The situation wasn't as smooth as imagined. The next afternoon, Song Qiao received a call from Manager Yu.
"Boss Song, your product sales are not as excellent as you guaranteed. We haven't even had a single inquiry all day."
Manager Yu's tone clearly revealed a hint of displeasure. As the manager of a large department store, the loss from one stall a day was not a small sum.
"If it really doesn't work out, I suggest Boss Song find another mall to cooperate with. This place might not be suitable for your kind of snack."
The implication was that he wanted to cancel the cooperation with Song Qiao.
"Manager Yu, don't be so hasty. It's only the first day," Song Qiao said calmly upon hearing the news.
"Give me one more afternoon. If sales are still poor, I'll pack up and leave immediately."
With that, he hung up the phone before Manager Yu could reply.
"A Wei, go to our factory and find a dozen employees, both male and female. I'll need their help this afternoon," Song Qiao instructed A Wei, standing there thinking for a moment.
"Boss, why go all the way to the factory to get people? Don't we have idle brothers around?" A Wei asked with some confusion, gesturing towards the younger brothers waiting to deliver goods at the door.
Song Qiao shook his head. "They won't do. They're all familiar faces and would arouse suspicion."
"Thank you for going to the factory. You'll understand why this afternoon."
Seeing Song Qiao's mysterious expression and his unwillingness to explain further, A Wei didn't press the issue and agreed.
...
In the afternoon, Song Qiao drove Lin Jing to the department store. As soon as they entered the area for his stinky tofu, he saw several department store employees chatting idly, with no customers at the stall. He frowned but said nothing, as they weren't his employees. If he had no business, he couldn't blame them. He casually took out the megaphone he had prepared and began to shout, "Look, everyone, look! Don't miss out if you're passing by."
"Xiang Piaopiao Stinky Tofu is introducing ready-to-eat stinky tofu! It's good value for money and convenient to store."
"The taste is still the same. You're welcome to try it for free."
As he spoke, he opened a package, and a strong smell of stinky tofu immediately diffused into the surroundings. Seeing this, Lin Jing began to imitate Song Qiao. Their voices immediately attracted the attention of the other store employees.
"Tch, what's the use of shouting like this? I don't believe this can attract customers," they muttered amongst themselves.
However, things turned out far beyond their imagination. After Song Qiao's shout, several people gathered around, a mix of men and women, old and young.
"Young man, is this stinky tofu really the same taste as the Xiang Piaopiao Stinky Tofu from the north of the city?" A middle-aged woman in her forties asked curiously, stepping forward.
"Sister, I can guarantee it's the same taste, even the recipe is identical."
"If you don't believe me, you can try it for free." Song Qiao handed her the opened package of stinky tofu he was holding. Lin Jing quickly took out more packages from the nearby shelves and distributed them to the onlookers.
"It's great! It's the same taste! I was wondering how to let my daughter who lives out of town try this stinky tofu. You've been a great help." The woman's eyes lit up after a bite, and she praised Song Qiao's stinky tofu repeatedly. Her loud voice attracted customers from other areas.
"Young man, quickly give me ten packs. I want to buy them to have with my drinks," a man in his thirties pushed through the crowd and shouted at Song Qiao.
Song Qiao smiled slightly and announced to everyone, "Don't worry, everyone. Anyone who buys stinky tofu here today will receive a 20% discount and a store voucher."
His words immediately drew cheers from the crowd. In just one hour, all the stinky tofu on the shelves was sold out. The nearby sales assistants were stunned. They hadn't sold a single package of stinky tofu all day, and it was all gone in just one hour. Thinking of this, they all felt a blush of shame.
Song Qiao had Lin Jing check the accounts. After deducting the commission, this single stall had made a profit of 3,000 yuan that day. He clapped his hands and called over the sales assistants responsible for this area. Song Qiao instructed them, "My stinky tofu has now gained some fame. You can now promote it in the way I did."
"If you can exceed the sales target every day, besides your manager's salary, I can also give you a certain commission." The sales assistants were quite surprised. Song Qiao not only didn't scold them but also offered such favorable terms. They were overjoyed and secretly vowed to pay more attention to the stinky tofu in the snack area from now on.
Seeing that he had fulfilled his promise to Manager Yu, Song Qiao left the department store without hesitation. The initial few people who gathered around were employees Song Qiao had asked A Wei to find at the factory. Although the stinky tofu produced at the factory tasted excellent, without someone to support the sales, some customers would be put off. Knowing the rules of sales, he had reasonably used the method of "plants" to attract the attention of other customers.
As Song Qiao had predicted, Manager Yu called as soon as he left. "Boss Song truly has remarkable methods. Yu is impressed." Manager Yu's voice was flattering as soon as the call was connected.
Song Qiao didn't appear too excited and replied in a calm tone, "Manager Yu is too kind. I merely guided the customers a little."
"I will send someone to deliver goods to you tomorrow morning."
Manager Yu paused on the other end of the line and said, "Since Boss Song's stinky tofu sells so easily, why not increase the supply? Don't worry, I will definitely reserve enough space for you."
Having already guessed the purpose of Manager Yu's call, Song Qiao was not polite. "Alright, as Manager Yu wishes. I will deliver double the amount of goods you received today tomorrow."
"Please don't forget our bet, Manager Yu." Manager Yu, seeing Song Qiao's agreement, repeatedly assured him that he would keep his word. Witnessing the incredible sales of Song Qiao's stinky tofu, he had already elevated Xiang Piaopiao's status to that of other major snack brands. Even if Song Qiao had asked him to lower the commission at that moment, he would have agreed without hesitation.