The fierce struggle among the major families did not affect Li Yi, who was currently busy preparing for the launch of his clothing line!
Ever since Ye Jianhua’s wedding, Li Yi had been staying at the cotton mill’s guesthouse with Jiang Longcheng, devoting all his energy to preparing for the clothing sales.
An Hong and Director Tan were in charge of production, while Sun Feng led the sales department in promoting the clothing and establishing distribution channels.
Jiang Longcheng was in charge of coordinating the cotton mill’s manpower and resources, providing full support to Li Yi.
As for Li Yi himself, he was in charge of setting up the specialty stores in the city.
At the same time, Li Yi formulated a detailed sales plan and had Jiang Longcheng select 20 young female factory workers from the cotton mill who were articulate and had a pleasant demeanor. He personally provided comprehensive training to these workers.
He understood very well that for a clothing store to succeed, in addition to the clothing itself being sufficiently attractive, a team of skilled salespeople was also crucial.
To be honest, in Li Yi’s view, the sales staff at both the supply and marketing cooperatives and the various large department stores currently fell far short in this regard.
The salespeople at the supply and marketing cooperatives and department stores today were not ordinary employees; they were the elite with secure, lifelong jobs.
In comparison, the ordinary people coming to shop were the underdogs.
Just think about the signs hanging there in plain sight that read “No Hitting or Yelling at Customers”—it’s no wonder the staff in such stores have a poor attitude toward ordinary people.
Clearly, this is not the kind of sales staff Li Yi is looking for.
With no qualified salespeople readily available, Li Yi had no choice but to train a team himself.
And so, as the days passed in a flurry of activity, January 15 arrived in the blink of an eye.
After nearly two weeks of rushing to meet the deadline, the two specialty stores in the city were finally finished.
By this point, there were less than 20 days left until the Lunar New Year.
Under these circumstances, Li Yi put the launch of the clothing line on the agenda.
……
Cotton Spinning Mill. Small Conference Room!
The small conference room was now packed with people. Aside from Jiang Longcheng and Li Yi, An Hong, Director Tan, Sun Feng, Xu Taofang, and others had all arrived, filling the room to capacity.
Once everyone was present, Jiang Longcheng immediately said, “Everyone’s here, so let’s get started!”
Upon hearing Jiang Longcheng’s words, the room fell silent.
Jiang Longcheng then glanced at Li Yi and said, “Brother-in-law, why don’t you take the lead?”
Li Yi didn’t hesitate and immediately said, “Comrades, I’ve called everyone here today primarily to get an update on how each department is operating and to discuss the product launch!”
“Director Tan, since your workshop oversees production, please give us an update on the product’s production status!”
Upon being called upon by Li Yi, Director Tan did not dare to delay. He immediately stood up and said, “In our workshop, including the temporary workers we’ve brought in, a total of 436 people have been working day and night to ramp up production. During this period, it’s basically been a case of ‘people rest, but the machines don’t.’”
“So far, we’ve produced over 40,000 pairs of pants, over 30,000 batwing shirts, 20,000 wool coats, and 40,000 Zhongshan suits. We’ve used up a third of our raw materials, and we expect to have completed about two-thirds of production by the Lunar New Year!”
Li Yi nodded and said, “Very good. I’m very satisfied with your pace, but speed alone isn’t enough—you must also ensure product quality!”
“Rest assured,” said Director Tan. “Every garment undergoes two rounds of manual inspection, and we only proceed with packaging once we’ve confirmed there are no issues!”
“Good!”
Li Yi then asked, “Section Chief Sun, how is the promotion going on your end?”
Sun Feng, the Sales Section Chief, replied immediately, “Our team has visited over fifty counties and districts in Beijing, Tianjin, and northern Hebei Province for promotional activities. Currently, supply and marketing cooperatives and department stores in 22 of these counties and districts are willing to stock a trial batch of our garments to see how they perform!”
“If sales go well, they’ll continue to stock our products; if not, then in the future…”
Although Sun Feng didn’t finish his sentence, everyone in the conference room understood exactly what he meant.
Li Yi nodded and said, “That’s normal. It’s the same for everyone—if they can make a profit, they’ll naturally continue the partnership; if they can’t, they certainly won’t want to waste their time and energy!”
“Hmm, but during this promotional period, quite a few people have shown genuine interest in our clothes. I’m sure the results won’t be any worse once we officially launch!”
After all, having worked in sales for so many years, Sun Feng had a keen eye for these things.
Li Yi nodded, then turned to An Hong and asked, “Sis, how are things coming along on your end?”
A few days ago, Li Yi saw that the production workshop was basically running smoothly, so he transferred An Hong to the Wangfujing boutique and appointed her as the temporary store manager.
An Hong replied immediately, “Our store is almost ready—we’re just waiting for the clothes to arrive and the grand opening!”
“Manager Xu, what about your Dong’an store? Are you ready?”
Li Yi was addressing Xu Taofang, the manager of the Dong’an Market boutique—the very same “factory beauty” from the original garment production workshop.
The reason he chose her for this position was, in part, because this “factory beauty” was indeed stunning.
Don’t get the wrong idea—it wasn’t because Li Yi had any ulterior motives. It was mainly because the factory’s clothes looked absolutely stunning on her.
Just having her stand in the store was the best advertisement—more effective than any sales pitch.
On the other hand, when Li Yi was selecting the sales team for the flagship store a while back, he specifically transferred her there.
After getting to know her, Li Yi realized that this factory beauty, Xu, was not just a pretty face—she was highly capable.
Upon getting to know her better, he learned that she was not only a high school graduate but had also spent time working in the countryside in a certain town in Northeast China.
She spent four years in the Northeast and had only returned to Beijing two years prior.
To have survived in the harsh, frigid conditions of the Northeast, she was certainly more than just a mere figurehead.
Xu Taofang immediately stood up and said, “Our store is all set and ready to open at any time!”
“Excellent!”
Li Yi then stood up and said, “Comrades, everything is ready—we just need the final push. We’ve been working hard for so long; it’s time to put our plans to the test!”
“I’ve decided: we’ll spend today making final preparations, and the flagship store will officially open tomorrow morning. At the same time, the factory’s wholesale channels will officially open!”
Hearing this, everyone in the conference room felt a surge of excitement.
After all these days of hard work, the launch was finally here—it was time to see the fruits of everyone’s labor.
Just then, Jiang Longcheng suddenly asked, “Brother-in-law, have you decided yet how much our clothes will sell for?”
Li Yi replied immediately, “Bell-bottoms are priced at 15 yuan, batwing shirts at 12 yuan, wool coats at 30 yuan, and a Zhongshan suit set at 20 yuan!”
“Whoa!”
At those words, everyone present couldn’t help but gasp in shock.
Good grief, those prices were simply too high.
Take a standard Zhongshan suit, for example. A set requires about 12 feet of fabric, and a foot of fabric costs roughly 35 cents. That means the material cost for a single suit is no more than 4.20 yuan.
Add in the cost of buttons and labor, and the total would definitely not exceed 6 yuan.
Now Li Yi was asking for 20 yuan—more than triple the cost.
Take bell-bottom pants, for example. The market price for a pair of ordinary pants is definitely no more than 6 yuan.
Even if the style of the bell-bottoms is particularly novel, they’re still just a pair of pants—yet he’s asking for the exorbitant price of 15 yuan.
In short, Li Yi’s pricing left everyone present genuinely shocked and baffled.
“Bro-in-law, isn’t this price a bit too high?” Jiang Longcheng asked with a frown.
“It is a bit pricey, but that doesn’t mean no one will buy them. The price is set. Now let’s discuss the grand opening!”
Li Yi immediately added, “Director Tan, as soon as this meeting is over, arrange for the finished garments to be shipped out and make sure to keep proper shipping records!”
“Yes!”
“Sister-in-law, Store Manager Xu, after the meeting, transport some of the clothes to the store and get everything ready for the grand opening. We’ll open on time tomorrow morning!”
“Yes!”
“Old Li, have your finance team move into the cotton mill immediately and take over the financial operations of the garment workshop!”
“Yes!”
“And the sales department—you need to…”
…….