Feng Yuxuan is also quite reassuring.
In the evening, my brother-in-law was also at home for dinner. Feng Yuxuan said enthusiastically, 'I plan to go for a walk in the nearby clothing wholesale market. If I can get half of them to eat breakfast or lunch in the store, the business will at least be half as good as it is now.'
'There are quite a lot of shops in that market, hundreds of them.'
'There are more than 300 shops, big and small. I went there several times at lunchtime. Most people eat simply, and it's all fast food. We offer affordable, good-tasting, nutritious food. A bowl of noodles with a big piece of pork or beef, and a wheat bun. Even a person with my brother's appetite can eat and be full. Not to mention the people in those shops,' Feng Yuxuan spoke confidently about her idea.
'So do you have any specific ideas?' Feng Zhenchang asked.
'Some people in the market have also eaten in the restaurant. I plan to print another batch of flyers and distribute them door-to-door to see the results.'
'Then it's best to make some disposable paper bowls. They will definitely be unable to leave the restaurant at lunchtime, so we will have to deliver them to them.' Feng Yiping said.
'Well, I've thought about that too. I'll do it when I have an idea,' Feng Yuxuan said. 'Everyone says you have a lot of ideas, Brother, so you should help me think about it again.'
Feng Yiping put down his chopsticks and thought about the practices of those fast food restaurants that he would later go to the store to promote.
'Well, in that case, those who order in the restaurant don't need to pay at the time, they just need to sign for the food when it is delivered. The payment is made at the end of the month.'
Feng Yiping did the same thing later. He had a lot of business cards for delivery services, and when he didn't go out to eat at noon, he would pick up the phone and call one of them. The more regular ones didn't settle the bill at the time, but at the end or beginning of the month. Although the money was not a penny less, this little trick made you feel like you were being treated well.
When settling the bill, you can say a few lucky words to deepen the impression and enhance the relationship. As long as the taste is not too bad, there are still quite a few that will become loyal regular customers.
Although Feng Yiping is not outstanding in sales, he has also learned some insights. Without going into the nonsense of selling refrigerators to Eskimos or combs at Shaolin Temple, as long as it is marketable and appropriate, and you have more contact with the target customers a few times, the chance of a sale is of course higher.
'End of the month checkout, is this reliable?' Feng Zhenchang is a little uneasy.
'I think it's fine,' Feng Yuxuan thought for a moment, 'we're all in business, and eating one meal a day is only about 60 yuan a month, so no one will be embarrassed to pay.'
Seeing how his sister is now, Feng Yiping is very happy.
His sister now has more drive than mom and dad when it comes to work, and she also has more ideas. She doesn't spend money as recklessly as before, and is more restrained. All her other problems have disappeared as well. I'm sure mom and dad would be happy to see this.
As soon as he looked, sure enough, Feng Zhenchang and Mei Qiuping, although they were a little hesitant about what they were doing, looked at Feng Yuxuan in this state and their eyes were full of smiles.
Seeing his family happy and harmonious, Mei Qiuping asked, 'Yiliang, when are you and Cai Hong getting married?'
'We discussed it and set it for next year, around May 1st.' He seemed a little embarrassed to talk about this in front of Feng Yiping's siblings.
'That's good, you'll have a family and we'll have one thing off our minds,' Feng Zhanchang said.
'Yes, you're not an adult until you have a family, and with your personality you need someone to keep an eye on you,' Mei Qiuping said.
After everyone had finished eating, Feng Yiping brought up a topic, 'When I was coming over, I saw that the new long-distance bus station was under construction, and I think it will be ready for use next year. Do you know the exact time, brother-in-law?'
'Is it the new one under construction on Jianshe Road? I'm not sure about that either, but it looks like it's getting close.'
'What do you want to know for?' Mei Qiuping and Feng Yuxuan were tidying the table and interrupted.
'I was thinking that a new bus station like this would definitely have a planned catering area. Should we think of a way to get a piece of it and open a shop there that could replace the ones outside?'
He had also visited the new long-distance bus station a few times. The second floor was the dining area, and there were several Chinese fast food restaurants and Western fast food restaurants such as KFC. Because of the large number of people coming and going, the business of each restaurant was booming.
Moreover, the restaurants were all very large, with the smallest one having more than 100 square meters, not counting the kitchen. The turnover rate was also very high. To say that one restaurant there could replace several outside restaurants was still an understatement.
'Is the investment high?' Although Feng Zhenchang and the others now earn tens of thousands of yuan a month, they are used to being cautious and prudent, and they prefer to play it safe. They would first consider the investment. If the investment is too high, they probably wouldn't agree.
'I'm not sure about that either, but places like that must be expensive. However, the investment is high, but the return is also high. In the station, there are not just morning, noon and evening rush hours, with cars coming and going, people will come and go all day long,' Feng Yiping said.
Feng Zhenchang thought about the many people he saw every time he went to the station, and the various restaurants in the alley behind the current station. He agreed that if they could get a place on a dock like this, their business would be good, and if it wasn't, they would just have failed as people.
'But places like that must be very popular. We don't know anyone and don't have any connections, so I'm afraid it won't be easy,' Feng Yuxuan also stopped cleaning the table and sat down.
This is really their shortcoming. Even if they transfer their household registration to the provincial capital right now, they still have a long way to go before they can catch up with those who were born and raised there, for example in terms of social connections.
Apart from the staff in the store, the landlord, and the Lao Cai family, they don't know many people in the province, let alone those who work in relevant units.
And connections are resources. This is not only a characteristic of our country, but also of all countries, including those in Europe and the United States with developed economies and sound legal systems. In fact, they are even more pure and more naked in this respect than I am. Aren't the many lobbying groups in and out of the courts in Europe and the United States making money by relying on a network of connections?
'First, go directly to the station and find out how it works. Specifically, which department is responsible for attracting investment and leasing storefronts? Once you know that, you can talk about it. Maybe the leasing situation there is not ideal?' Feng Yiping said that would be perfect if that was the case.
'That's easy. Brother, let's find some time in the next couple of days and go there and ask. We're prepared to just hand them the money, so we should be able to find out.' Mei Yiliang said.
'I'm afraid it's useless even if we find out.' Feng Zhenchang was not so optimistic. Nowadays, everything is about relationships.
'Then we'll trouble Boss Cai again. The new station and the furniture factory are in the same district. Boss Cai has a good relationship with Director Wang of the street office. Whenever, ask him to introduce us. Director Wang and the others in the system are always in contact with other departments in the same district, and they must have a lot of acquaintances. Ask him to help us find out from the side.' Feng Yiping said.
'That's easy. The master has a good relationship with Director Wang. However, those people of theirs definitely don't work for free.'
'We know that. Even in your hometown, you have to show some appreciation when you ask someone to do something for you,' Feng Zhenchang said.
This was actually something Feng Yiping had been quite wary of since his rebirth. With dozens of years of memories and many opportunities to make money, he was somewhat resistant to dealing with people in these institutions.
You have to understand that if you put ten businessmen in jail, you may not necessarily get a cadre, but if you put a cadre in jail, you will definitely get a bunch of businessmen behind him.
He wanted to make money, but he didn't want to end up like many of the richest people in the country who had been at the top of their game, just like the richest people in every province and region.
He didn't want to be worshipped, but he also didn't want to go the other way and kneel and lick other people's boots, even if you were a high-ranking official, if you didn't get this opportunity, there would be plenty of others. Besides, it's rare to be reborn once, and of course it's not just about making money and making more money.
However, as long as you are in business, you have to deal with the relevant departments, and this cannot be avoided. For example, if, as it turned out later, these places were also rented out by bidding, then they would still have some chance. But now, for these sought-after resources, even if you offer a higher price than others, you may not necessarily be able to rent them.
Since it is inevitable that you will have to deal with them, you might as well be proactive. Just remember that the point of having connections is not to take advantage of the state and the collective, but to reduce difficulties and obstacles and make things go more smoothly.
As I said before, when you don't have the power, the first thing you have to do is adapt to the environment. If you don't even try, how can you possibly change anything?