"Why not buy one and give it a try?"
Luo Yingshu looked a bit disappointed. "A radio costs at least thirty or forty yuan. I'd better take a look first."
When the storytelling program on the radio finished a chapter and everyone was still eager for more, the store owner cheerfully turned down the volume all of a sudden.
"What do you guys think of this radio?"
"Great!"
"I think it's pretty good. It's much better than the old - fashioned one at my home."
After listening to the store's program, there were quite a few people echoing the praise.
The store owner shouted, "Hey, I've always said that there are no sub - standard goods here. The radio in my hand uses imported parts and the best varnish. You can even use it as a nice little ornament at home. And its functions are no less than those well - known brands from Shanghai. And don't those brands cost thirty or forty yuan in the department store?"
"How much is yours then?"
"The radio in my hand, with high - end imported parts, doesn't cost forty, not even thirty. Today it's only twenty yuan!"
It was still quite expensive.
Many people in the crowd began to lose interest.
Twenty yuan was no small amount.
Moreover, this wasn't the goods from a big department store. Just because he said it used imported parts, did it really? What if it broke down in a couple of days after they bought it? Who could they turn to?
At that time, there was hardly any concept of after - sales service. If you bought a defective product, you had to accept your bad luck.
The store owner could tell what they were hesitating about just by looking at their expressions.
He patted his chest confidently. "Don't worry. I know what you're hesitating about. I don't know about others, but here, we definitely won't do one - time business. For all the radios bought here, we offer a three - month replacement and one - year repair service! I'm making this guarantee right here!"
People around looked at each other and were speechless for a long time.
A three - month replacement and one - year repair service was unimaginable even in a big department store.
Someone raised doubts. "You're not trying to deceive us, are you?"
"Yeah, what if you don't replace it later?"
The store owner stared wide - eyed. "What are you talking about? Do you think I can run away with such a big store? And even if I leave, you can still go to Huaxing Electronics Factory. This radio is produced by their factory. If you take their product there, they'll repair it for you!"
Someone in the crowd realized. "Hey, I think I've heard of this factory. It's near my neighborhood."
The store owner showed them the radio. "Take a look. It's the Huaxing brand radio. Remember this brand."
Hearing this in the crowd, Li Chuchu was stunned for a moment.
Huaxing. Wasn't that the electronics factory taken over by Shen Yanshan?
She remembered that the Huaxing brand radio was originally supposed to be launched on the market in May next year. She didn't expect it to be launched so much earlier...
Luo Yingshu couldn't resist the store owner's promotion. Her curiosity was immediately piqued. "This sounds pretty good! It even comes with repair and replacement services?"
Many people in the crowd were tempted, but twenty yuan wasn't something they could just decide to spend on a whim. At this time, the store owner said mysteriously, "It's just a small thing to use this radio for listening to stories. Do you know what's more important?"
"What?"
"Is there anyone here with a child preparing for the college entrance examination?"
A few people in the crowd raised their hands in response.
The store owner continued, "This radio can not only be used to listen to stories but also to learn English. The English tapes have the most fluent foreign accents. If a child listens and practices often, their English scores will surely be better than others. And this radio is small in size. You can listen to it wherever you go, even on the way to school. Isn't it more convenient than other things?"
"And if all the other kids have one and yours doesn't, won't your child fall behind right from the start?"
Sure enough, nothing works better than appealing to parents' concerns about their children. The first step to selling a product is to create demand.
Li Chuchu sighed silently. The person who came up with this sales pitch really understood human nature.
Seeing those who were just hesitating make up their minds immediately, one person said, "I'll take one. Get me one."
"Sure thing."
When it comes to buying things, people tend to follow the trend. Once one person buys, others will get jealous and want to buy too. Even those who already had a radio at home felt that theirs was not as good as this one. Even Luo Yingshu squeezed forward to join in the fun.
The store owner was grinning from ear to ear while collecting money.
Someone in the crowd asked distrustfully, "Will you really repair it if it breaks?"
"Sure, we'll repair it. We'll repair it."
The store owner smiled.
Anyway, he didn't have to pay for the repairs. He just had to send it back to the factory. These business methods and sales pitches were all taught by a person named Sun Shanjun from Huaxing Factory. He didn't expect them to work so well.
Just as Luo Yingshu squeezed into the crowd, she watched helplessly as the last radio was bought by an aunt carrying a basket. The aunt said happily, "My son will take the college entrance examination next year. He'll be over the moon when I take this back for him."
The store owner had only got fifteen radios from the factory.
Unexpectedly, they were all sold out in less than a day.
He made three yuan for each radio, so he made forty - five yuan all at once.
Luo Yingshu came out of the crowd looking disappointed. Li Chuchu asked, "What's wrong?"
"I didn't get one. They're out of stock."
Li Chuchu comforted her. "Never mind. We'll come back and have a look next time."
Shen Yanshan was really good at marketing. Such a business strategy was no less effective than those of some modern businesses. It would be hard for such a person not to succeed.
On the way home, Luo Yingshu felt more and more uneasy. "I didn't really want it at first, but now that I didn't get it, I just can't stop thinking about it. Do you think they won't have such good things in the future?"
The more she thought about it, the more she regretted not leaving the store owner's phone number.
She should have been the first one to get it when the next batch of goods arrived.
Li Chuchu pursed her lips and smiled. "This is also one of their strategies. They deliberately make some people unable to buy it to create an illusion of supply falling short of demand. That's why the more you can't get it, the more you want it."
Luo Yingshu didn't care about this. She was still worried. "It can't be like that, right? How can they make money that way? I think they're just out of stock."
Li Chuchu just smiled and didn't insist on explaining further.
When they got home,
Li Chuchu sorted out the things she bought at the department store today, cooked the meal, and waited for Shen Yanshan to come back for dinner. Shen Yanshan had been coming back a bit later these days, but he usually wouldn't keep her waiting for too long.
Sure enough, just as the clock struck eight and the food on the dinner table was still steaming, there was the sound of a bicycle being parked outside. The rattling of the chain and the steady footsteps came through the crack of the door.
Hearing the noise outside, Li Chuchu sat patiently at the table, waiting for the door in front of her to open.