Chapter Twenty-Nine: Promotion

Thinking about the large sum of money that would come in at the end of the month, Zhou Xuan was in exceptionally high spirits.

The next day, Zhou Xuan’s third uncle arrived in the county, and Zhou Xuan brought him home. He then called Wei Lian over, and the three of them discussed the promotion of the Internet café management system.

“Wei Lian, this is my third uncle, Zhou Changxing. Uncle, this is Wei Lian, a top student from Rongcheng University of Science and Technology. Wei Lian will guide you through the business for a while.” Zhou Xuan introduced them to each other and hoped they would work well together.

According to Zhou Xuan’s plan, Wei Lian would be responsible for the internet company’s affairs, while his third uncle, after some training, would handle the management system for internet cafés and eventually oversee the chain cafés.

After their introduction, Zhou Xuan turned to Wei Lian and asked, “Wei Lian, before the New Year I asked you to contact your classmates and alumni from the university. How did that go?”

Wei Lian replied, somewhat embarrassed, “I need to admit my shortcomings. I reached out to more than ten classmates and alumni, but only two who are currently struggling agreed to come. The rest either refused or avoided the topic.”

Zhou Xuan was not surprised by this answer. Wei Lian had nothing to show yet, so it was hard for anyone to trust him based solely on his words.

He gave Wei Lian a reassuring look and comforted him, “Don’t worry about it. When you arrive in Rongcheng, recruit there. University graduates aren’t guaranteed placements anymore. If they learn that the monthly commission can be at least several thousand, there’s no doubt they’ll come.”

Wei Lian said, “You’re right. If they don’t come now, they’ll regret it later.”

“By the way, I'll give you two ten thousand yuan in a bit. Go buy yourselves good suits and two phones. When you’re out promoting, you need to project confidence so others recognize our strength. If you do well, getting a car won’t be a problem in the future.”

Upon hearing Zhou Xuan’s words, both men were so excited they could hardly speak. Wei Lian, being a top student accustomed to the world, managed to stay calm. His third uncle, however, couldn’t contain his excitement and exclaimed, “Really? Boss, you’re too generous!”

Hearing his uncle call him “boss,” Zhou Xuan was a little speechless. “Uncle, why are you so excited? You should learn from Wei Lian. Don’t let your performance fall too far behind or you’ll be embarrassed.”

His uncle was a bit impatient by nature, so Zhou Xuan felt it necessary to remind him, lest he become overly ambitious.

His uncle chuckled, “Got it, boss.”

As for the promotion strategy, Zhou Xuan had already thought it through and spoke without hesitation.

“Here’s what you’ll do: over the next couple of days, visit every computer room and internet café in the county and have them install our management system. After February sixth, you’ll head straight to the provincial capital to begin promotion. Recruit staff directly in the capital, conduct training, then split into pairs and promote by district. The base salary for salespeople is set at two hundred yuan per month, with a commission of two hundred yuan for each system sold. Wei Lian and my uncle will oversee the capital’s promotion, with Wei Lian receiving a two hundred yuan commission and uncle one hundred fifty yuan. In other words, for each system promoted, settle with me at two thousand four hundred fifty yuan. Of course, after you move to the capital, you’ll need to cover lodging, meals, and transportation, which will be reimbursed monthly with receipts.”

Zhou Xuan wasn’t worried about anyone cheating. Each management system’s server would connect to Zhou Xuan’s software center via the internet.

This center could monitor the number of systems installed, the number of connected computers, allowing Zhou Xuan to know exactly how many copies had been sold. It could also handle upgrades, broadcast messages, and add new functions.

During promotion, salespeople would also encourage computer rooms without internet access to install network cables and provide online services. Internet cafés were the trend; Zhou Xuan was confident the owners would see the opportunity.

Hearing Zhou Xuan’s commission plan, Wei Lian and his uncle were fired up. Even if they sold a hundred systems in a month, that would mean ten or twenty thousand yuan—and surely, they’d sell more than that.

Zhou Xuan glanced at his uncle and said to Wei Lian, “Wei, I’m counting on you to guide my uncle. Start by familiarizing yourselves with promotion in the county. Once you’re in the capital, recruit salespeople together and each manage different areas. After conquering the capital, let the best performers expand into other cities and counties. You can negotiate commissions with them; I can let go of one hundred fifty yuan, so you only need to bring in two thousand three hundred per system. To promote the system quickly, it depends on the ability of your recruits, so don’t be stingy.”

If you want the horse to run, you must feed it well. Zhou Xuan didn’t want salespeople slacking off because of commission issues, so he gave them advance notice.

Wei Lian understood well, “Boss, I know. I’m not someone who lacks discretion. You can trust me.”

Seeing Zhou Changxing call Zhou Xuan “boss,” Wei Lian felt it inappropriate to call Zhou Xuan by name anymore. From this moment forward, he would be working under Zhou Xuan. Regardless of their relationship, proper etiquette was necessary at work. He also knew that Zhou Xuan bringing his uncle in was partly to help family and partly to foster competition.

“Alright, first collect the fees from the trial clients. The ten thousand yuan is your startup fund. Once you buy phones, save my number. If you encounter trouble in the capital, call me immediately,” Zhou Xuan instructed.

His uncle didn’t think much of this, but Wei Lian was startled—did Zhou Xuan have connections in the capital? He recalled how he had been bullied by Fat Luo, and within a day, Zhou Xuan had settled the matter. Fat Luo even came to apologize—what kind of connections must Zhou Xuan have?

In Wei Lian’s mind, Zhou Xuan was always mysterious, and his respect for him only grew.

Not only in Rongcheng, but even in the imperial capital, Zhou Xuan had connections. These connections stemmed from the three people he rescued at Heizhugou. Wang Ximing and Zheng Cheng were from the provincial capital, and Jiang Yun was a scion of a noble family in the capital. They would gladly help with any small matter.

On the first day of the year, all three had called Zhou Xuan, expressing their gratitude and saying that once Jiang Yun fully recovered, they would come to thank him in person at Rongzhou after the holiday.

Zhou Xuan agreed, telling them they were welcome anytime.

After settling arrangements with Wei Lian and his uncle, they went off to work. Zhou Xuan then fine-tuned the small issues he’d noticed over the past few days, ready to release the official version of the internet café management system.