Reborn Industrial Tycoon

Chapter 285 Li Weidong, the master of settling accounts (two chapters in one)

Cook strolled between the various exhibition areas. The large tractors and various novel agricultural machinery caught his eye.

"Japan's agricultural machinery classification is indeed very detailed. Compared with it, our American agricultural machinery seems a bit rough!" Cook looked at each exhibition area with interest.

American Cook is one of the many visitors to the Hokkaido Agricultural Machinery Show, but unlike ordinary spectators, Cook is a serious buyer.

The trading company where Cook works is mainly engaged in the trade of small agricultural machinery, and household lawn mowers are within Cook's business scope.

Cook has visited several home lawn mower booths before, including Nakamura, Honda, Mitsubishi, Sanyo, Bosch, etc., but Cook has not yet decided which lawn mower manufacturer he will place an order with.

At present, it seems that Nakamura and Honda's lawn mowers are the most satisfactory to Cook. Nakamura and Honda's lawn mowers have low engine noise, high stability, and long blade life.

Bosch lawn mowers are also within the scope of Cook's consideration. The quality of German products can still be trusted. The only problem is that the price of Bosch lawn mowers is a bit expensive.

Price is an important factor that Cook considers. If it were not for the bargain, Cook would not have to fly all the way to Japan to see the Hokkaido Agricultural Machinery Show. He could just buy an American lawn mower.

The cost of manufacturing in the United States is still very high, at least much more expensive than manufacturing in Japan. Even if the "Plaza Accord" caused the exchange rate of the yen to rise, it greatly offset the advantages of manufacturing in Japan. However, manufacturing in Japan is still cheaper than manufacturing in the United States.

.

Cook was wandering around and unknowingly came to Li Weidong's exhibition area. There was a promotional poster hanging in the most conspicuous position of the exhibition area, with a line of English on it: "we are the last!"

Cook was stunned for a moment, then laughed.

"Haha, this promotional poster was written incorrectly, we are the best, instead we are the last, but the exhibitor didn't notice it! I'd better go up and remind him!"

So Cook walked forward, and when he got closer, he realized that the exhibit here turned out to be a household lawn mower.

Li Weidong saw Cook and immediately greeted him.

"Sir, how can I help you?" Li Weidong said in an American English accent.

Cook was stunned for a moment, thinking that it was not easy to hear normal American English in Japan.

The English pronunciation of Japanese and Koreans is quite strange. For many native English speakers, it is quite difficult to understand the English of Japanese and Koreans.

There is no pronunciation of f in Korean. Koreans will pronounce f as p, so Koreans will say "fake squid" in English as "fake squid", which means Koreans even curse in English.

Not standard.

There is no r sound in Japanese pronunciation, so Japanese people will pronounce r as l. More importantly, Japanese people are accustomed to transliterating English instead of phonetic transliteration.

For example, when Chinese people learn the pronunciation of the sentence "good" in English, they learn it according to the English phonetic symbols, while when Japanese people learn this sentence in English, they will literally translate the pronunciation. When the sentence reaches the Japanese, it becomes "good".

Mo Ning".

It is precisely because of this habit of transliteration that the Japanese pronunciation of English is very weird. The English spoken by the Japanese is difficult for people from other countries to understand except the Japanese themselves.

For Cook, an American, listening to Japanese people speak English is like a chicken talking to a duck. It is a very painful thing. Now that he has met someone who can communicate normally, Cook instinctively developed a liking for Li Weidong.

.

This is just like when we see a foreigner who speaks Chinese very well, we can't help but say a few more words to him.

Cook pointed to the promotional poster and said, "Your promotional poster was written incorrectly. We are the best was written as we are the last!"

Li Weidong looked back and replied with a smile: "This poster is not wrong. It is indeed we are the last, not we are the best!"

Cook originally wanted to ask if you knew what we are the last meant, but then he thought about it. He speaks fluent American English, so of course he knows what this sentence means.

Cook showed a puzzled expression: "Why would you hang such a promotional poster!"

"Because we are indeed the last one!" Li Weidong smiled quite proudly, and then said: "The organizer conducted an agricultural machinery evaluation before, and our household lawn mower ranked last in the agricultural machinery evaluation.

score!"

"Uh..." Cook showed an awkward and incomprehensible expression.

"Last place? Isn't it the worst! With such a result, shouldn't you be ashamed of yourself? Why are you so proud? Isn't the last place worthy of pride?

This must be a very embarrassing thing! You even made a special promotional banner and hung it up! Isn’t that embarrassing enough? We are the last! Are you afraid that others won’t know that you are the last?” Cook couldn’t help complaining in his heart.

Li Weidong asked: "Sir, are you surprised why I would hang such a promotional poster?"

Cook nodded: "I don't think finishing last in an agricultural machinery review is something worthy of publicity."

"Because my lawn mower has the best price/performance ratio." Li Weidong said confidently.

"What's your price/performance ratio?" Cook asked.

Li Weidong pointed to a lawn mower next to Cook and said, "This is our flagship product. The price of this lawn mower is US$400!"

"400 US dollars, so cheap!" Cook was slightly surprised,

Lawn mowers of other brands are generally priced at more than 800 US dollars. For example, the Nakamura lawn mower that scored 98 points was quoted as high as 1,000 US dollars.

As for American lawn mower brands, if they are also priced at US$1,000, their overall performance is not as good as Nakamura's lawn mowers.

For a moment, Cook was really shocked by the price. It was half off, which was a killer price!

"I have to calm down, cheap products are not good products! Japanese products were like this more than ten years ago. Although the prices were very cheap, the quality was very poor. There are also Korean products now, the prices are also very cheap, but they are all inferior products.

If you buy it back, it will break down in a few days! The cheap lawn mower in front of you must be like this too!"

Cook forced himself to calm down, and then said: "The price of 400 US dollars is indeed very cheap, but the quality of your lawn mower should only be 400 US dollars, right? Otherwise, it would not be available in the lawn mower market.

Won the last place in the agricultural machinery evaluation.

You have to know that a product is useless if it is only cheap. The quality of the product is also very important. For consumers, they will like cheap products, but they will also value the quality of the product.

.If the price is cheap but there is no quality to speak of, consumers will not pay the price.”

Li Weidong smiled slightly: "Sir, do you know why my lawn mower ranked last in the agricultural machinery evaluation?"

"Because the quality is not as good as other brands of agricultural machinery." Cook replied simply.

"Then do you know what aspects are inferior to other brands of agricultural machinery?" Li Weidong asked again.

"Well, I have to give it a try to find out," Cook said.

"No need, I'll tell you directly!" Li Weidong pointed to the lawn mower in front of him and said proudly: "The main problem is the lawn mower blade. Our blades have a service life of about 7 hectares!"

Cook was stunned again, mainly because of the seven-hectare life span and Li Weidong's proud expression.

"With a service life of 7 hectares, what is there to be proud of? The service life of other brands of lawn mowers is more than 15 hectares! Nakamura's lawn mower has a blade service life of 20 hectares, which is almost 20 hectares.

Yours is three times as much!" Cook complained again in his heart.

At this time, Cook even wondered if he had met an Indian who started to feel elated just after completing one-third of a task, as if he had achieved great success;

The tail is raised to the sky, and it can last for a hundred and eighty years! When the probe loses contact with the moon, you can boast that "our lunar exploration plan has been 99% successful."

So Cook said, "Seven hectares is not an excellent figure! As far as I know, the blade service life of other brands of lawn mowers is at least 15 hectares!"

Li Weidong still had a smile on his face. He changed his voice and asked: "Sir, judging from your accent, you should be American!"

"Yes, I am an American!" Cook nodded.

"Then how big is your courtyard?" Li Weidong asked again.

"About 2,000 feet!" Cook added: "I live in Los Angeles!"

The 2,000 feet Cook mentioned refers to square feet. The United States and the United Kingdom do not use international units, but imperial units. Such as miles, inches, etc.

Housing prices in Los Angeles are relatively high in the United States. Cook is obviously showing off that he has a villa with a 2,000-square-foot yard in Los Angeles.

Li Weidong deliberately showed an envious expression and said at the same time: "I think most Americans don't have a yard of more than 2,000 feet!"

Hearing Li Weidong praising himself, Cook also smiled with satisfaction.

But Li Weidong continued: "Sir, let me do the math for you! A 2,000-foot yard is equivalent to 185 square meters. Although there is an error, it is about the same!"

1,000 square feet is equivalent to 92.9 square meters. In other words, the so-called thousand-foot mansion in Hong Kong dramas has an area of ​​less than 100 square meters. Most middle-class houses in mainland China should be larger than this.

Just listen to Li Weidong continue: "If your 185-square-meter yard is full of lawns, and you need to mow the grass twice a month, then the area you mow every month is 370 square meters. One year

12 months, that is 4440 square meters!

1 hectare is equal to 10,000 square meters. If you use my lawn mower, how long will it take you to use up the service life of 7 hectares? The answer is 189 months, which is 15 years and 9 months! Sir, you

Do you think that if an ordinary person buys a lawn mower, it will last for 15 years and 9 months?”

Cook was slightly startled. Although he was a trader of household lawn mowers, he had never thought about this problem.

Li Weidong saw that Cook had been bypassed by himself, so he took out the calculator and pressed it while saying: "We calculate according to this standard, if the service life of the lawn mower blade is 15 hectares, then 405 can be used

months, that is, 33 years and 9 months!

At present, the longest lifespan of the lawn mower blade at the exhibition reaches 20 hectares. Calculated according to the same standard, the service life is 540 months, which is a full 45 years!

If you buy such a lawn mower, you can definitely leave this lawn mower to your grandson as an inheritance, but I think your grandson will not be willing to pay inheritance tax for an antique lawn mower!

"

Li Weidong's speech was not fast, but Cook's thinking could not keep up. At this time, his mind was filled with the number 45 years.

Li Weidong continued: "Sir, your home has a large yard of 2,000 feet, but I think most American families don't have that many yards, right? And in winter, the grass in the yard will not grow, so mowing

The frequency of use of lawn mowers is not as high as the example I gave.

I think the lifespan of a lawn mower is simply a false proposition. For an ordinary family, a lawn mower will only be used for five or six years, and will be replaced no more than ten years at most! No one will replace a lawn mower.

A domestic lawn mower has been used continuously for twenty or thirty years. The blade service life of my lawn mower is 7 hectares, which is enough to meet the needs of every American family!

You can imagine, spending a thousand dollars to buy a lawn mower and replace it with a new one after five years of use, or buying a lawn mower at half the price and replacing it with a new one after five years of use. Which one is more cost-effective? So?

I just said that my lawn mower is the most cost-effective!"

According to data released by the National Association of Home Builders, the average size of an American home is 2,700 square feet, which is the floor area of ​​the house but does not include the garage.

In other words, it is impossible for the vast majority of American families to have a large yard of 2,000 square feet. Those who can have such a large yard are probably mansions with an area of ​​more than 5,000 square feet.

In the continental United States, except for Florida, winters are relatively cold in other places. Even in the southern state of Texas, there is still heavy snow in winter, leaving Texas residents without electricity.

In winter, when plants don't grow and Americans don't need to mow their lawns, lawn mowers are completely idle.

Calculated in this way, even Li Weidong's cheap lawn mower has a blade life of only 7 hectares, which is enough for the average American family to use for 20 or 30 years. But if the Nakamura lawn mower has a blade with a lifespan of 20 hectares, it can really be used as a family heirloom.

!

Even if the blade of the lawn mower really lasts for twenty or thirty years, the engine of the lawn mower may not last that long.

After twenty or thirty years, the engine has already aged!

Although there are many classic cars in the United States that are 40 or 50 years old and still on the road, they are based on adequate maintenance and multiple overhauls.

However, who would regularly maintain a household lawn mower when they have nothing to do? No one would overhaul a household lawn mower that has been used for ten years. If this thing is worn out, just buy another one.

Therefore, in actual use, household lawn mowers have been used for 20 to 30 years.

As a trader of household lawn mowers, Cook obviously had not thought of this before. After all, in the eyes of ordinary people, the more durable the product, the better.

The manufacturers of that era also always had solid and durable porcelain as a very important standard.

For example, radios produced in the 1950s and 1960s can still be used in 2020; televisions produced in the 1970s and 1980s can still be used in 2020; refrigerators produced in the 1990s can still be used in 2020.

Companies of that era probably didn't realize that products would be updated rapidly and customers would need new products.

The companies of that era did not understand that if the product never broke, customers would not replace it. Who would the new products produced by the company be sold to?

After Li Weidong settled the accounts, Cook finally figured it out!

"Why didn't I think of this before? I just thought that the longer the blade life of a lawn mower, the better, but I didn't expect that household lawn mowers would not use such long-life blades! A 7-hectare blade is suitable for home lawn mowing.

It’s more than enough! It would be a complete waste to build 20 hectares.

Moreover, the quoted price of this 7-hectare lawn mower is only 400 US dollars, which is not half the price of other products. I brought this thing back to the United States and sold it for 700 to 800 US dollars, which is equivalent to 200 to 300 US dollars cheaper than similar products. It is so big.

If the price difference is high, it will definitely sell well!”

At this time, Cook had already developed a great interest in Fukang lawn mowers.

Cook took out a business card from his pocket and handed it to Li Weidong.

"We should get acquainted. My name is Justin Cook, and I am in the small agricultural machinery trade!"

…

After a series of bargaining, Cook purchased 20,000 Fukang lawn mowers for $7.7 million.

An order of less than 8 million US dollars is not considered a big order at an agricultural machinery show. Agricultural machinery is still relatively expensive.

A medium-sized Kubota tractor can buy two Santanas and you will still be rich. The price of one of New Holland's top high-power tractors can be exchanged for ten Porsche Cayennes.

For something like a large combine harvester, just order a few units and spend millions of dollars.

If supplied at this price, it is equivalent to selling each lawn mower for US$385, which is a relatively satisfactory price for Li Weidong.

Selling lawn mowers at the Hokkaido Agricultural Machinery Show is different from selling car seat cushions or air fryers at the Canton Fair.

At the Canton Fair, Li Weidong sold car seat cushions and air fryers as his own business. With no competitors, he could naturally charge a high price to pursue higher profits.

However, when selling lawn mowers at the agricultural machinery exhibition, Li Weidong has many competitors, and the products of his competitors are much better.

If Li Weidong wants to sell goods, he can only engage in a price war. If other agricultural machinery manufacturers also launch cheap lawn mowers in the future, Li Weidong will continue to cut prices and carry out the price war to the end.

…

The agricultural machinery exhibition of the day was over, and each exhibitor packed up their things and left the exhibition site one after another.

President Nakamura was also walking towards the exhibition gate. At this moment, a voice suddenly called him.

"President Nakamura, please wait a moment!"

President Nakamura looked back and saw that the person who stopped him was none other than Saiki from the Honda lawn mower.

"It's Saiki-kun!" President Nakamura stopped.

Qi Mu took two quick steps, came to President Nakamura, and said, "President Nakamura, congratulations!"

President Nakamura was slightly startled: "Saiki-kun, what can I congratulate you for?"

"The American customer Cook, his order should have been placed with your Nakamura Co., Ltd.!" Saiki said.

"Didn't Cook's order go to your Honda?" President Nakamura asked.

"Cook just came to our booth and walked around, and then left. He did not place an order!" Qi Mu paused and then said: "So, Cook's order was not given to you?

President Nakamura shook his head: "No! Cook's order was not given to you, nor to me. Did they give the order to Mitsubishi?"

"Mitsubishi's Ikeda-kun is over there, we can ask!" Saiki said, looking at a man not far away, and said: "Ikeda-kun, can you come over here for a while?"

Ikeda immediately came over, and the two of them also asked Ikeda about Cook.

"Cook, are you talking about the American? He came to our Mitsubishi booth, but he only tried our lawn mowers and did not place an order! We still have some Mitsubishi lawn mowers, such as Nakamura and Honda.

No, I thought Cook would definitely place the order for you!" Ikeda said.

"None of the three of us have orders, so who did Cook give the order to?" President Nakamura said with a frown.

"Could that Cook have given the order to the Germans or Americans?" Qi Mu said immediately.

President Nakamura immediately shook his head: "Cook himself is an American. If he wants to purchase an American lawn mower, he can do it directly in the United States. There is no need to go to the Hokkaido Agricultural Machinery Show.

As for giving it to the Germans, it is possible. After all, the quality of German lawn mowers is still very good. But I have learned about the German quotations. Compared with our Japanese companies, the German quotations have no advantage at all! Cook

Couldn't have chosen a more expensive price!”

"Don't make blind guesses. Can't we find out if we call and ask? The organizer will count the transaction volume of the day every day, so the organizer must know who Cook placed the order to!"

Ikeda said, took out his mobile phone from his pocket and dialed a phone number.

After all, Ikeda was from Mitsubishi, so he still had some cards, and soon he found out the news.

"I asked the organizer's staff to check for us. Today, Cook placed an order worth 7.7 million US dollars. The product purchased is Fukang's Fukang household lawn mower!" Ikeda said.

"Fukang? I've never heard of it! Which country is it from? Do you know this company?" President Nakamura asked.

The two people opposite shook their heads at the same time.

Saiki immediately suggested: "The evaluation results of the lawn mower should be posted on the bulletin board. There is company information on the score sheet. We can go over and take a look and find out."

The three of them came to the bulletin board together. There were fifteen companies in one table, and after reading from beginning to end, they found Fukang Lawn Mower.

"Only 60 points? Last place!" President Nakamura exclaimed.

As the top student with the highest academic performance, President Nakamura could not imagine that he would be snatched away from the order by the bottom student.

Next to him, Qi Mu also exclaimed in surprise: "This is a Chinese company!"

Two-in-one chapter, thank you all for your subscription, thank you for your monthly votes! It is true that a high-power New Holland tractor can replace ten Cayennes. So the question is, why did you buy a Lamborghini sports car?

()