Reborn Industrial Tycoon

Chapter 400: Playing the after-sales card (please subscribe)

In the mid-to-early 1990s, after-sales services in the home appliance industry were basically limited to large and medium-sized cities.

Some relatively large home appliance brands will set up service outlets in large and medium-sized cities, but small cities are beyond their reach.

And small brands don't have "after-sales service" at all. Once the things are sold, there's nothing else to do.

The country passed the "Product Quality Law" in 1995. Since then, there has been a three-guarantee service of "guaranteed repair, guaranteed replacement and guaranteed refund". However, it took more than ten years for the "Product Quality Law" to be truly implemented.

time.

Before the "Product Quality Law", if a home appliance malfunctioned, you had to consider yourself unlucky and find a roadside home appliance repair shop to repair it yourself. Therefore, in small cities or cheap towns of that era, there were basically home appliances near large family homes.

Repair shop.

For the home appliance industry, the 1990s was also an era of "sturdiness and durability". The basis for people to judge the quality of home appliances was whether they were durable and easy to break down.

Because manufacturers do not provide after-sales service, customers have to pay for repairs when products are damaged. Home appliances that last a long time and are not easily damaged will naturally reduce customers' maintenance costs, so it is easier to gain a good reputation.

Many of the home appliance brands that were abandoned in the 1990s were ruined by people's reputation. Because the quality control of the products was not strict and they were too easy to damage, people often had to spend money to repair them themselves, which invisibly increased the cost of use.

The reputation of the product naturally collapsed.

Those home appliance companies that have survived past the 1990s are basically companies that value quality.

After entering the 21st century, domestic home appliance brands gradually began to establish after-sales outlets across the country. At this time, major home appliance brands entered a period of competition for after-sales service, and door-to-door repairs with a phone call became the most basic operation.

It is precisely because in the early to mid-1990s, there was no after-sales service in the home appliance industry, so Li Weidong decided to directly use the after-sales brand to deal with those low-priced off-brand soymilk machines.

Li Weidong is still very confident about the quality control of Puppy Electric, so he dares to shout out the slogan that if it breaks down within three years, it will be replaced with a new one.

In an era when there was no after-sales service, the slogan "replacement without repair" if something breaks down within three years would definitely surprise everyone. After all, other home appliance brands haven't even established a warranty system yet!

Replacement without repair is also an after-sales service model that is very suitable for small household appliances.

Small household appliances are small in size, light in weight, easy to transport, and do not require installation. If something breaks down, the customer can go to the store to get a new one with the invoice.

Under this system of only replacing but not repairing, every outlet and channel that sells soymilk machines has also become Li Weidong's after-sales outlet. Li Weidong only needs to bear the cost of transportation, and does not need to spend a penny other than that.

A huge after-sales network can be built.

If it were a major appliance, this after-sales service model would not be available.

Large appliances are large in size and weight, and are inconvenient to transport. Some of them require installation before they can be used. If they are only repaired but not replaced, transportation alone will be a huge cost.

For example, household appliances such as air conditioners need to be disassembled, which is very troublesome. However, any machine involving a compressor will inevitably affect its performance after being moved.

Li Weidong dared not only replace it but not repair it within three years. In addition to having confidence in his own quality control, he also knew that the quality of those other brands of soymilk machines was not good.

Miscellaneous brands of soymilk machines are all produced in workshops and factories. This kind of enterprise has no quality control at all. As long as the motor can rotate after power is turned on, the product is considered qualified. As for how long the product can last, will it be released in the future?

Failure depends entirely on the luck of the customer.

Li Weidong planned to use an after-sales promise of only replacing or repairing malfunctions within three years to reflect the difference in quality of the soymilk machine. Then he would accumulate reputation. Once his reputation was up, he would start a price war, and other brands would be dead in an instant.

As for the lifetime warranty of the blade, it was a publicity stunt deliberately shouted out by Li Weidong.

The S39009 stainless steel cutter head used by Li Weidong is the only one in the country, and other companies cannot buy it even if they have money.

S39009 stainless steel is intended to be used in the national defense and military industries. Currently, only China Steel can produce it. Based on this, it is impossible for ordinary private companies to buy it. China Steel’s words “military materials” are enough to make companies look like high-ranking officials.

Returned without success.

Since S39009 stainless steel is Li Weidong's advantage, of course he wants to maximize this advantage.

So Li Weidong simply made the promise of a lifetime warranty on the blade.

In that era when there was no even after-sales service, it was enough to surprise people that only replacements and no repairs were required for three years. And the lifetime warranty was definitely a promise that no home appliance brand dared to make.

If you buy something from you, the manufacturer will guarantee it for a lifetime. How can such a good thing happen? How could there be such a stupid merchant?

In fact, the promise of lifetime warranty is nothing new in later generations. Many companies will make promises similar to lifetime warranty for durable parts in their products to attract consumers.

For example, for a well-known brand of soymilk machine in later generations, the after-sales commitment is that the warranty period is three years, the twelve major accessories in the soymilk machine will be replaced free of charge within six years, and the cutter head has a lifetime warranty.

However, in actual use, few families will use a soymilk machine for six years.

Six years is too long. I don’t know how many generations of new products will be released during this period, and the price of soymilk machines is not so high. Most families will replace the soymilk machine with a new one when its performance declines.

As for the lifetime warranty on the cutter head, it has become a publicity stunt. A soymilk machine has not been used for six years, so why talk about a lifetime warranty?

Moreover, the soymilk machine is out of warranty, and it will cost money to repair it. The maintenance fee will be higher than that of a new machine, so it is better to just buy a new soymilk machine. There is no so-called lifetime warranty on the cutter head.

Necessary things.

Therefore, the promise of a lifetime warranty on the cutter head is nothing more than a publicity stunt for Li Weidong.

Even if Tietouwa really comes to guarantee the cutter head, Li Weidong will not lose money. He has sold the soymilk machine worth more than 2,000 yuan, so what is the missing cutter head?

However, those miscellaneous brands of soy milk machines use ordinary stainless steel cutter heads. The service life of ordinary stainless steel cutter heads is far inferior to that of S39009 stainless steel.

Li Weidong has done experiments on this point. If you use ordinary stainless steel blades to grind soaked beans, the service life will be longer. If you grind dry beans, not only the blades are easy to wear, but the pulp yield is also very low.

The quality of soy milk is very poor.

Li Weidong dares to promise a lifetime warranty on the cutter heads because his cutter heads are indeed durable. If those other brands of soymilk machines dare to make the same promise, customers will have to replace the cutter heads every month or two, which is enough for them.

…

Once the new advertisement was launched, it really attracted a lot of attention.

There are thousands of large and small home appliance brands in China, but no one had dared to play like this before.

For other home appliance brands, customers would be thankful if they could come to their homes for repairs. However, Li Weidong dared to say that he would only replace his products within three years and not repair them, instantly outperforming other domestic home appliance brands.

What's more, a lifetime warranty is something that ordinary people don't even dare to think about. Although it is only a lifetime warranty for the blade, most people probably only see the words "lifetime warranty" and ignore the blade.

At that time, ordinary people had never tried it. When they bought a home appliance, the manufacturer would be responsible for it for a lifetime. Even Japanese brands, which were famous for their quality in the eyes of ordinary people, did not dare to make such a promise.

I dare not say anything else, but after this wave of advertising, the brand image of Puppy Electric has indeed improved a lot.

…

In the home appliance section of a department store, a couple is choosing a soy milk machine.

There are many brands of soymilk machines, and the two of them didn't know which one to choose, which made them feel spoiled for choice.

Finally, the salesperson came over and introduced: "The prices of several soymilk machines here are relatively cheap, only over one thousand, and the most expensive ones are less than one thousand two hundred. The two models over there are slightly more expensive. , one thousand and fifty one.

.

The one directly opposite you is from the Puppy brand, which is advertised on TV and in newspapers all day long. It is also the most expensive, selling for 2,288, but the Puppy soymilk machine comes with a free gift. If you buy the soymilk machine, you will get an electric iron."

"There's such a big difference in price!" There was a hint of stinginess in the husband's eyes, and he continued: "Let's buy this one for a thousand yuan, it's the same anyway!"

But the wife shook her head: "The prices are different, and the items must be different too."

Then the wife turned to the salesperson and asked: "This puppy soy milk machine is so expensive, is it any different from other brands?"

"There is a difference. First of all, Puppy is a well-known brand, and it is advertised on TV! As for other soymilk machines, to be honest, they are all miscellaneous brands. There are many brands. I have been selling electrical appliances for so many years, and I can't even listen to them. Never heard of it."

The salesperson continued, "The other thing is that if the soymilk machine you buy for your puppy breaks down within three years, it will be replaced without repair. When the time comes, you can bring the broken soymilk machine over. As long as it is not man-made, we will directly replace it with a new one." of!

Also, the cutter head of the puppy soy milk machine has a lifetime warranty. As long as the puppy company does not go bankrupt, it will replace the cutter head for you. This can be used for a lifetime!"

After hearing the promise of only replacement and no repair and lifetime warranty, my wife was immediately moved.

"Those cheap soymilk machines don't come with a lifetime warranty that only requires replacement, don't they?" the wife asked immediately.

The salesperson shook his head: "Currently, only the Puppy Soymilk Maker does this. To be honest, in the entire home appliance area, only the Puppy Soymilk Maker has after-sales service that only replaces it, not repairs, and has a lifetime warranty!"

The wife nodded, then looked at her husband and said, "Then let's buy a puppy soy milk machine!"

"But the soymilk maker for the puppy costs a thousand yuan!" the husband said very frankly.

The wife said, "Do you still remember that cheap rice cooker we bought before? After only one week of use, it couldn't cook the rice. Then we had it repaired. After less than two weeks of use, it broke again. Repair it after it was broken.

, I repaired the broken one, tried it five or six times, and finally bought a new one.

Although this puppy's soy milk machine is more than a thousand yuan more expensive, it is not afraid of damage. If it breaks down, it does not even need to be repaired. It is great to just take it and replace it with a new one! It also has a lifetime warranty, and it only costs one time.

It can last a lifetime, what a deal! And it also comes with an electric iron, which is worth three to four hundred yuan!"

After much persuasion from his wife, the husband finally agreed to buy a soymilk maker for puppies.

The two gimmicks of replacement without repair and lifetime warranty are very effective even in 2021. It is not easy to fool people in the 1990s.

Chinese people pay more attention to the long term and do not live day by day like foreigners do. Especially those who have experienced the planned economy era have personally experienced what it feels like to be short of supplies, so they are eager to buy something that will last a lifetime, and they will burp in the future.

Then pass it on to your children for further use.

The after-sales commitment of the puppy soymilk machine obviously meets the psychological needs of the Chinese people.

What's more, in 1994, the "three guarantees" regulations for products had not yet appeared, and home appliance companies had not established an after-sales service system. At this time, Li Weidong boasted after-sales promises for generations and easily captured consumers.

…

Boss Huang stared at the slogan in the newspaper and curled his lips involuntarily.

"If something breaks down within three years, you only need to replace it but not repair it? What else is there to say about the lifetime warranty on the cutter head? It's all up to you!" Boss Huang said with a look of disdain.

"Boss, do we want to follow up? Several dealers have called to inquire, saying that our soymilk machines have become difficult to sell since Puppy Electric made the promise of only replacement and no repair and lifetime warranty."

the sales manager asked.

Boss Huang thought for a while and then said: "Although a broken product can be repaired and sold as a new product, there will be no loss. But if we only replace it without repairing it for three years, we will have to deal with the failure by then."

When the industry is shipped back, some transportation costs will increase, and it will also require cooperation from the dealers."

"There should be no problem with dealer cooperation. You can go talk to them. As for the increased transportation costs, the soymilk machine is not big in size and light in weight, and the transportation cost is not much expensive. You can easily find a truck and take out the faulty soymilk.

Bring the machine back!" the sales manager said.

Boss Huang frowned and began to think about the pros and cons.

The sales manager continued to persuade: "Boss, I heard that Boss Li's company in Dongguan has already planned to follow up. If other manufacturers follow the puppy electrical hospital and only replace but not repair in three years, we will not do this.

If so, the product will not be sold!

And I think that the sooner this kind of thing is done, the better. Puppy Electric has already taken the lead, and our company is already a step too late, so we should follow up as soon as possible. If other companies start to only replace but not repair, we will

If we follow up, customers will already have other choices, and the day lilies will be cold by then!"

The sales manager is only responsible for sales and does not care about other things. As long as the product is sold, the sales manager will get a bonus. Of course, he will try his best to persuade Boss Huang to make a post-sale commitment, so that he can sell more goods and make more money himself.

As for things like production and quality control, they are completely outside the scope of the sales manager's consideration.

Boss Huang was also soft-spoken. After some persuasion from the sales manager, he nodded: "Okay, you go and reply to the dealer. Our soymilk machine will only be replaced within three years without repair. Our cutter head also has a lifetime warranty."

!”

…

Wang Jiuyang also saw the new advertising slogan of Puppy Electric Appliances.

"If it breaks down within three years, it will only be replaced but not repaired. How is the quality of this puppy appliance product so good? It also has a lifetime warranty on the cutter head. I dare to say such a thing. It seems that the stainless steel he uses is really very special!"

Wang Jiuyang took a deep breath. The new advertisement of Puppy Electric made him feel a strong sense of crisis.

Wang Jiuyang is not like a workshop like Boss Huang. He does not do research and development, and just takes the products and directly copies them.

In order to develop the soymilk machine, Wang Jiuyang personally conducted experiments for more than half a year. He knew that the soymilk machine was not as solid as it seemed on the surface, and the failure rate was still high.

During the process of grinding soybean milk, vibration will increase the loss of parts. During the heating process, heat will also shorten the life of parts. It is normal for a machine with grinding and heating functions like a soymilk machine to malfunction.

At the very least, Wang Jiuyang does not have the confidence to promise that the soymilk machine he made can be used for three years without failure.

In addition to quality control, the wear of the cutter head is another issue that must be paid attention to.

Wang Jiuyang has personally tested that ordinary stainless steel cutter heads are not very effective when grinding dry soybean milk, but their lifespan is also very short. The cutter heads are prone to wear, and stainless steel cutter heads of poor quality may even break directly.

Puppy Electric dares to promise a lifetime warranty on the cutter head. The only explanation is that the cutter head material used in the Puppy Soy Milk Maker is very durable.

Wang Jiuyang is still relatively sober. He has the support of experimental data, so he dare not make the same after-sales commitment.

If Wang Jiuyang had promised only replacement and no repair for three years, and a lifetime warranty on the cutter head, it would not have lasted three years, and his company would have been dragged down by after-sales promises.

However, Wang Jiuyang also knows that his products have fallen behind. If he also falls behind in after-sales service, the final result will be a dead end.

At this time, Wang Jiuyang felt that the road ahead was extremely bleak. All he could do now was to choose a way to die!

…

At Puppy Electric Factory, Li Weidong already knew that some miscellaneous brands of soymilk machines had also followed up on his after-sales commitments.

"These miscellaneous brands of soymilk machines dare to promise only three-year replacements and no repairs and a lifetime warranty on the cutter heads. This is because they think they are not dying fast enough!"

Li Weidong chuckled and thought to himself: "Well, let me teach you a lesson and let you know that R&D is the soul of the product and quality is the life of the product! You can't go far by relying on copycats alone!"

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