Chapter 439: Sold out?
Chatsworth, California, USA.
This is the headquarters of Diamond Multimedia.
When the new quarterly report came out, Ferdinand Mitford, then president of the company, frowned and looked angry.
Around him, several company executives were so nervous that they dared not even breathe.
After all, they all knew that the boss had a notorious temper, and if anyone made him unhappy and was scolded, it would be considered a friendly exchange.
It is obvious that Mr. Ferdinand is very unhappy now.
After a while, Ferdinand Mitford looked at the company's sales director, Jacques Bellman, and roared: "I think you should give me an explanation! Why has the company's product sales dropped precipitously in the past month?"
Jacques Bellman looked helpless, but said, "All our potential users have been snatched away by a company from Xia Country. Their MP3 players are very popular among young people."
Ferdinand Mitford became even angrier after hearing this, and spit all over Jacques Berman's face: "Is this a reason? You want me to tell the shareholders of the company that we lost to a group of barbarians from Xia Country? What do you think will happen to us?"
After venting his anger, Ferdinand Mitford sat down again and asked Jacques Berman: "What is going on?"
Although losing to the Xia Guoren was a very unbelievable thing, Ferdinand Mitford was a boss after all, and he finally returned to reason after acting impulsively. And this matter itself was too bizarre, so he wanted to know more about what happened.
Jacques Bellman couldn't help but sigh in disappointment when he saw that Ferdinand Mitford didn't communicate with him on a physical level. He thought about his words for a while, and then said with a wronged look on his face, "Originally our products were selling well, and even the Recording Industry Association couldn't do anything to us. Because of the lawsuit we were in, we were even worshipped by those young people who liked to oppose authority. But this company called Mingyuan Technology didn't play by the rules."
Speaking of this, Jacques Bellman was also very angry and started to curse: "They advertised on LAUNCHMedia, first saying that their Tianyin MP3 is the world's best-selling MP3 for a whole week. The second week, they changed the question to ask what Tianyin's sales ranking is in the world. Isn't this an insult to intelligence? The worst thing is that there are rewards for answering correctly! Isn't this just giving away money?"
Afterwards, he opened LAUNCHMedia on the computer next to him and projected the image onto the multimedia screen.
"Look, their ads are still hanging here."
Ferdinand Mitford was furious after reading it and called the company's legal adviser Arthur Henry directly.
After telling Arthur Henry about Lu Yiming's advertising, Ferdinand Mitford said: "There is no doubt that they have been involved in false advertising and unfair competition."
However, after Arthur Henry finished watching Lu Yiming's advertisement, he calmly adjusted his glasses and said, "You can file a lawsuit, but the chances of winning are not high."
Ferdinand Mitford heard that the chances of winning the lawsuit were not high, and he immediately became angry and asked, "The above advertising slogan is obviously deliberately misleading users. Mingyuan Technology didn't even sell a single MP3 at the time. How can it say that it is the best-selling product?"
Arthur Henry ignored Ferdinand Mitford's roar and said expressionlessly: "The person who came up with this advertisement must have studied the Advertising Law in depth. His advertising slogan is just skirting the law. In fact, strictly speaking, it does not violate the Advertising Law."
Arthur Henry pointed to a line of words in the corner of the screen that could only be seen with a magnifying glass, and said, "Look here, when they say sales volume is No. 1, it's a vision of the future of the product. It's a desire, not a fact. Legally, there's a difference."
Ferdinand Mitford put on his glasses and looked at it for a long time before he could see the small words clearly. He was immediately furious: "It's written so small and so long, who would read it?"
Arthur Henry shrugged slightly, spread his hands, and said, "What you said makes sense, but if it's not illegal, it's not illegal. Even if we sue, it won't make much sense."
Jacques Bellman asked unconvincedly: "What about this? This prize-winning guessing contest, asking whether Tianyin MP3 sales are the world's first or second, this one, can be sued, right?"
Arthur Henry still shook his head and said, "No, it's a question. They are still skirting the law. Although they have bad intentions and there is suspicion that they can mislead users, suspicion alone cannot convict. We need solid evidence."
Ferdinand Mitford was so angry that his lungs were about to explode. He cursed: "What the hell is the evidence? Is there really nothing we can do about this company?"
Arthur Henry's tone was calm: "I still say the same thing, the lawsuit can be brought, but the chances of winning are not high."
For American lawyers, there is money to be made if there is a lawsuit. Of course, if you can win, you can make more. But even if you can't win, you can still make some money. So, Arthur Henry did not say that he would not file a lawsuit. Regardless of winning or losing, he would always get his appearance fee.
Although Arthur Henry had said so, Ferdinand Mitford was already so angry that he gritted his teeth and said, "This lawsuit must be fought!"
It was clear that Mingyuan Technology had committed all the crimes, but it turned out that it had not violated any law at all? He would not accept this result!
Today, Dimeng Company has been forced into a corner. A marketing strategy of Mingyuan Technology has made them unable to take care of themselves. If they don’t find a way to save themselves, they will be doomed.
Hearing that there was work to do, Arthur Henry's expressionless features suddenly became lively, and even his tone of voice revealed a bit of excitement: "Then you wait, I will go prepare the materials and sue them!"
After Arthur Henry left, Jacques Berman thought about it and couldn't help but said to Ferdinand Mitford: "Mr. Henry just said that the lawsuit is unlikely to win. Should we still sue? You know, the lawyer's fees are not cheap."
Ferdinand Mitford also looked helpless and said: "The money from the lawsuit is at least cheaper than the advertising fee. What we need now is to make a sound and let users notice us."
If a company cannot get the attention of users, it will not be far from bankruptcy.
Ferdinand Mitford knew this.
He's not stupid.
Bill Gates' estate was bustling with activity, as some business partners were invited to a grand party. In the swimming pool, beautiful women with perfect bodies and pretty faces were playing and frolicking, their broad minds were always ready to interact with these wealthy people.
In this feast, the most shining protagonist is undoubtedly Lu Yiming.
The first wave of trials of Tianyin MP3 was a huge success. This expensive music device successfully entered the market and was in short supply.
Bill Gates was holding a bottle of champagne, feeling happier than ever before. After all, Tianyin's success would most likely cause Apple's project to be cut in half. Such a wonderful thing would make him happy just thinking about it.
As for Lu Yiming, the instigator in front of him, he was of course very happy. Sometimes he even wondered whether he should extend an olive branch to Lu Yiming and let him become a senior executive at Microsoft. There is no doubt that after several collaborations, Bill Gates clearly realized that Lu Yiming had the ability to do this.
However, after trying several times, he gave up because Lu Yiming was not interested in working for others at all - even if he was the second richest man in the world.
Since his attempt failed, Bill Gates could only adjust his mindset while secretly feeling regretful.
Bill Gates said to Lu Yiming: "Your publicity strategy is really bad. I heard that Dimeng Company has gone to court to sue you."
A company from Xia Country was sued in a local court less than a month after its new product entered the North American market.
If it were an ordinary person, he would have been scared to pee his pants.
But Lu Yiming was not panicked at all. Instead, he sat here leisurely and chatted with Bill Gates: "Let them sue. I specially formed a legal team to deal with this kind of trouble."
Unlike in China, lawsuits are a common occurrence in the United States.
From national disputes to neighborhood disputes, as long as a conflict arises, the conflicting parties will inevitably go to court, so there are more lawyers in this country than doctors.
Even in Lu Yiming's view, litigation is also a means to help enhance brand awareness.
Bill Gates looked at the high-spirited Lu Yiming, raised his glass, and praised him: "You are really a marketing genius. If Microsoft's marketing team was half as good as you, Apple would have given up the idea of launching the iMac."
The hot sales of Tianyin MP3 are mainly due to Lu Yiming's correct advertising strategy, especially the precise delivery on several Internet music platforms with the largest traffic, which made potential users of MP3 aware of the existence of such a product as "Tianyin".
After all, there is a high degree of overlap between MP3 users and computer users, and coupled with various coupons, customer demand was immediately captured, and sales naturally exploded.
"Following the USB flash drive, your Mingyuan Technology has launched a new product that is very popular in the market. It seems that I have to congratulate you in advance."
Afterwards, Bill Gates took the initiative to extend an olive branch to Lu Yiming: "Are you interested in listing Mingyuan Technology on NASDAQ? I can help you with the operation."
There is no doubt that if Microsoft could list Mingyuan Technology on the U.S. stock market now, it would definitely make a lot of money.
If it were an ordinary technology company, and a technology company from Xia Country at that, it would probably be so happy that it would be at a loss after being asked this question by the world's richest man.
It's listed on the Nasdaq, and it's operated by Microsoft, so wouldn't it make you rich overnight?
However, Lu Yiming was surprisingly calm and even rejected Bill Gates' proposal without hesitation.
"I also want to go public in the U.S., but the new company is not in a stable condition yet, so I'll wait a few years."
The stock market crash is about to happen. Going public in the U.S. at this time is like lighting a lamp in a toilet, isn't it?
Lu Yiming naturally wouldn't do such a stupid thing.
Baiyun City, Mingyuan Technology Headquarters.
On Monday, in the conference room, Song Honglin sat upright, listening to his subordinates' reports, especially summarizing the situation of the previous week, which were all to be discussed later.
The head of the production department said, "Because of Mr. Lu's previous arrangement, a large amount of the company's funds were squeezed out, and the products produced filled up the warehouse. There are a total of 300,000 MP3s, and the production cost of each one is 1,300 yuan, which takes up a total of nearly 400 million yuan. Basically, all the cash flow that Mingyuan Technology earned from selling USB flash drives is put on these."
Today's Mingyuan Technology is like a gambler who has gone all in on the new MP3 product.
Success, of course, makes everyone happy .
If we fail, it will really be a loss to our family property.
Song Honglin sighed and said, "Hey, Mr. Lu has already sent 100,000 units to the United States. If they can't be sold, then let alone paying the suppliers, the company may not even be able to pay next month's salary."
Just at this moment, his phone rang. He picked up the phone and saw that it was Lu Yiming's number. He suddenly had an ominous premonition in his heart.
Damn, this thing doesn’t even sell in the United States!
With this in mind, Song Honglin pressed the answer button with a heavy heart: "Hello, Mr. Lu. What's the situation over there?"
Lu Yiming said: "Ah, nothing happened, we were just sued by the Supreme Alliance."
Song Honglin: “…”
Is this what you call “nothing happened”?
It’s fine if Shihan Group sues Mingyuan Technology. After all, it’s a company that stole the country’s resources. No matter how powerful it is, it’s just that. And it’s based in Xia Country.
But now, Mingyuan Technology is in the United States and has been sued by a U.S. company. How the hell can this be the same?
Song Honglin hurriedly asked, "No, Mr. Lu, what's going on?"
Lu Yiming said, "Don't be nervous, it's no big deal. In the United States, lawsuits are more common than eating and drinking. I have consulted a lawyer and hired a legal team , so there will be no problem."
Song Honglin didn't know what to say anymore. He was a little discouraged and asked, "Did the batch of MP3s shipped to the United States fail to sell? If it really doesn't work, forget it. Don't bother with it. It's not too late to stop now."
Lu Yiming was stunned: "Why are you stopping?"
Song Honglin was puzzled: "Didn't you say you filed a lawsuit? The product should not be able to be sold, right?"
Lu Yiming smiled and said, "Hey, we have to fight a lawsuit, but we still have to sell our products. I called you to tell you about this. Our MP3 players are selling like crazy in the United States. We are about to sell out of 100,000 units. We need to airfreight another batch from China!"
“…”
After hearing what Lu Yiming said, Song Honglin felt like a Spartan.
