boyutpedia Chapter 19 Samples Produced
Chapter 19 Samples Produced
When Director Mao went down to the factory to start developing new products, he encountered a small problem—blending fluorescent agents with stockings to make pearlescent stockings required a certain level of R&D capability, but his factory was a manual assembly plant with the lowest technical content and had no R&D positions at all.
So she had to settle for second best and instead develop stockings with rhinestones, which seemed easier to achieve. If all else failed, she could just glue them on one by one by hand.
After tinkering for a few days, Director Mao managed to produce a finished product: a pair of black fishnet stockings densely studded with dozens of small rhinestones. She took it to the bar's dance stage lights, wore it, and swayed to the music—it looked quite cool, at least in her eyes.
But then, a second problem arose. She took the stockings to her niece to try them on, wanting to hear her opinion, but her niece immediately refused to put them on, saying the stockings were too unfashionable.
Left with no other choice, Director Mao had to call Lin Mu over to ask for advice.
Soon after, Lin Mu arrived at the factory to inspect the finished products. When he saw the "diamonds" the size of fingernails on the finished products, he rubbed his forehead—how could these possibly sell?
"Director Mao," Lin Mu said, "I mean, is it possible to replace the rhinestones with smaller ones and densely set a hundred or so on the fishnet stockings? I'll draw up a product design for you."
Lin Mu, who was a senior executive at Alibaba in his previous life, was a man of great learning and had also mastered product design skills. He never expected that this skill would come in so handy after his rebirth.
Lin Mu found an A4 sheet of paper and quickly sketched the product design with a pencil.
Factory Director Mao looked at the design drawings and suddenly realized, saying repeatedly, "Yes, yes, yes! President Lin, you have such a high aesthetic sense, unlike me, a country bumpkin. Oh my, these socks are so beautifully drawn; wearing them will definitely make you look like a princess!"
"Director Mao, does your factory not have any product research and development positions?" Lin Mu asked.
"Yes."
"In that case," Lin Mu said firmly, "you go out and hire a few product development personnel with high salaries. Since you've made up your mind to do it, you have to 'sharpen your tools if you want to do your job well.'"
"I know, I know! I'll take care of it right away!" Factory Director Mao assured him repeatedly, then leaned forward and said, "President Lin, I booked a large private room at the hotel next door and specially ordered large yellow croaker. This stuff is good for your health; it can nourish yin and replenish yang. You must do me the honor of coming."
Lin Mu understood that Factory Director Mao was anxious and wanted to please him so that he would pay more attention to him. This time, he did not refuse—if he acted too coldly, the other party would feel uneasy.
After finishing the large yellow croaker in the private room, Lin Mu once again refused the bribe offered by Factory Director Mao, and then took a taxi back to his dormitory.
Watching Lin Mu's departing figure, Factory Director Mao breathed a slight sigh of relief—at least President Lin was willing to have dinner with her. But then she was troubled again: why did she always seem to be "carrying a pig's head but unable to worship at the temple gate"?
She naturally thought of Li Zhi, so she privately approached him and asked if there was any way she could express her feelings to Lin Mu.
Li Zhi didn't say anything more, only emphasizing, "Director Mao, just do your job well."
Li Zhi was a shrewd man; he knew he couldn't act on his own initiative under the guise of "doing what's best for others." Since Lin Mu hadn't actively tried to get Factory Director Mao "on board," there must be a deeper reason behind it, and he couldn't act rashly.
……
A week later, Factory Director Mao recruited three college graduates majoring in research and development from the market with a high salary of 4500 yuan per month.
With the design drawings in place, and considering that the rhinestone stockings themselves don't require much technical skill, the first batch of samples was quickly produced manually.
Lin Mu visited the factory again to inspect the finished products. This time, the quality was much better than before, and it was not much different from similar products he had seen in his previous life. It had reached the standard for sale.
Factory Director Mao praised from the side, "President Lin, this design you provided is really good! Last time, my niece wouldn't even take those big rhinestone stockings even if I gave them to her for free; but this time, with these small rhinestone ones, she's begging me to give her money to buy them."
"Next, find a leg model with long, slim legs, and I'll help you with the main product image and create the corresponding labels," Lin Mu said.
"Good, good, good!" Factory Director Mao was overjoyed—this should be considered passing General Manager Lin's initial review, right?
Director Mao has a strong ability to execute orders. Lin Mu had just finished giving instructions in the morning, and by the afternoon, a professional model had been found.
Inside the photography studio, Lin Mu met the model—a tall, slender girl with an air about her that of a supermodel walking the runways of high-end international fashion shows.
Lin Mu's eyes lit up; this was exactly the high-end, Western style he wanted. He stepped forward and asked, "Have you walked the runways overseas?"
The girl shook her head shyly: "No, no, I've only done lingerie shows in China."
"Then treat this photoshoot today like you're walking a high-end fashion show abroad, like Victoria's Secret, understand?" Lin Mu said.
The girl's demeanor instantly changed; she stood tall and proud, like a haughty white swan. She slightly raised her chin and said softly, "I understand."
Lin Mu directed on the spot: "Dress her in a black leather mini skirt and a pair of lace-trimmed boots."
The girl took the clothes to wear, and her eyes lit up when she saw the stockings covered in tiny rhinestones—she had never seen stockings like these before. Knowing she hadn't seen them, she figured they probably weren't available in stores.
She couldn't help but break down and ask, "Boss, are these stockings imported from abroad? They're so beautiful, I've never seen them sold in China."
Just as Director Mao was about to proudly say that this was developed by their factory, Lin Mu stopped her in time.
In 2008, the domestic perception of European and American goods was still very strong. Even ordinary brands could sell much better simply by labeling their products as "export surplus stock"—the public generally believed that export goods exclusively for Europe and America were of higher quality. Lin Mu chose this model with a European and American feel precisely to leverage this public perception.
He picked up the conversation and replied, "Yes, we specialize in OEM manufacturing for European and American brands, producing according to their designs. This batch is leftover stock that's been piling up in our warehouse and we haven't had time to export it, so we're thinking of selling it through e-commerce channels."
The girl nodded in sudden realization: "Boss, once your products are listed, you must give me a link so I can get all my girlfriends to support your business! These stockings are so beautiful."
Factory Director Mao watched thoughtfully from the side: So this is how marketing can be done?
Next, the girl took many photos. Lin Mu selected five from them, one for the main image and the other four for the product details page.
The main image doesn't show the model's full body, but focuses on her lower body, highlighting her long legs and rhinestone stockings. The top of the image shows a bit of the edge of a black leather mini skirt, while the bottom reveals a glimpse of the lace trim on her boots, giving the overall image a high-end European and American nightclub vibe.