Regardless of what everyone was thinking, the entrepreneurial atmosphere at the moment was certainly genuine, and everyone was giving it their all.
Once everyone had finished speaking, Wang An began his performance with a beaming smile
"First, our store must be opened in a very prominent location. I remember there's a fairly large building diagonally opposite the supply and marketing cooperative; I think it used to be a collective canteen?
Listen, see which of you can pull some strings and buy that place. If buying it doesn't work, renting it is fine, but the lease term needs to be long—at least 10 years or more."
As soon as Wang An finished, Wu Dong immediately smiled and said
"That's easy to handle. That building has been empty for years. How about this: you provide the money to buy it, and the house and the land will belong to you?"
After a pause, Wu Dong added
"I'm telling you, Xiao An, the location of that place is truly excellent. If it weren't for the fact that our identities are somewhat sensitive, I would have snatched it up long ago."
He Liang also chimed in
"Exactly. That place is really great; it has the location and it has the space. As long as we get our hands on it, no matter what we do in the future, we can't lose."
It had to be said that these second-generation elites still had their bottom lines; there were many things they clearly understood, yet they resolutely refused to touch.
Hearing this, Wang An immediately said happily
"Then it's perfectly fine for me to put up the money. I don't mind spending a bit more. Just make sure it's not difficult for you and that it doesn't leave any hidden risks. I'm not short on cash, hahahaha!"
Wang An laughed, and everyone joined in.
After the laughter subsided, Wang An continued
"Now that the store location is settled, let's talk about the second matter: the pricing."
"Since we only have this one model of motorcycle for now, the price will be 3,580. If they have industrial coupons, it'll be 3,500. No bargaining, period."
Just as Wu Dong and the others were about to question this, Wang An continued
"Our price must be slightly higher than the prices in Ice City. This is only natural. People who truly want to buy a motorcycle definitely won't travel thousands of miles to Ice City just to save a hundred or so yuan.
Not to mention, transporting a motorcycle back from Ice City isn't easy. They can't exactly ride it back, can they? If anyone actually dared to ride it back, I reckon the bike would be stolen before they even made it halfway."
Hearing Wang An put it this way, everyone nodded one after another, clearly agreeing with his logic.
Then Wang An continued
"However, there is a reason why our price is higher: we will be responsible for after-sales issues."
The moment these words left Wang An's mouth, everyone was stunned, because none of them understood what Wang An meant by "after-sales issues."
Mainly, in this era, there was no such concept as "after-sales." All goods were sold on a "once it's gone, it's gone" basis; who cared what happened after you bought it?
Wang An remembered that in his previous life, it wasn't until the year he was put into the "fence" that the "Three Guarantees Policy"—namely "return, replace, and repair"—was formally proposed. By doing this now, he was effectively ten years ahead of his time.
Before the others could voice their doubts, Wang An continued
"The so-called after-sales issue is this: once this motorcycle is sold, it will have a warranty for 3 years or 10,000 kilometers, whichever comes first.
During the warranty period, as long as the bike undergoes regular maintenance at our store, is used normally, and has not undergone any modifications, then any quality issues such as oil leaks or abnormalities in the engine or gearbox caused by non-human factors will be repaired or replaced by us for free."
This statement by Wang An was absolutely earth-shattering for the time, and everyone's eyes widened instantly.
Ma Guoqiang was the first to react, immediately retorting
"Holy crap! No, Xiao An, have you gone crazy? Three years, 10,000 kilometers—why don't you just say you'll guarantee it for life? If the bikes break down within three years, how much money will we lose just repairing them?"
Wu Dong also countered
"Exactly. You want to take the little bit of money we've worked so hard to earn and just throw it all away? I say, what on earth is going on in that big head of yours every day?"
Pointing randomly toward the direction of Wu Dong's workplace, Wu Dong added
"Not to mention anything else, do you have any idea how much the annual maintenance costs are for those Xingfu 250 motorcycles and sidecars at my unit? Holy crap, are you joking with us?"
Even Zhang Shuya frowned and said
"Xiao An, setting aside the large number of people and bikes at Brother Wu's unit, even the annual maintenance costs for the sidecars and motorcycles at our Public Security Bureau and the Traffic Police Department are not a small sum. Can you really do this?"
After Zhang Shuya spoke, He Liang and Wang Shuai also chimed in, none of them agreeing with the "after-sales issue" Wang An proposed.
It was evident that even as shareholders, these few people did not have enough confidence in the quality of the Jialing 70 motorcycle.
In their eyes, the Jialing 70 was likely the same as the Xingfu 250—prone to breaking down at any moment and leaving the rider stranded on the road.
But they couldn't be blamed; they knew all too well what the Xingfu 250 was like, and the Jialing 70 had only just entered the Chinese market. Its quality still needed to be tested by the market over a long period.
Once everyone had finished, Wang An said with a smile
"I can't speak for others, but as for our motorcycle, even if you don't change the oil for 3 years or 10,000 kilometers, the engine and gearbox won't develop a single problem.
The same goes for other parts. As long as it's not crashed, bumped, or collided with, and is ridden normally, this bike simply cannot be worn out."
"Besides, I only said the engine and gearbox have a warranty of three years or ten thousand kilometers. I didn't say the other parts were under warranty."
Wang An's words immediately made everyone frown, because in their view, this was still a losing business. Mainly, it wasn't that they hadn't ridden motorcycles, nor were they unaware of what was most important on a bike.
The most important components of any motor vehicle are always the engine and the gearbox; one could say the value of the engine and gearbox accounts for more than half the total.
As for many other parts, even if they broke, they didn't cost much.
The group looked at each other again, and then Wu Dong said with a solemn expression
"Xiao An, are you sure this will work? I've seen the parts list; the engine and gearbox are the most expensive items. If we have to replace even one of them, we've essentially sold several motorcycles for nothing."
Wang An waved his hand, full of confidence
"Just relax. I dare to say this because I'm not afraid of it breaking. Even if some actually do break, the benefits outweigh the costs. Besides, have you thought about it? If we add '3-year or 10,000-kilometer after-sales warranty' to our advertisements, what will people who want to buy a motorcycle think?"
As soon as Wang An finished, Wang Shuai couldn't help but say
"Holy crap, if I were buying a motorcycle, I'd rather spend a bit more money to buy ours. That's three years—three years without any worries!"
After Wang Shuai spoke, He Liang's eyes lit up as he said
"If we keep doing this, what chance will other brands have? The entire motorcycle market in the Northeast will be our kingdom! Holy crap!"
After He Liang spoke, the others also chimed in, clearly having realized the pros and cons of the strategy. (End of Chapter)