a TV series or movie they've recently watched and look for clues from there."

Han Fei nodded. He would look for clues. This girl must be a mystery enthusiast, or at least it proved she was passionate about solving puzzles.

"Let me give you an example," Han Fei said.

"Hmm... For example, if someone says they like watching 'The Grand Mansion Gate,' I can deduce that they might be interested in family feuds and changes in the times. I would recommend 'White Deer Plain' or 'Wives and Concubines.' If they say they like watching 'Kangxi Dynasty,' then I would recommend historical novels, such as 'The Broken Golden Cup.'"

How many books have you read?

"Uh, not many." Lin Xiaohe made a face. "But I've read all the books by Ellery Queen, Agatha Christie, Seishi Yokomizo, and Cheng Xiaoqing that have been published in Chinese. Oh, and I also subscribe to the *China Reading Weekly*, and I read book reviews on the 'Leisurely Book Talk' section of Tianya Community. I know what readers care about, which stories are suspenseful, which plots are infuriating, and which will make them cry."

"You guessed right," Han Fei thought to himself, "perfect score." He picked up an A4 sheet of paper and handed it to Lin Xiaohe.

"These are the fifty one-line submissions that were initially rejected from the past week. Find three that you think shouldn't have been rejected and tell me why..."

Lin Xiaohe made a gesture to indicate that she understood and no further explanation was needed. She took the paper and began to read.

Three minutes later, she looked up and pointed to one of them.

"This one. The year my dad broke his leg at the construction site, my mom carried a cement bag up to the sixth floor by herself and cornered the foreman in his office. This one was probably rejected because it was too short and didn't have a complete plot. But I think it has a complete dramatic structure. Events, characters, actions, conflicts—it has everything. If the author were to develop it, it could be a great work on the theme of tracing one's roots."

"And the second one?"

“Look,” her finger slid across the paper, “every year on Qingming Festival, the old bachelor in the village would go to the west end of the village to burn paper money. When someone asked him who he was burning it for, he wouldn’t answer. Later, he died, and the villagers found a photo under his pillow with the words ‘Wait for me’ written on the back.”

"Hmm," Han Fei said, "this one was eliminated because someone else had already written a similar story. What unique originality do you think this one possesses?"