Chapter 100: Pull One Hair, Set the Whole Body in Motion

Everyone at Dongling High-Tech was utterly swamped—that was the current state of affairs. Although they had gone through this once before with the electronic pets, the return of such chaos still left Tao Zhiliang feeling utterly overwhelmed.

Inside the Dongling High-Tech Electronics Park, three more production lines for the Shenzhou phone had been added. Digital cordless telephones would not be phased out for at least the next ten years, possibly even thirty.

Once stabilized, the Shenzhou digital cordless phone business could serve as a cash cow, continuously boosting Dongling High-Tech’s cash flow for two or three decades.

Tao Zhiliang had been promoted from production line team leader to production supervisor; he now managed all five Shenzhou phone production lines in the electronics park, constantly increasing output and setting up new lines—no wonder he was always running nonstop.

But for Tao Zhiliang and the other staff in the electronics park, while the work was indeed exhausting, their incomes had risen too: Tao Zhiliang’s fixed salary had jumped to eight hundred yuan, and with position allowances, meal subsidies, transportation allowances, and bonuses, his salary last month exceeded two thousand yuan!

Though this salary still didn’t match foreign enterprises’, Tao Zhiliang was more than satisfied—even civil servants in Pingyang City or even provincial capital workers earned far less than he did, not to mention the various bonuses Dongling High-Tech gave him: washing machines, air conditioners, and more.

Other production staff earned less than Tao Zhiliang, but on average, their pay still surpassed a thousand yuan—all thanks to the relentless increase in output and the ability to sell every unit.

Even with salary raises and rewards like color TVs, washing machines, air conditioners, and refrigerators given to top employees, the Shenzhou phone’s cost remained far lower than Siemens’, which is why Shenzhou could afford to pay its European sales staff such high commissions.

To continuously increase output while ensuring product quality, wages and bonuses must be guaranteed for production staff—you can’t ask the horse to run without giving it grass; there’s no such thing in this world!

“Recruit people fluent in English, German, French, and other languages as soon as possible, and dispatch them to Zhang Ao!”

At Dongling High-Tech headquarters, Li Dongling told Ren Yuefeng: Zhang Ao was expanding across the entire European market, and manpower was critically short; compared to Siemens, Shenzhou’s foundation in Europe was extremely weak.

Even if they wanted to build a team in Europe, it would take time; Xiangbizhixia , sending a group from China for support would be much faster. For the Shenzhou phone, time was money—they had to seize the telephone market at the fastest possible speed!

“We’ve already published public recruitment notices through multiple media outlets and newspapers. If not for the language requirements, we’d probably have filled all positions already!”

Ren Yuefeng said. He wasn’t worried about finding enough people fluent in English, German, or French—China never lacked talent; the only question was the cost and effort to recruit them.

This was an era of overseas fever—countless people were desperate to go abroad, mostly aiming for study abroad. That’s why training institutions like New Oriental were so popular: the main reason was that after training, the probability of going abroad increased significantly.

Those eager to leave dreamed of living in big villas, buying nice cars, and enjoying the modern lifestyle they imagined.

Even if they failed abroad and returned home, every major institution, state-owned enterprise, and private company would fight to hire them. Even university graduates were now precious—let alone returnees. Some organizations and companies even proudly advertised how many returnees they employed, using it as proof of their strength.

Under this social climate, it was obvious why so many wanted to go abroad—it was genuinely profitable. Who would do something with no benefit?

Against this backdrop, Shenzhou’s recruitment for overseas office staff, paying salaries at European wage levels, would inevitably attract a flood of applicants.

Since the ads were published, the application centers Shenzhou set up in Yanjing, Shanghai, and Pengcheng were practically trampled underfoot—long queues formed daily from morning till closing, and even after closing, people refused to leave, because getting sent abroad through Shenzhou was infinitely better than risking their own luck, which might take years before they ever made it overseas.

This Shenzhou recruitment for overseas staff was even seen by many as a life-changing opportunity—a once-in-a-lifetime chance they were willing to fight tooth and nail to seize.

As for whether those recruited by Shenzhou would run away after arriving overseas, Li Dongling wasn’t worried. Shenzhou paid them according to local wage standards—wouldn’t that be more than what they’d earn working illegal jobs washing dishes?

“Zhang Ao’s sales team and network in Europe must be preserved. We owe him a great deal for this!”

“Indeed!” Hearing Li Dongling’s words, Ren Yuefeng couldn’t help but feel a pang of admiration. Zhang Ao was truly the kind of warrior who could fight hard battles—his performance in Europe had completely exceeded his expectations.

Ren Yuefeng felt that only in China’s current wild, untamed era could a figure like Zhang Ao emerge. Someone from Hong Kong or elsewhere would have done brand research, market surveys, and then simply given up without even fighting—because on paper, Siemens held an unbeatable hand; no matter how you played, they were destined to win.

But who could have imagined that Zhang Ao had literally torn the teeth from a tiger’s mouth, directly confronting Siemens and even overturned it, gaining the upper hand? Yet Ren Yuefeng glanced at Li Dongling—he knew Zhang Ao dared make such a bold move only because of Li Dongling’s full support.

Paying thirty dollars commission per phone sold—would Frankel dare? He’d get fired the moment he suggested it. But Zhang Ao did it—Li Dongling granted him full authority. Only Ren Yuefeng knew how much support Li Dongling had poured into Zhang Ao—unlimited, cost-no-object backing—that’s how Zhang Ao could keep fighting Siemens!

“Dongling High-Tech must establish its own sales channels and retail stores in Europe and America!”

Li Dongling said to Ren Yuefeng. In this battle with Siemens, Shenzhou had been far too passive—if not for the buzz created by the Shenzhou phone, giants like Metro, Carrefour, and MediaMarkt would never have stocked it.

This was an era where channels ruled. To sell products, you had to go through retail chains like Metro, Carrefour, Walmart, Best Buy, and Fula Electronics. Even in the e-commerce era, these channels might weaken, but they would never vanish.

Even if we must wait for the e-commerce era, Dongling High-Tech couldn’t just sit idle for the next twenty years doing nothing. Without its own sales channels, future product launches overseas would face the same predicament—again and again, held hostage.

Ren Yuefeng nodded solemnly. He had already recognized the weakness of lacking overseas sales channels back in Hong Kong—but establishing such a network wasn’t easy, or else someone in Hong Kong would have done it long ago.

“To build our own overseas sales channels and retail chains, we need massive investment—this is heavy asset investment. We also need sufficient brand recognition and suppliers!” Ren Yuefeng reminded Li Dongling.

Opening stores overseas required purchasing land, renovation, hiring staff, and most importantly, recruiting major appliance brands as suppliers to ensure steady inventory.

“Besides building stores ourselves, we can also acquire existing retail outlets. No matter the cost, Dongling High-Tech must have its own overseas sales channels!”

As for inventory, once Dongling High-Tech’s channels are established, sufficient supply will naturally follow!

Li Dongling wasn’t worried about supply. In the future, no global store would be without Chinese-branded refrigerators, washing machines, dishwashers, or ovens—every Chinese appliance brand wants to go overseas. Once the stage is set, the performers will come.

“For now, Dongling High-Tech’s primary focus is domestic and European markets—establish sales channels there. Once firmly rooted, we’ll enter North American and other markets.”

Li Dongling understood Ren Yuefeng’s concerns—too much investment could drag down the entire company. With just the domestic and European markets, Dongling High-Tech’s retail stores could survive.

As for North America and other markets, competition was fiercer—with giants like Walmart and Best Buy. Without adequate preparation, rushing in could lead to devastating losses. Fighting those American titans demanded extreme caution.

…

“Ronaldo, you’re going to get rich!”

Ronaldo, just after finishing a match, was pulled away by Martins in the locker room. Seeing the excited expression on Martins’ face, Ronaldo had rarely seen such emotion from the usually calm man.

“Do you know how many companies want you as their spokesperson? Adidas, Nike, Reebok, Puma—all want you!”

“And dozens of other companies—alcohol, apparel, automobiles, coffee machines—all want to sign you. Starting today, you’ll become a walking money printer in football!”

Martins couldn’t hold back. Shenzhou phone’s hot sales in Europe had turned Ronaldo from a toxic endorsement into a golden opportunity.

More importantly, this endorsement broke Ronaldo out of his niche. Previously, football stars only endorsed sports gear—but now Ronaldo was endorsing a phone, a product outside sports. The more Shenzhou sold, the more it proved Ronaldo’s selling power in Europe. Whether or not this was his true strength, countless brands were willing to believe it. Since Shenzhou’s monthly sales figures were released, Ronaldo’s value had skyrocketed.

Hearing Martins’ words, Ronaldo grinned, revealing his two large front teeth. Like Martins, he now only wanted to praise Shenzhou—not just for the endorsement, but because his next transfer fee, boosted by his commercial value, would set a record never seen before!

“Quick, Ronaldo, we’re attending a Shenzhou phone promotion event today—we’re running late!”

Martins dragged Ronaldo out the door. During every free moment, Martins had been dragging Ronaldo around, tirelessly holding signing events to promote Shenzhou phones—more dedicated than even Shenzhou’s own staff. He did all this not for Shenzhou, but for Ronaldo and himself: the more Shenzhou phones sold, the higher Ronaldo’s endorsement fee, and the greater Martins’ commission. He was earning dollars for himself!

(End of Chapter)