Reborn in 1993, Dark Sea

"Hello Mr. Chen, hello Secretary Xiaoyu!"

Zhao Gang greeted him loudly from a distance, and An Xiaohai quickly got up, went forward, and shook hands with Zhao Gang.

"Mr. Chen, you've worked hard!" Zhao Gang exclaimed. "In you, I see the rare pragmatism, meticulousness, and perseverance of a young entrepreneur."

That's not easy! I'm no match for them.

Actually, I've been watching you guys for a long time, but I haven't come over because I was afraid of disturbing your data collection.

I see you've almost finished your statistics, and it's almost dinnertime. Let me invite you both to dinner; I'm starving! Haha!

"That's good. I'd also like to have a good chat with Mr. Zhao and learn from him. The occasion last time wasn't quite right, so I didn't seize the opportunity. This time, we can have a long talk."

You're older than me, so let me treat you.

"Haha, great! Let's go!"

The three of them found a decent-looking restaurant nearby and booked a private room. Zhao Gang asked An Xiaohai to order, and An Xiaohai ordered three dishes, which Zhao Gang then added to the menu.

During the meal, Zhao Gang didn't talk about work; he just chatted with An Xiaohai about everyday things. It wasn't until dinner was over, when the waiter cleared away the leftovers and replaced them with tea, that the conversation got down to business.

"President Chen, you've been inspecting all day. I'd really like to hear your impressions of Fuwang Grain and Oil," Zhao Gang asked, taking a deep breath and frowning slightly.

Zhao Gang's question improved An Xiaohai's impression of him; it was clear that Zhao Gang genuinely wanted to help Fuwang Grain and Oil prosper.

"Um... Mr. Zhao, would you like to hear the truth?"

"Of course I want to!" Zhao Gang suddenly looked up at An Xiaohai and said, "To be honest with you, I know very well what kind of company Fuwang Grain and Oil is and what kind of fate it will face. I really want to hear your opinion."

"But the truth is often very painful."

"It's okay, I'm not afraid. Speak freely, I won't get angry. I, Lao Zhao, have that much magnanimity!"

"I can accept whatever Mr. Chen says; if you're wrong, just give me a chance to explain."

"Okay, then I'll tell you the truth!" An Xiaohai nodded, his expression serious as he gathered his thoughts before speaking:

"Mr. Zhao, you've seen this scar on my face, haven't you? I'm sure you've heard about it too. It's a scar I got from encountering pirates when I was escorting an LNG ship through the southern waters."

Having experienced life and death, my perspective on many things has changed.

Although the energy business can be very lucrative, it is also extremely risky. One failure could wipe out all your money, so I decided to switch careers and pursue a more stable industry.

After conducting a thorough investigation, I believe the grain and oil industry has great potential for future development, since people rely on daily necessities like rice, oil, and salt.

When I first met Mr. Zhao, I actually had the idea of ​​cooperating with him. However, I knew too little about this industry, so I decided to do some in-depth research first before talking to Mr. Zhao. Otherwise, I wouldn't even be able to find a topic to talk about.

Unexpectedly, fate is truly wondrous. I ran into General Manager Zhao right after finishing my research; it must be destiny.

Zhao Gang nodded repeatedly at An Xiaohai's opening remarks. In the business world, the party in control often chooses to suppress its opponents in order to seize greater profits.

An Xiaohai didn't do that. Instead, he directly expressed his true thoughts, which made Zhao Gang feel very close to him, and the distance between the two instantly shortened a lot.

"My first impression of Mr. Zhao was very good. Mr. Zhao is a pragmatic and sincere person, so I spent some time conducting a fairly comprehensive investigation of Fuwang Grain and Oil."

I have discovered that Fuwang Grain & Oil has several significant advantages that are difficult for other companies to match.

First, Fuwang Grain and Oil has a very complete supply chain, with sales outlets covering the entire Jiangnan region, especially in the Haidong and Haixi provinces, reaching almost all towns and villages.

Secondly, Fuwang Grain & Oil owns all the store properties, which not only provides stability but also saves a lot of costs, becoming a huge competitive advantage.

Third, Fuwang Grain and Oil is of very high quality, which is the reason why Fuwang Grain and Oil has survived to this day. Even if our products are a little more expensive, and even if the service staff in the stores have a little less than ideal attitude, there are still many consumers who will continue to choose to buy from us.

Fourth, Fuwang Grain and Oil has been in business for a long time and is a state-owned enterprise with a very good customer base, so there is no need to spend any more money to gain the trust of consumers.

These are the advantages of Fuwang Grain and Oil that I have summarized.

Of course, Fuwang Grain and Oil has many other advantages, but these are just bonuses, not the deciding factors, so I will omit them for now.

Okay, now that I have this initial impression, I'm thinking about how, if I want to enter the grain and oil market and become a competitor of Fuwang Grain and Oil, I should break down Fuwang Grain and Oil's advantages one by one.

Zhao Gang was stunned. He never expected An Xiaohai to change the subject so drastically.

An Xiaohai ignored Zhao Gang's reaction and continued:

"First, I think it's not difficult to break through the supply chain of Fuwang Grain and Oil."

The supplier issue is easy to resolve; it's simply a matter of price. I have the funds; if I raise the purchase price by five to ten percent, I believe the supplier will sell the raw materials to me.

As for sales, that's easy too. Supermarkets are booming all over the country. I can just go directly into the supermarkets and solve at least a third of the sales problem.

The remaining two-thirds are handled by the small shops and family-run businesses scattered throughout the area.

They can earn 5 yuan by selling one case of Fuwang Grain and Oil, and 10 yuan by selling one case of my product. As long as I can do this, I believe they should know how to choose.

My countermeasures against Fuwang Grain & Oil's first advantage can be summarized in four words: using its own strengths to harm others.

Fuwang Grain & Oil is facing a cash crunch. Even if Mr. Zhao understands my strategy, he can only watch helplessly. Unless new, large capital enters to support Mr. Zhao, but I'm confident I can secure that support.

Secondly, owning the property rights to a store is indeed a great advantage, but it is also a great disadvantage.

We are about to enter an era of rapid urban development. Mr. Zhao should be able to see that new buildings are under construction every day and new business districts are forming every month.

Fuwang Grain & Oil's current store locations are all in very good locations, but what about in three years? Five years? Ten years? That's uncertain! Prime locations may become old and dilapidated.

Let's take Shenhai City as an example. The core of Shenhai City used to be Luotian District, but now it's shifting to Fuhai District.

Compared to Fuhai District, Luotian District has narrow streets, its buildings are starting to look old, and the flow of people is somewhat chaotic. It doesn't look as well-planned as Fuhai District.

The property rights of the store are real estate, which, as the name suggests, cannot be moved, but I will be more flexible;

Third, Fuwang Grain and Oil's products are of good quality, which is indeed a bit difficult to deal with, but not entirely unsolvable.

Take oil products as an example. Your peanut oil, soybean oil, and sunflower seed oil are all of very high quality. As a layman, I don't understand the process or production, so it's really hard for me to beat you in terms of quality.

What should I do? I can use a different approach.

For example, I could develop a new product called blended oil. I could mix all kinds of oils together and tell consumers that this kind of oil is more nutritious and healthier to eat.

This is easy to understand; there's no need to put in the effort to explain it to consumers. They'll naturally assume that a mixture of several oils will have more nutrients than a single type of oil.

Consumers are not scientists; they won't verify anything. They will only believe what conforms to their own understanding. If you try to explain to them that this is wrong, they will get angry and think you have ulterior motives.

Most importantly, by doing this, my product costs have decreased, and I can sell it even cheaper.

Mr. Zhao, if you were a consumer, what would you choose?

Fourthly, regarding product awareness and reputation, this is actually not difficult to resolve.

Now, the reform and opening up has been going on for 20 years. Whether we admit it or not, we all have a certain degree of foreign worship and believe that foreign goods are better than domestic goods.

That makes things easier. I'll go to Hong Kong or some other country to register a company and brand, then make up a story and come back to fight my way back.

I will tell you that my products have been passed down overseas for many years. They use imported raw materials and advanced technology. They are all natural, pollution-free, and meet the strictest international standards.

Then, I'll invite a few well-known figures to speak well of us, and with a period of overwhelming "GG" promotions, Mr. Zhao, tell me, will consumers believe you or me?

"Ah!..." Zhao Gang couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, he was already drenched in sweat!

"Mr. Chen! This...this..."

"Mr. Zhao, don't worry, I was just saying."

An Xiaohai quickly poured Zhao Gang a cup of tea, which Zhao Gang picked up and drank in one gulp. An Xiaohai was terrified, wondering if he had burned himself.

"President Chen, I, Zhao Gang, am truly convinced!" Zhao Gang sighed deeply. "President Chen, you are a man of great experience; I am ashamed of my own inferiority!"

After hearing what you said, I really feel like I've wasted my life!

But Mr. Chen, you can't do this! Fuwang Grain and Oil has tens of thousands of employees, which represents tens of thousands of families! If Fuwang Grain and Oil really goes bankrupt, how will these tens of thousands of families survive?!

Zhao Gang's eyes reddened as he spoke.

An Xiaohai refilled Zhao Gang's tea: "Mr. Zhao, don't worry. The reason I'm sitting here with you today is that I didn't intend to do this."

Cooperation is better than confrontation. Wouldn't it be better for us to run the grain and oil industry together and achieve a win-win situation?

"Yes, yes, yes! Cooperation and win-win! Cooperation and win-win is the best!" Zhao Gang nodded repeatedly.

"However, I have significant concerns about cooperation, and if these concerns are not addressed, I believe it will be very difficult to cooperate."

"What are your concerns, Mr. Chen? Tell me, and if I, Lao Zhao, can resolve it, I will definitely do so! No matter how difficult the situation, nothing can stop me!"

"I think the biggest problem with Fuwang Grain & Oil is not in the industry or the products, but in the people."

"If it were just Mr. Zhao cooperating with me personally, I would be more than happy to do so, and I would even wake up laughing in my dreams. But if other people from Fuwang Grain and Oil are also involved, then it's hard to say," An Xiaohai said with a smile.

"But... I think most of the people at Fuwang Grain and Oil are very good..." Zhao Gang explained, and perhaps because he felt a little guilty, he lowered his head.

"Are most of them really good? I don't think so!"

An Xiaohai shook his head: "The stores below clearly knew that the leaders were coming to inspect today, but they still did whatever they wanted and argued with customers as usual. Is this a good thing?"

For such a large company, the CEO racks his brains every day, humbly seeking funding, yet he doesn't even have a single person accompanying him. Is that really a good thing?

"Mr. Zhao, I'm young and don't understand so many social niceties. Could you explain this to me? How does it work?"