Chapter 84

If possible, please put the book on the shelf. It will be convenient for you and also support me. Thank you very much!

After all, I've been in the business for over a decade, attended various trainings, and heard many success stories. I've been influenced by many advanced concepts. If I were to teach people now, I could easily talk for a whole day.

Still, the words I speak should first fit my current situation.

"Putting aside brand, materials, and price, style is a very important aspect when buying furniture. My history textbook has many pictures. I noticed that in the past, there were many regulations regarding furniture. Only certain people could sit on certain chairs or sleep on certain beds. So, back then, our furniture was more about etiquette rather than comfort. For example, there's a picture of the dragon throne in the Forbidden City's Golden Hall. It is indeed majestic and grand, but I doubt the emperor was very comfortable sitting on it."

To avoid revealing too much, Feng Yiping combined his current situation and said these words.

"The first thing people look at when buying furniture is the style, and what attracts customers is also the style. To make a good sale, the style should be innovative."

Intense competition has led to an increasing number of similar products in the market, and they are highly homogenized. If you don't look at the brand, you might not even be able to tell which one is from which company. The simplest solution is to develop a new and unique design.

To be honest, Old Cai hadn't really thought about this. His main concern was how to get more orders. He had worked in the city furniture factory for almost his entire life, and some things had become fixed. He could make some improvements and minor adjustments to existing styles, but creating a completely new one was challenging.

Feng Yiping probably understood his difficulties and continued, "Now, our housing, lighting, kitchen, and bathroom fixtures, among many other things, are either learned from or directly copied from the West. The same goes for furniture. Unlike us, the West doesn't have so many rules; they prioritize comfort. So, you can buy more professional journals and learn from the styles in them. As an experienced craftsman, you can also make some improvements."

The old man was still cautious about making changes. "If I create a new style, I'm sure others will follow soon. Then it will be the same as now," Old Cai asked.

"This situation is inevitable," Feng Yiping said, having experienced it many times, "But sometimes, being one step ahead means being always ahead. If others follow, we can make some small changes next time."

For example, adding a panel underneath, adding a hidden compartment in the drawer, reserving a space for a small safe, or adding a vertical section for a computer...

"You are the expert, and there are many more improvements you can make. In short, every time they copy, we add a small change, making it hard for them to catch up."

Old Cai was skilled in this, but he was still hesitant. Making style changes involved too many adjustments. Feng Yiping didn't expect him to accept everything, so he changed his approach. "If doing old styles is still profitable, there's no need to make a big change to create new styles. After all, making money is the most important thing."

Old Cai nodded in agreement.

Feng Yiping pointed to the coffee table in front of him. "For example, take this coffee table. If everyone starts making the same style, with similar colors, materials, and prices, and even lower prices, there won't be much profit left. Then we might as well stop making this style and create a new one. That way, we have the pricing power, and there will be more profit."

Old Cai started to listen more carefully. Currently, everyone was unknown, and the products were similar. Although there was business and some profit, the competition would eventually lead to a price war, leaving little profit.

"Wait a moment, I'm getting old and my memory isn't good. I'll take some notes," Old Cai ran to get a notebook and pen.

Old Cai, like a student, carefully wrote down everything Feng Yiping said. In business, Feng Yiping didn't think it was embarrassing to do so. Instead, he admired Old Cai for his willingness to learn, which was rare for an older person.

"Should we have a storefront?" Feng Yiping asked.

"Yes, a storefront. I've thought about it," Cai Dexiang said, "I planned to buy this land and build a few rooms in front for a storefront. Now, it seems we need to put this on hold."

Actually, with the current facilities of the factory, having a storefront at the factory entrance wasn't ideal. But given his current position, it was better not to mention this.

"In the storefront, besides our representative products, it's best to use high-quality materials to make a set of high-end furniture. Even if not many people buy it, it will help improve our brand's image."

Old Cai understood this. Many stores had their "treasures," and having a high-end set in the storefront would be good.

"Moreover, in recent years, many wealthy people have emerged. Most people think that items costing a few hundred yuan are too expensive, while they consider items costing a few thousand yuan to be low-end. However, there are few high-end products in the market, so this can be a direction to pursue, achieving two goals at once."

Old Cai understood this as well. High-end products, though in smaller quantities, had higher profit margins.

"Lastly, a more long-term goal: if we can create the styles from those professional journals and gain customer recognition, we can consider exporting."

"Exporting? That's too difficult!" Old Cai deeply felt this. When he worked at the city furniture factory, companies that could earn foreign exchange were stars, favored by all levels of government. His factory never earned a single dollar.

Exporting is indeed difficult now. You can't even think about having the right to import and export on your own. Finding a trading company to act as an agent is good enough, even if you have to pay high commissions and wait for payment. As long as you can do it, it's fine.

Think about it, in recent years, some furniture factories have made tens of millions in foreign trade annually. If we could get an order for a few hundred thousand dollars, the factory would develop significantly.

"It's difficult, but a long-term goal. Preparing early is always beneficial. I read in the newspaper that the country strongly encourages exports and provides various subsidies, so this is a trend. Our advantage is clear: compared to developed countries, our labor costs are much lower, especially for products with low technical requirements. Internationally, we still have a significant cost advantage. So, we should start early. If we wait until all our competitors realize this and start preparing, we won't have any advantage."

"Think about it, most foreign trade orders are settled in dollars. Even a few thousand dollars, converted to RMB, is tens of thousands."

In recent years, the domestic economic situation has changed dramatically. This year, for example, the annualized return on bank deposits is nearly 20%, which is unimaginable for people in the future.

Additionally, according to statistics, in the past six months, the RMB has depreciated by half against the US dollar. So, even if you just bring in dollars, you can make money.

Old Cai didn't think about how a rural child, who had probably never seen tens of thousands of yuan, could talk about hundreds of thousands of yuan so casually. He was already immersed in the beautiful imagination of millions of dollars in foreign trade.

"Yes, we should prepare early. Preparing early is good," he was so excited that he was almost incoherent, dazed by the big cake of foreign trade that Feng Yiping had presented.

While other competitors were still fighting over a small piece of land, he was already looking at the world, feeling that he had taken a step up and reached a new level.

Feng Yiping originally planned to go back home to cook for his parents at noon, but Old Cai kept asking questions, and they were still talking at lunchtime.

He didn't say everything. For some of Old Cai's questions, he understood but pretended not to, making sure his words were still appropriate for his current situation.

When Cai Hong came home from work and saw her father, like a student, taking notes and refilling Feng Yiping's tea, she was very surprised. What was going on?

Old Cai closed his notebook and patted it. "Indeed, heroes emerge from the young. I can't help but feel old. I've learned a lot this morning, a lot! Yiping, how can I thank you?"

Feng Yiping, after showing off all morning, was a bit tired and drank the tea in front of him in one gulp. "Those are just my personal opinions,未经实践检验的，最多只能供您参考，能帮上什么忙？"

"哈哈，还这么谦虚，好！好！走，去吃饭。"

Feng Yiping followed behind, thinking for a moment, "Uncle Cai, if possible, I do have something to ask you for help with?"

"What help, just say it," Old Cai patted his shoulder, "Don't be so formal with me."

"Alright, it's like this. My parents can't keep doing this small stall forever; it's too hard, and it barely makes ends meet with no room for development. I was thinking, it would be best to find a storefront, even a small noodle shop, so they don't have to endure the wind, rain, and sun all day. You know a lot of people, could you help us look for something?"

"You are truly a filial child. Your parents are fortunate to have you! Don't worry, I'll take care of it. I'll find you a good place, preferably a shop downstairs and a living space upstairs, which would be convenient. How does that sound?"

"That sounds great, thank you, Uncle Cai!"

"You, I've told you, don't be so formal. Come, if there's nothing else, let's go eat."

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