Soul Returns to Hong Kong: From Tailor Shop to Richest Woman

After the first batch of 500 color TVs completed the aging test, Yingchuang held its first pricing meeting in the conference room.

There are three forms on the table.

One document contains production costs, another contains suggested retail prices for distribution channels, and the third contains a comparison of competing products compiled by Xu Jianlan, the sales manager, after two sleepless nights.

Xu Jianlan handed the data to Lin Ying: "Boss, let me clarify first, this number is not something I made up."

Lin Ying picked up the cost sheet and looked at it. The total cost of the whole machine was 15,500 yuan.

Chen Guodong, sitting next to him, said, "This cost is more than two thousand higher than we originally estimated."

Li Jia immediately explained, "Don't blame me! The price of special glass has gone up, and the fluorescent powder is even more outrageous. When the supplier quoted the price, I almost thought he was selling a family secret recipe."

Liu Ya flipped through the test report: "And cheap fluorescent powder won't work; it degrades too quickly, the color goes off, and after-sales service is even more troublesome."

Liu Yang nodded: "The driver board is expensive, and the TV signal decoding module is even more expensive! Boss, we're not making TVs now, we're stuffing money into TVs."

After reviewing the three statements, Lin Ying asked, "If we calculate based on normal gross profit, what would be a suitable retail price?"

After thinking for a moment, Chen Guodong said, "Thirty-six thousand eight."

Liu Yang looked completely bewildered: "Thirty-six thousand eight? Mr. Chen, you just said RMB, right? Not ghost money, are you?"

Liu Ya calculated: "An ordinary worker has a base salary of 300 yuan a month. If he doesn't eat or drink for more than 120 months, that's ten years! Ten years to buy a TV; order it when the child is born, and pick it up in full when the child enters junior high school."

Chen Guodong also felt the pressure: "Ms. Lin, once this price is released, the market reaction could be huge."

Lin Ying also felt some pressure: "The first batch won't be sold at 36,800."

Liu Yang breathed a sigh of relief: "I knew it, the boss still has some humanity."

Lin Ying: "The initial listing price was 29,999."

Liu Yang: "If it's one yuan less, does that mean it's not 30,000 anymore?"

Lin Ying looked at him and said, "I have confidence in my product! Consumers have a different psychological experience when they look at the price."

Chen Guodong readily accepted: "At this price point, we can only go through high-end channels; ordinary home appliances are not suitable. We need to go to high-end appliance stores, hotels, clubs, and some corporate procurement."

Lin Ying nodded: "It wasn't originally intended for ordinary families to buy as their first purchase."

Liu Ya looked at her: "Won't we get scolded?"

"meeting."

"They'll say we're overpriced, asking why domestically produced TVs are priced this high, and that I'm obsessed with money."

Liu Yang muttered to himself, "This might be true."

Lin Ying looked at him.

Liu Yang immediately changed his tune: "I meant, they're too superficial."

Lin Ying continued, "But that's where the cost of this TV lies! Special glass, phosphor, drive system, decoding module, heat dissipation structure—none of them are cheap."

"We're not just reskinning low-end phones and selling them at high prices."

"Since the product is positioned as high-end, the price cannot be lowered by itself."

Upon hearing this, Chen Guodong said, "Then the promotional direction for the press conference also needs to be changed. We can't focus on cheapness; we need to focus on image quality, stability, design, and the source of the technology."

Li Jia added, "There's also lifespan testing; we can release some of the aging data."

Liu Ya immediately said, "It's fine to release it, but don't write out the entire testing process. Otherwise, our peers will want to learn from it."

Lin Ying wrote down the pricing list and handed it to Chen Guodong and the sales team. "Make the plan according to this; the first batch of 500 units, 300 units for domestic sales, 100 units for export samples and displays, and the remaining 100 units for key customers to try out and for after-sales backup."

Chen Guodong wrote it down: "Understood."

After the meeting, Lin Ying returned to her office and made an international call, first to Lucas.

The call connected: "Lynn? You finally remembered me? I thought you'd been kidnapped by the TV factory."

"Almost." Lin Ying flipped through the documents. "The first generation of Yingchuang large-screen color TVs is finished. I'm going to send you ten units."

Lucas immediately perked up: "Ten units? Sell them to me?"

"It's not for sale, it's a demo unit; you can use it for a new product launch, so start by targeting high-end channels."

Lucas asked, "How much?"

"The official price is 36,800, and the initial listing price is 29,999."

Lucas fell silent.

Lin Ying asked, "Why aren't you saying anything?"

"I'm converting it to US dollars."

Lucas readily agreed: "I'll sell it for a higher price. After all, this is a new form of television technology, so a higher price isn't the issue."

Lin Ying reminded him, "You should complete the authorized sales procedures first. I'll have Chen Guodong fax you the certification documents."

"Leave it to me," Lucas said. "Once the ten units arrive, I'll hold a small launch event in New York. You just need to prepare the goods and wait for my good news."

After hanging up, she called Claire again.

After hearing the price, Claire said, "Lynn, you've finally learned how to make money off the rich."

Lin Ying leaned back in her chair: "You sound very pleased."

"I'm very pleased. The Western market isn't afraid of high prices. I've already seen your TV in person, and I'm confident I can get it into high-end department stores and private home theaters."

"I'll give you ten units first."

"Too little."

"Claire, my first batch is five hundred units."

Claire: "Then produce the second batch as soon as possible!"

Lin Ying: "For overseas licensing agreements, you and Lucas each operate in your own markets and cannot undercut each other's prices."

Claire laughed: "Don't worry, I won't compete with that Wall Street deserter for food."

Lin Ying: "He will be very sad if he hears you calling him that now."

The procedures on both sides were progressing quickly; Chen Guodong, along with the legal and accounting staff, worked overtime to complete the authorization contracts, after-sales responsibilities, transportation insurance, and prototype lists one by one.

The banquet hall in Shenzhen has been booked, and representatives from the Investment Promotion Bureau, distributors, and owners of several high-end department stores and electronics stores will be attending.

Lin Ying had thought these past two days would be all busy, but to her surprise, as soon as she entered the factory area in the morning, the security guard called her office: "Ms. Lin, there is a Mr. Wen looking for you at the gate."

Lin Ying was taken aback: "Wen Xu?"

Five minutes later, she saw people at the factory gate.

Wen Xu, dressed in a simple white shirt and carrying a small suitcase, stood under the Yingchuang Technology sign.

Liu Yang had just come out of the testing building when he saw him and almost dropped the documents he was holding: "Engineer Wen? What brings you here?!"

Wen Xu looked at him: "Can't I come?"

Liu Yang: "Of course I can come. It's just that your appearance was so sudden that my heart didn't give me any advance warning."

Lin Ying walked over and said, "I thought you were very busy."

Wen Xu switched the bag to his other hand: "The mission was completed well, and the higher-ups have given us seven days off."

Lin Ying smiled: "Let's go, I'll show you around."

After entering the factory, Wen Xu first looked at the production line, then the testing building, and finally went to the materials laboratory.

He talked to Lin Ying about many things: glass supply batches, phosphor life curves, driver board yield, aging test time, and the proportion of after-sales spare parts.

It was already afternoon when Wen Xu finished touring the entire factory area; he sat in the conference room, reviewed the press conference agenda, and looked at the pricing list.

"Twenty-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine?"

Lin Ying asked, "Do you think it's expensive?"

Wen Xu put his watch down: "Televisions are expensive, but technology and innovation are not; there will naturally be people who appreciate them."