Chapter 19 A Perfect Fit for Expectations

April 29th, Sunday morning.

Tian Mo and Zhuang Dong sat silently in the coffee shop in the mall, sipping their coffees and not saying a word.

Tian Mo yawned and looked at his watch. It was almost ten o'clock.

Zhuang Dong gulped down three mouthfuls of coffee and asked, "Brother Gou, how was it? Did you figure anything out last night?"

Tian Mo rolled his eyes. "Don't ask."

Zhuang Dong obediently didn't ask.

Yesterday, Tian Mo had gotten off work at five o'clock. After returning to his place, he had seriously reflected, wanting to figure out where things had gone wrong that led to zero sales on Saturday.

As a result, he pondered and pondered, thinking until after two in the morning, but still couldn't figure it out.

He put himself in the role of the customer and reflected. He felt that it was normal for customers not to buy; it would be abnormal if they did.

The salespeople had already said that the cost-performance ratio of these products wasn't high. Were people stupid or something? Who would buy them?

But these guidelines were all personally set by President Pei, and President Pei definitely wouldn't be wrong.

So, where exactly was the problem?

Tian Mo really couldn't understand this, so he didn't sleep well yesterday and woke up late today. He should have arrived at the store at nine o'clock, but he didn't get up until nine.

Since he was already late, Tian Mo decided to go all in and take Zhuang Dong to the coffee shop for a coffee to perk up before going to work.

Anyway, he was already late, so it didn't make much difference whether he went a little earlier or a little later. He wouldn't be able to sell anything either way.

The two silently finished their coffees and then went upstairs to the store entrance.

Tian Mo was just about to take out his key to open the door when he suddenly froze.

Because the door was already open!

President Pei was sitting leisurely on the sofa in the store, playing games.

Tian Mo's heart immediately skipped a beat.

This was bad!

He was late on his second day of work, and President Pei had caught him red-handed!

He never expected that President Pei would come so early today, on a Sunday, and that he would be absent. This was too awkward!

Tian Mo was already frozen in place, but Zhuang Dong didn't realize the seriousness of the situation at all. Seeing that there was someone in the store, his first reaction was to step forward and question, "Hey? Who are you? How did you get in here?"

Tian Mo almost coughed up blood.

He hurriedly grabbed Zhuang Dong. "You idiot, don't talk! This is the boss!"

Zhuang Dong was stunned. "Ah? The boss? Ah, Boss, I'm sorry!"

Tian Mo hurriedly apologized. "Sorry, President Pei, my brother didn't recognize you before. He's just outspoken, please don't take it to heart."

Pei Qian put down the controller and stood up, a warm smile on his face. "It's okay, it's okay, young people are good, a straightforward personality is a good thing. I like this kind of direct personality very much, not bad!"

"You must be Zhuang Dong, right? When I saw your resume before, I felt that you were very promising and I had high hopes for you! Seeing you today, I am even more certain of my judgment."

"In the future, you and Tian Mo should work hard. I'm counting on you two to support the sales department!"

Zhuang Dong was a little overwhelmed by the favor. "Really? Thank you, Boss! Thank you, Boss!"

Tian Mo breathed a sigh of relief. He carefully observed and found that President Pei's expression didn't seem fake, and he didn't seem angry at all.

This was a good sign, indicating that President Pei was in a good mood today. He had to seize the time to explain the lateness.

"President Pei, I didn't sleep well last night because I kept thinking about work, so I was late. Don't worry, this is the first and last time. I will definitely not do it again in the future!"

Although these words sounded very fake, Tian Mo knew that everything he said was true, so his tone was quite firm.

Pei Qian looked concerned. "Didn't sleep well last night? That won't do!"

"Your health is the most important thing. Without good health, how can you do your job well? You must pay attention to your sleep and rest more in the future!"

"Moreover, the sales department is different from other departments. Hard work is not reflected by working on time. How about this, in the future, you can work on a flexible schedule. As long as you guarantee the minimum working hours, it doesn't matter if you come a little late or leave a little early."

Tian Mo was deeply moved. "Okay, President Pei, thank you for your understanding and support!"

He looked at Zhuang Dong. "Why are you still standing there like an idiot? Go pour a glass of water for President Pei."

"Oh, okay!" Zhuang Dong, who had been standing there awkwardly, quickly went to the water dispenser next to him, filled a paper cup with hot water, and handed it over.

Pei Qian reached out and took it. "Actually, I didn't come here today for anything else. I just wanted to see how things were going here, whether the store was operating according to my plan."

"How was business yesterday?"

Tian Mo couldn't help but feel a sinking feeling in his heart, thinking, 'This is bad, President Pei is still asking!'

Zhuang Dong had offended President Pei because he didn't recognize him, and he was an hour late. These were all minor matters, and President Pei was generous enough to completely ignore them.

But the fact that the sales revenue for the entire day yesterday was zero was too much to excuse!

After all, this store was located in a shopping mall. Although the location wasn't very good, it wasn't particularly bad either. Yesterday was Saturday, but after working hard all day, they didn't sell a single item. This was too embarrassing.

If he told the truth, President Pei would definitely suspect the abilities of the two of them!

But Tian Mo didn't dare to lie. He knew very well that President Pei's level was much higher than his. If he lied, he might be exposed by a single glance or a micro-expression, and the consequences might be even worse.

After hesitating for a long time, Tian Mo said very shamefully, "I'm sorry, President Pei, so far the store's sales revenue is still zero. We haven't sold anything."

"But President Pei, don't worry, I will work harder and strive to open soon!"

Hearing this, Pei Qian's eyes lit up. "Didn't sell a single item? Well done!"

Tian Mo was stunned. "Ah?"

Pei Qian realized that he was a little carried away and quickly stopped. "What I mean is, this result is very much in line with my expectations."

"This shows that you didn't act on your own accord, but strictly followed the guidelines I gave you."

Tian Mo was a little confused. "Completely in line with expectations? You expected… no sales?"

Pei Qian smiled slightly, a philosophical light shining in his eyes. "Yes, and no."

"In fact, the amount of sales is not important. What's important is that customers are willing to buy after knowing the shortcomings of our products."

"The location of this store is not bad, and the daily traffic is not too small. The fact that we haven't sold a single item shows that you followed my requirements and gave customers a detailed introduction to the shortcomings of these products, persuading them to not buy them."

"Instead of letting customers buy our products in a daze and then complain after encountering problems, it's better for us to tell customers about the problems with the products from the beginning and let them not buy them at all."

"In this way, customers are not scammed, have fewer troubles, and we don't leave a bad impression on customers. Isn't that a win-win situation?"

"This is, a win-win."

Tian Mo felt a little dizzy. "But President Pei, how long will it take to sell these things if this continues? If no one buys them, then…"

Pei Qian immediately said, "If no one buys them, it's not your fault."

"That can only mean that our products are not good enough, not refined enough, and cannot meet the needs of customers."

"It is the product managers and designers who should work harder."

"In short, you should maintain your current state and continue to persevere. The fewer things you sell, the more thoroughly you introduce the shortcomings of the products to customers, and the more successful your work will be! Moreover, this can also serve as a spur to the product managers. You have made a great contribution!"

Tian Mo was completely dizzy. It was the first time he had heard that a salesperson making a great contribution meant not selling a single item.

Originally, Tian Mo thought that he would be criticized by President Pei for being caught being late, but he never expected that he would be praised instead, praised to the point of being a little embarrassed.

"Then… President Pei, do you think there is anything we need to improve in our work?" Tian Mo asked.

Pei Qian pondered for a moment. "Well, if I had to say something that needs to be improved…"

"I think your working mode is too monotonous."

Tian Mo was stunned. "Ah? President Pei, do you mean that we shouldn't just wait for customers to come to the store, but should go out and hand out flyers and attract customers?"