Rebirth of the Industrial Tycoon

Li Weidong returned to China from Japan, and this time he returned to Korea victoriously.

In order to keep his job, Executive Kuwaye finally succumbed to Li Weidong's theory of "consumption downgrade" and allowed Puppy Electric's products to be fully introduced in Yamada Denki's chain stores.

For Li Weidong, this is a strategic level cooperation, which means that the products of Puppy Electric finally have a channel to officially enter the Japanese market.

Among the world's major economies, Japan's market is probably the most difficult to enter.

Japan has set up many tangible or non-tangible obstacles, man-made or non-man-made, for foreign goods that want to enter the Japanese market.

In terms of technology, Japan has set strict technical standards and specifications for imported products, which means that almost all goods entering the Japanese market need to be produced specifically for Japan.

In terms of non-technical aspects, Japan has special requirements for product packaging, labels, logos, environmental protection, certification standards, intellectual property rights, design instructions, etc., and the requirements are very cumbersome.

These two points alone form a shackle that inhibits foreign goods from entering the Japanese market.

These two shackles are difficult for Western companies to break through. Since the Industrial Revolution, the West has been the rule setter, allowing the world to operate according to the rules they set.

The same is true in business. Western companies formulate the rules for goods and then sell them to the world. They will not specifically formulate technical standards and specification options for other markets.

But for Chinese companies, these are not problems. Chinese companies are very good at producing various requirements according to customer requirements. As long as the money is in place, there is no problem in modifying specifications overnight.

In addition to the two shackles, technical and non-technical, there are also obstacles to trade.

For example, tariff barriers, anti-dumping, countervailing and other non-tariff barriers, of course, are present in every country.

The other is channel obstacles. Japan's manufacturing industry is strong, and the connection between local Japanese manufacturers and distributors is also very close. It is difficult for foreign manufacturers to break into the Japanese distributor system.

Japan's channel obstacles are not only a problem faced by Chinese companies, but also faced by countries around the world. In order to solve this problem, many foreign companies simply acquired Japanese brands and then entered the Japanese market through backdoors.

Now that Li Weidong has taken care of Yamada Electric, he has finally overcome the obstacle of channels.

The above can still be solved manually, but cultural differences cannot be solved manually.

Japan is an island country and has the characteristics of an island country. For example, it is relatively conservative, has a strong sense of crisis, has a repellent attitude towards outsiders, and has a strong economic closedness.

Many island countries in the world, especially those that have always maintained indigenous rule, have similar situations.

For example, countries such as the United Kingdom and Ireland are relatively conservative countries in Europe. The UK's xenophobic consciousness can be seen in the future Brexit.

This tendency toward conservatism and xenophobia is also an obstacle to foreign goods.

After all, Britain has been a troublemaker in Europe for so many years, and has integrated into Europe to a large extent in terms of culture. It also has Anglo-Saxon relatives such as the United States and Canada, and is more open than Japan.

Japan's language, culture, habits, and values ​​are all independent and can be said to be a school of their own.

Although Japan has been influenced by Chinese culture, that happened hundreds of years ago. Today, the cultural differences between China and Japan are similar to the cultural differences between China and the West.

If foreign products want to enter Japan, they must cater to Japanese cultural characteristics.

In addition, Japanese people are also extremely superstitious about domestic products, which makes it very difficult for foreign products to gain a place in Japan.

The xenophobic consciousness of the islanders, coupled with the collectivist concept pursued by the Japanese, makes the Japanese more willing to buy domestic products, especially in areas where Japan has advantages.

The home appliance industry is obviously one of the areas that Japan is best at, and it is also the most difficult area for foreign brands to enter.

It took Haier more than 20 years to gain about 10% of the Japanese market share. Hon Hai acquired Sharp and Midea acquired Toshiba, gaining 10% and 9% of the Japanese market share respectively.

However, compared with Panasonic's market share of 20% in the Japanese market and Hitachi's market share of 15%, there is still some gap.

Moreover, even if the same products from Panasonic and Hitachi are more expensive than those from Haier, Japanese consumers are still more willing to buy Panasonic and Hitachi.

This is also one of the consumption characteristics of the Japanese. They are very loyal to domestic brands. As long as economic conditions permit, they are willing to spend more money to support local brands.

Japan's manufacturing industry has always maintained a relatively comprehensive range, ranging from sophisticated high-end machine tools to clothing, shoes and socks, all produced in Japan. There are many low-profit industries, and Japan has not given up.

For example, in the production of urea, China is the world's largest producer and the world's largest exporter.

The profit of urea is not high, and the production is not difficult. Moreover, the production process requires the use of coal, which will cause energy consumption and pollution. If the production scale is not large, it will lose money.

Therefore, many developed countries have given up producing urea and switched to importing it from other countries. For example, South Korea closed its last urea factory in 2011.

Japan is so close to China, so it stands to reason that it is the most cost-effective to import urea directly from China.

However, Japanese companies have always maintained the production of urea, and the Japanese are very willing to purchase domestic urea, even if the price is five times more expensive than urea imported from China, so Japanese urea companies can survive.

From an economic point of view, preferring to spend money to buy more expensive products is a consumer behavior that is difficult to understand and can only be explained by cultural differences.

Looking around the world, only Japan can form this unique consumption system.

In other countries, even if consumers are still willing to continue buying, entrepreneurs will have to change careers long ago when they see that this industry is not making money.

However, Japanese companies rarely change careers. They will continue to work in whatever industry they are in until they go bankrupt.

Japanese companies prefer family-style management, coupled with the existence of a lifetime employment system, which makes it difficult for Japanese companies to transform. They often go all the way to the dark side, even if they suffer losses.

Therefore, we can see many "longevity companies" in Japan.

The number of Japanese companies that are over a century old is twice that of the United States, and the number of companies that are over two hundred years old is five times that of the United States. These "longevity companies" have survived through life and death.

Japanese entrepreneurs would rather go bankrupt than transform, and Japanese consumers would rather spend more than change their consumption habits. That's why some people say that the Japanese are stubborn and don't know how to adapt.

Li Weidong was very pleased with the opening of sales channels in Japan, and he was smiling all the way back home.

As soon as the plane landed, Li Weidong's pager vibrated continuously.

"We just got a signal, and we're already bombing intensively!" Li Weidong picked up the pager and flipped through the messages one by one. There were quite a few people looking for him.

He Yu, the father-in-law, Wang Jing from the electrical appliance factory, and Zhong Yemao, the marketing director of the Puppy Group, are all looking for him.

Li Weidong still called his father-in-law back first.

"Dad, what do you want from me?" Li Weidong asked.

"Weidong, what's going on with the ten million US dollars?" Dad He asked.

"What ten million US dollars?" Li Weidong was a little confused, and then he continued: "What happened? I went to Japan to discuss business, and I just got off the plane."

"The newspaper said that you caused a loss of 10 million US dollars in foreign exchange. Is this true?" Dad He replied.

Li Weidong was stunned and asked: "Which newspaper?"

"It has been written in several newspapers, and the content is similar. They probably reprinted it from each other." Dad He replied.

Li Weidong replied: "The newspapers must be talking nonsense. I have a lot of foreign trade business here, but I am always making foreign exchange! I don't do unprofitable business, how can I cause foreign exchange losses!"

Dad He reminded: "Weidong, you'd better investigate carefully first. If there is a problem in that link, take measures to remedy it as soon as possible.

Although 10 million US dollars is not a small amount, it should be affordable for you. If it can be solved, solve it as soon as possible. Don’t lose the big for the small! "

Li Weidong nodded: "I understand, dad, don't worry, I will take care of it."

Li Weidong dialed Wang Jing's phone number again.

On the phone, Wang Jing said: "Chairman, where are you? Just got off the plane? That's great! You'd better not go back to Qinghe for the time being. Many people are looking for you! Most of them are reporters, saying they want to interview you , there are also people in the city asking about the ten million US dollars.”

"They all found Qinghe! Okay, I understand, I will handle it here." Li Weidong frowned, feeling more and more that what was happening this time was not a trivial matter.

Li Weidong called Zhong Yemao again. This time, Li Weidong took the lead and asked: "Old Zhong, are you asking me about the ten million US dollars?"

"Chairman, you know everything!" Zhong Yemao said.

"I know nothing!" Li Weidong replied unhappily, and then said: "I have been negotiating with the Japanese these days, and now I just got off the plane, and then a bunch of people asked me about ten million US dollars! Now! I’m still confused!”

"Chairman, why don't you come to my place? I have collected some information. You will understand it at a glance." Zhong Yemao replied with a smile.

Li Weidong came to Zhong Yemao's marketing department, and Zhong Yemao handed a lot of newspapers to Li Weidong. Li Weidong understood what happened at a glance.

"I signed Kobe Bryant as a spokesperson in the United States in 1996. Why am I mentioning it now?" Li Weidong pointed to the content in the newspaper and continued, "Not to mention, the information cited in it is not there yet. It was in 1996, when Kobe had just entered the NBA draft.”

Zhong Yemao then picked up a copy of the "Nanzhou Metropolis Morning News" and then said: "I checked and found that this newspaper was the first to make this report. Other newspapers have reprinted this "Nanzhou Metropolis Morning News"."

"Nanzhou Metropolis Morning News? A newspaper from the Pearl River Delta? I've heard of this name!" Li Weidong said.

"This newspaper has always been known for its bold style and sharp commentary, and the content of its reports is also very attractive. It often has some exclusive special reports. It is quite famous. It is normal for you to have heard of it." Zhong Yemao said.

"No." Li Weidong shook his head: "I usually read newspapers like the People's Daily and Xinhua Daily. After all, I want to carefully understand and study the country's policies. How can I have time to read the Nanzhou Metropolis Morning News? 》These are short content for parents!”

"That means this newspaper has reported on you before. So you have an impression." Zhong Yemao said.

"It's possible!" Li Weidong said, frowning and thinking carefully.

A few seconds later, Li Weidong suddenly had an idea: "I remembered! The report on Ghost Castle was written by this newspaper. I was scolded at the beginning, but thanks to "Focus Talk" helped me restore the truth, It seems that the slap didn’t hurt, but now it’s causing trouble for me again!”

Zhong Yemao said: "Actually, signing a brand spokesperson is a business behavior, and it can also be regarded as an investment in brand awareness. If the spokesperson is not effective, at most it has poor vision, it is considered a failure of investment!"

This is very true in business activities. Doing business means making both losses and profits. Whoever stipulates that a brand must find a spokesperson must make sure profits and not lose money! But the critical content of this comment is really heartbreaking! "

Zhong Yemao pointed to a comment in the newspaper and continued: "Chairman, look at this comment. It says that our country needs to import advanced equipment in the industrial field and import advanced technology in the science and technology field.

All of these require foreign exchange. If these tens of millions of US dollars are used to purchase advanced equipment or introduce advanced technology, how many companies can be upgraded and how many scientific research projects can achieve breakthroughs!

It is also said later that there are so many people in impoverished mountainous areas who are still below the food and clothing line, and there are many children in the western region who have no way to go to school. If these ten million US dollars are used in impoverished mountainous areas or out-of-school children, how many people can be fed? Belly, how many children are allowed into the classroom!

Without these comments, it would be easy to say, but with these comments, they are criticizing you from the moral high ground. Even if the signing of spokespersons in the United States is a purely commercial act, after seeing these comments, it will inevitably be linked to morality. This is quite disadvantageous for you. "

"I understand, moral kidnapping!" Li Weidong shook his head helplessly, and continued; "This time, Nanzhou Metropolis Morning Post has learned to be smart and knows how to take the moral high ground before criticizing! There is no way to find fault with them. ”

"Chairman, since you have lost the moral high ground, I suggest you deal with it coldly! No matter who asks about this matter, ignore it. As time goes by, or new focal events emerge, public opinion will forget about this matter! "Zhong Yemao said.

Li Weidong shook his head: "No! Now that we have lost the moral high ground, let's seize it back! Besides, I have been in business for so many years, so it's not like I have not shouldered social responsibilities!

Aren’t they working in impoverished mountainous areas? My Fukang agricultural machinery donates agricultural machinery to impoverished mountainous areas every year! My puppy electrical appliance factory hires a large number of workers from impoverished mountainous areas every year.

Over the years, I have helped at least tens of thousands of families get out of poverty and become rich! Next, the electrical appliance factory will expand its production capacity, and I will hire more people! I used to do things quietly, but now I'm taking this opportunity to publicize it!

As for out-of-school children, set up a fund, contact Project Hope, and donate books, tables, chairs, schools, whatever you can! Let us build hundreds of hope schools to let society know what a conscientious entrepreneur is! "

After hearing this, Zhong Yemao couldn't help but roll his eyes at Li Weidong, and thought to himself, rich and wealthy people just do things simply and directly, throwing money at them without forcing them!

However, Zhong Yemao still said: "Chairman Li, although this can be a moral counterattack, the US$10 million foreign exchange loss has still not been solved!"

Who told you that $10 million was lost? "Li Weidong looked at the date on his watch and calculated that it was almost time for the NBA All-Star Game.

Then Li Weidong continued: "Don't worry, you will soon know how worth the $10 million in endorsement fees!"

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