“Second, just address me as Senior.
“Third, place my request unconditionally above the interest of all departments.
“Can you do that?”
Everyone nodded immediately and replied in unison, “Yes!”
Pei Qian’s smiled. “Very good, no one raised any questions. Keep it that way.
“Your job is very simple. Enter the departments as Management Trainees and try to figure out the operation mode of the departments as much as possible. Keep abreast of the department’s trends and plans.
“I will call for regular meetings on Saturdays. The frequency would be about once every two to three weeks. “Everyone should summarize the work of the department for a briefing before the meeting. I might be interested in certain tasks in the department. You better be able to answer the relevant details.
“One key thing that you should note is that your identity as a Management Trainee is public information. However, the fact that you are reporting directly to me and Tang Yishu is confidential
“You should not mention a word about the irregular Saturday meetings to anyone including the heads and colleagues of your departments.
“You need to sign an internship agreement and a confidentiality agreement. Please rest assured that we will provide higher internship salaries than other companies. At the same time, if you do well in your work, you can enter Tengda directly without taking the exam after graduation. “I’ll give you a few minutes to think about it. Little Tang, show the agreement to everyone.” Tang Yishu left the meeting room and brought the internship agreement and confidentiality agreement that was prepared beforehand. She distributed them to everyone.
Everyone read the agreements and signed them without any doubt after a few minutes. This was obviously a great opportunity that they would never have again if they missed it.
They could get a generous internship salary, enter Tengda Group for internship and understand the business operation model, and obtain an opportunity to enter Tengda after graduation. The most important thing was that they could also report directly to President Pei at regular meetings.
Where else would they be able to find such a good deal?
If they were to reject it now, he would obviously find someone else. It would be too late to regret it.
Pei Qian was very satisfied with everyone’s performance. No one asked questions that would help cultivate a group of subordinates who were absolutely loyal to him.
No department would be able to escape from his eyes if they wanted to try anything funny again!
The reason why Pei Qian selected candidates from his juniors, let them address him as ‘senior’ instead of ‘Boss Pei’, and let them directly report to him was that they were aware of the particularity of their position. At the same time, he would draw them closer to him, so that they become his direct subordinates.
Everything seemed to be successful so far. Pei Qian began assigning them work after everyone signed the agreement.
“Next is assigning to a department. Think about your majors, hobbies, and objective abilities. Raise your hand if you think you are suitable for the department.
“Little Tang, you’ll decide if there are multiple candidates for a department. “Tengda Games…” “Shang Yang Games…”
“Fish-Catching Internet Cafe…” “Fish-Catching Take-Out…”
Some people raised their hands for every department. Tang Yishu would assign them based on their majors if there were too many people who wanted to enter the same department.
Tang Yishu had considered this point when searching for the candidates. She looked for people with different majors so that they were easy to allocate.
Soon, a total of 17 Manage Loss Trainees were allocated to the 17 departments. The 18 of them, including Tang Yishu, established the Secret Service. The number was just right.
Of course, they would need to increase the number of Manage Loss Trainees if there were new departments in the future.
“Alright, everyone, prepare yourselves to report for work to the department heads next Monday if there is nothing else.
“I’ve asked the HR department to coordinate with the various department heads. Report to Little Tang immediately if they do not cooperate with you.”
Pei Qian was very satisfied as he watched these Manage Loss Trainees leave.
They had no work experience and were still relatively simple in their thinking. They would completely obey his instructions. They would most likely be able to become his right-hand men in the future with some training.
At the same time, Pei Qian could not help but look forward to the first regular Manage Loss Trainees’ meeting.
Who would be able to secretly stab me in the back as long as I have these eyes and ears around?
April 24th, Sunday…
Pei Qian strolled towards Deposit Fitness.
Sunday was the peak period for the gym. The gym project would be halfway through success if there were many people. Also, he would hurry and find a solution if there was any serious hidden danger.
He took out his phone on the way and took a look at the ‘Top Student, Come Quick’ app. It seemed to be well controlled so far. Pei Qian had a huge headache previously when Dream Realization Ventures did their maneuver on ‘Top Student, Come Quick’. Yu Pingan-who was originally from Xude Education-seemed to be a good candidate, but he stabbed Boss Pei in the back within a month of entering
‘Top Student, Come Quick’ was making a fortune as an educational application. Its popularity had fallen recently, but its content had been diverting popularity to the other departments of Tengda. It had achieved certain profitability in itself.
Boss Pei could only adopt the old method of spending money by the people who earned them. He got Yu Pingan to spend all the money on advertisement, development of new features, subsidize users, and so on.
In short, it basically reached a balance of payment.
There was no point in hoping to turn the profits into a loss. Pei Qian was afraid that he might do something wrong burning money. He would rather burn the money little by little, in a controlled manner.
Even so, more than three educational corporations had already put forward their request to invest or acquire ‘Top Student, Come Quick’ at a high price. Pei Qian’s attitude was very firm, of course: reject!
To the others, selling a profitable project was akin to killing the hen to obtain the egg. Pei Qian, however, did not mind killing the hen, or rather, he was dying to kill the hen. However, he could not stomach the huge egg coming out of the hen after killing it.
It would be almost impossible to make a loss for this cycle according to the current valuation of ‘Top Student, Come Quick’.
Anyway, it was impossible to get rid of it now. They could only take it step by step now then.He kept his phone and came to Deposit Fitness. A beautiful sign had been erected outside like he wanted. All the trivial rules of the gym were written out in detail, which satisfied Pei Qian.
However, Pei Qian realized that something did not seem quite right once he pushed open the door.
There were quite a number of clients?! It was not crowded, but the number of people obviously increased. It was totally different from the previous situation!
Many clients were viewing the fitness equipment and asking about specific rules in the resting area. Some customers had already started exercising inside.
Coaches like Guo Licheng and Yaling were giving intimate one-on-one services to help customers correct their postures and correct their fitness concepts.
Pei Qian could not help but feel his heart sink.
Are things going to go downhill this fast?
No, impossible!
Chapter 498 - I Knew I chose the Wrong Person!
Pei Qian had one word to describe Deposit Fitness’ current situation:
Unacceptable!
He had already displayed all the requirements at the entrance, prohibited Deposit Fitness’ trainers from roping customers in, an
d set unreasonable prices by collaborating with Fish-Catching Take-Out to sell packages…
He had even transferred the gym’s original customers to another gym. Why were there still so many customers? Why?!
Pei Qian was extremely indignant. He wanted to look for Guo Licheng for an explanation. Guo Licheng had just finished teaching a student when he saw Boss Pei walk in. He quickly stepped forward to welcome him.
“Boss Pei!” Guo Licheng smiled brightly.
Could he help himself? The gym used to be so empty before, and no one had bothered about it. Apart from training himself, Guo Licheng could not do anything else but sit in the resting area. He had been very bored. Yet, what about now? There was work to do!
This was the first time Guo Licheng felt that it was worth celebrating the work he had to do.
While he had been working at other gyms, his schedule had always been packed. However, he had not felt accomplished. Instead, he felt exhausted.
The exhaustion was mainly due to three reasons:
First, as a personal trainer, his job was mainly to supervise and accompany his trainees. After customizing a training plan for his students, he had to watch his students do the prescribed number of reps or sets. Once the students got the hang of it, the personal trainer would only have to watch. It was pure manual labor, which did not require any skills. Of course, one would not feel a sense of accomplishment. Second, a personal trainer had to endure the pressure of making sales throughout the lesson.
Third, since Guo Licheng’s schedule had always been packed, he had had no time to work out during working hours.
Thus, he had always had to stay behind for an hour after the gym closed, so that he could train himself. Since he had not had set meal times either, he had become increasingly exhausted over time.
Now, however, Guo Licheng did not feel a hint of that exhaustion anymore!
Deposit Fitness’ business model did not result in customers being completely neglected. Instead, it was more flexible.
When newbies entered the gym, trainers could help to correct their form. However, once the newbies adjusted, the trainers would not be required to stand around, doing nothing.
That way, trainers would have additional time to guide others, train themselves, or rest. At the same time, trainers did not have to think about making sales. Thus, their relationships with the students were no longer transactional. Trainers stopped guiding the customers as a burden, and customers stopped feeling defensive towards trainers trying to make sales. Interactions between both parties became much more comfortable.
On top of that, Fish-Catching Take-Out was providing fitness meals, and Deposit Fitness did not allow trainers to work overtime. All trainers had adequate rest, and they were no longer suffering at work. Now, they could enjoy the joy that fitness brought to them during working hours.
Thus, Guo Licheng and the other trainers were feeling extremely energetic and motivated.
After working out—when they had nothing else to do, they would think about how to provide better service to the customers or passionately guide the newbies.
Of course, at that moment, Pei Qian could not tell that all of that had been happening. He could only sense that Guo Licheng was looking healthier, both physically and mentally
Now, Pei Qian was only concerned about the profits that the gym was generating.
“Why are there so many people in the gym? Didn’t I tell you not to rope customers in? Where did they come from? They couldn’t have walked into this place on their own, right?” Pei Qian looked very cautious.
Confused, Guo Licheng explained, “Boss Pei, we really didn’t do anything. They really walked in on their own.
“Didn’t you expect this?”
Now, Pei Qian looked confused.
Guo Licheng continued speaking. “It’s mainly because of the sign that you told us to set up!”
“What did the sign do?” An ominous feeling overwhelmed Pei Qian. Excitedly, Guo Licheng answered, “Your sign made us look very proper!
“Before this, we all thought that the sign would dissuade passers-by. However, the exact opposite happened. Not only did it fail to dissuade passers-by, but it also drew in a large group of customers!
“A few students from Handong University walked past our shop and were dissuaded by the prices. However, when they read the sign, they became intrigued. Thus, they took pictures and sent them to their friends.
“Our gym’s rules invoked interest in them. Thus, a huge group of young people started paying attention to us!
“Of course, most people were only interested in observing and not in spending money. However, a minority—who were not sensitive to price-came to experience our gym. Those are the customers you’re seeing right now!”
Pei Qian was stunned.
It was then that he realized he had committed an empirical mistake!
He had set up a sign in front of Fish-Catching Internet Cafe before, which had indeed worked to dissuade customers from entering. For a long time, many people walked away after seeing the prices, and no one bothered about Fish-Catching Internet Cafe.
Later, Fish-Catching Internet Cafe became popular mainly because of Chen Lei, and Chen Lei had only been hired as the resident singer because of Zhang Yuan. All of those had nothing to do with the sign.
Thus, Pei Qian had always been under the impression that putting a sign up at the entrance was a good way to dissuade customers from entering.
However, he now realized that Fish-Catching Internet Cafe and the gym’s signs had different contents!
Fish-Catching Internet Cafe’s sign had its prices written on it, including the cost of drinks and surfing the net. After reading it, customers had only one thought: ‘expensive’. They did not become curious; neither did they have the desire to investigate more or spread the news.
However, Deposit Fitness’ sign had its sales model. It wasn’t just expensive, but it also included fitness meals, a strict and custom-made fitness plan, and the like.
Customers’ first thought after reading it would not be that it was expensive, but that it was interesting! That was because no other gym was doing the same.
Of course, unique regulations like Deposit Fitness’ would ignite discussions. Curious people would naturally come over to take a look.
In other words, Fish-Catching Internet Cafe’s sign was alright, but Deposit Fitness’ sign was problematic. In fact, it was very problematic! Pei Qian’s face drained of all color when he realized his mistake. After a moment of silence, he said, “Take down the sign.”
Guo Licheng pondered for a moment and then said, “Boss Pei, news of the sign has already spread, and we’ve already attracted the nearby customers. Do you want to take down the sign to attract more people?” Pei Qian: “…”
I can’t leave the sign up, and I can’t take the sign down. What the h*ll should I do then?!
Finally, Pei Qian decided not to be hung up over this matter. Sorrowfully, he said, “So… you’re not going to tell me that the gym’s losses have been turned into profits, are you?”
Guo Licheng was stunned. After he recovered from the shock, he shook his head. “Losses have been turned into profits? Boss Pei, you’re being too optimistic. Where are we at now?
“I mean Deposit Fitness is doing alright for now. After all, we’ve made some improvements. However, it’s still too early for our losses to turn into profits.
“It looks like there are many people here, but don’t forget that it’s Sunday.
“Sundays are the peak periods for gyms. If this were a workday, the gym would be much more deserted.”
At that point, Pei Qian heaved a sigh of relief. There was always a way out. All is good, all is good. That scared me a little!
I almost thought that we were making profits now. Really… that was a false alarm.
Pei Qian really wanted a drink, but the gym only had pure water, and not tea or coffee. Thus, Pei Qian had no choice but to drink a cup of tea to calm himself down.
On further thought, it seemed acceptable if there were only this many people on Sundays, or the gym was otherwise empty.
After all, the gym was filled with good equipment and responsible trainers. Even if the price seemed unreasonable, there were bound to be people who were not sensitive to prices who would become paying customers.
As long as those customers were few and far between and the revenue earned was not enough to cover the gym’s expenses, everything would be alright.
Pei Qian relaxed slightly.
However, he soon became cautious again.
Although they were still a long way from making profits now, it was still significant that there were so many people in the gym over the weekend. It could create the impression that the gym was very popular.
That wouldn’t do!
Pei Qian felt like the gym was not dissuading customers well enough. Thus, he needed to work harder and take more precautions before he could relax.
Yet, what should he do…? Pei Qian did not have any ideas for now.
He decided to ask Guo Licheng.
“Is there a way to reduce the number of people in the gym on weekends?”
Guo Licheng paused. “Boss Pei, do you mean you want to optimize the customer flow and carrying capacity of the gym to maximize usage of the resources and improve customer experience?”
Pei Qian remained silent for two seconds and then said, “I guess so.” Guo Licheng looked surprised. “I was just about to report this to you. I didn’t think you would ask me about it instead! It looks like you have a deep understanding of the gym’s operations as well.
“Actually, this is a common problem across all gyms.”
Pei Qian asked curiously, “Oh? How do they solve it, then?”
Guo Licheng answered, “They don’t. That’s why I’m hesitant about whether to report this problem to you or not. “Other gyms don’t care about customers after bluffing them into buying memberships. They don’t care about the carrying capacity of the gym at all. Sometimes, during peak periods like the weekends, the gym would be completely filled. There would be queues for the weights machines, treadmills, and even showers.
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