In my impression of participating in Shanghai International Auto Show in April, I wrote, “Recruiting car owner volunteers to participate in auto shows is a display of confidence for an automotive brand in its products and services.” As scheduled, the autumn Chengdu International Auto Show arrived, and I saw more and more automotive brands inviting car owners to the scene. Users are willing to stand for the enterprise, which is a kind of recognition. However, at the booth of IDEAL ONE, I discovered another way in which users stand for the enterprise.
He Zirui, Luo Yang, and Qian Yibo are three product experts who came from various retail stores in Chengdu to support the auto show. They have one thing in common: they became car owners before becoming employees. Before joining IDEAL, some of them were already international department heads of a well-known foreign language high school in Chengdu, some were trainers of a digital technology brand in Japan, and one was a manager leading a team of 200 people in a leading domestic Internet company. Today, they are all at the forefront of IDEAL facing the general public.
“My life needs a turning point.”
“Ruier and Yuyu” is a nickname that I believe many people browsing IDEAL’s community are familiar with. His posts are not only frequent visitors to the homepage, but also as an internal test car owner, his proposal numbers ranked in the top four in the past year. He took delivery of the car in July 2020 and joined the IDEAL Automobile as a product expert in July 2021. “Ruier and Yuyu” has become a product expert in IDEAL Automobile in Chengdu after using IDEAL ONE for a year.
He Zirui is Ruirui, and Yuyu is his lover. He Zirui is a typical car enthusiast. When he was five or six years old, he would follow the car in front of him and run all the way when he smelled the smell of the car on the street. He recognized 90% of the car brands on the road when he just started elementary school. He booked a car before he got his driver’s license. In five years, from Volkswagen Lingdu GTS to Audi S4, and then to IDEAL ONE, each car was carefully selected by him. “I think cars are a manifestation of a person’s taste, and each car also represents a different stage of my life. When I was 24, I got married, and I needed a big car after starting a family.”
After getting IDEAL ONE, He Zirui has traveled to many places with Yuyu, and he drove more than 32,000 kilometers in one year. “It accompanied me to the plateau, from an altitude of 300 meters to 5,000 meters, with temperatures from minus 15 degrees Celsius to plus 40 degrees Celsius, and experienced icy road sections, muddy road sections, and mountain roads. I haven’t replaced any of the four wheels so far. After buying PLUS membership, one year of maintenance only costs more than 200 yuan, and its quality is better than any of my previous cars.”
Due to his love for IDEAL ONE, He Zirui decided to join IDEAL, “since most of my time is spent recommending IDEAL to others, why not work for IDEAL and get paid for it? It’s a good thing.” With a heart full of passion, He Zirui sent his resume to IDEAL Motors, only to receive a disappointing reply.
After graduating from university, He Zirui started as a content operations and review specialist at a leading internet company, eventually leading a team of 200 people. Later, due to the stress, he switched to a “well-paying, low-pressure, and close-to-home” job, but the mundane life made him feel like he couldn’t waste his life like this anymore. “My life needs a turning point, but IDEAL rejected me, and I’m very disappointed.”
He Zirui knew he had no sales experience, and as a product specialist, there would be many adaptations he would have to make, but without trying, who will know the end result? He Zirui found the person responsible for IDEAL sales in the Southwest region and had a lengthy conversation with him. He also had a three-hour interview with the store manager, finally realizing his ambition.
“My first week at work was an event, and at that time, I didn’t know what fatigue was. A customer once said to me, ‘You don’t seem like a salesperson, but more like a cute child introducing your favorite toy to me.'” He Zirui said, when he first joined IDEAL, his parents were still somewhat opposed, and even bet on whether their son would give up after a week or a month. “After communicating properly with my parents, I showed them that I’m not someone who gets excited for three minutes; I make choices proactively, and all opportunities are left to active individuals.”
When I asked He Zirui about his goals, he became serious in an instant, and I could almost see the manager who once led a team of 200 people battling in the internet industry. “I’m not just selling cars, I’m also promoting a set of values, showcasing the strength of Chinese brands and the confidence of corporate culture to the outside world. At the same time, I believe that in the IDEAL system, I can become a leader of the team. A soldier who doesn’t want to become a general is not a good soldier; only higher positions can influence more people.”
“Low points are meant to be overcome.” In the working communication directory of Feishu, I saw Luo Yang’s photo for the first time. The words “handsome” were written in bold on his face, and his smile was especially sunny. I couldn’t tell that he was already thirty years old.Before purchasing the LI ONE, Luo Yang, who is not a car enthusiast, drove a Toyota Camry, which is a relatively safe car choice. He was influenced by his friends in the digital circle to buy the LI ONE. “Many of my favorite digital bloggers have purchased LI ONE with their own money, which made me curious about it.”
Before joining LI, Luo Yang was a trainer for a digital technology brand in Japan. He said that in the digital industry, there is a saying for buying cars: “If you want a small car, buy a Model 3. If you want a large car, buy a LI ONE.” As electric vehicles become more digitized, being recognized by digital bloggers is the best affirmation of a car’s smart capabilities.
After receiving his LI ONE, Luo Yang decided to enter the smart electric vehicle industry from the digital industry. With his excellent sales and training experience, Luo Yang successfully joined LI as a product expert without too many obstacles. Once at LI, Luo Yang’s sales performance soared, and in July, he was even preparing to compete for the position of assistant manager.
In the total order volume of May and June, Luo Yang was the number one product expert in the store. As long as he maintained his ranking in July, he would have the opportunity to compete for the position of assistant manager. However, his ranking fell to fourth place after July, and in August (until August 28), he even hit the extreme situation of zero orders. “The store manager is helping me analyze the reasons and giving me advice. I think I need to reflect on my own pace.”
After experiencing the ups and downs, Luo Yang is now making every effort to regain his best state. The Chengdu Auto Show is his chance to “make a comeback”. “Only orders can soothe my inner pain, but I believe that the trough is there to be overcome.”
“I want to become a pioneer in China’s smart electric vehicle industry.”
When you first meet Qian Yibo, you will naturally feel his scholarly air because he used to be an English teacher. His sonorous voice and elegant demeanor were all brought into his new position from his previous identity. “I think being a teacher and being a product expert are both following the process of preaching, teaching, and solving problems. For me, only the field has changed, but the methodology has not.”Talking about his past experience in the education industry, Yi-Bo Qian said it was the first stage of his career, where he had taught IELTS and TOEFL, and even managed the international department of a foreign language high school, helping many children achieve their English learning goals and get into their desired universities. This was his significant achievement during that period. In the second half of 2019, after bidding farewell to the education industry, Yi-Bo Qian went through a year of introspection and silence. In December 2020, at the age of thirty, he joined Ideal Automotive as a product expert, marking the beginning of his second career stage.
During that year of introspection and silence, Yi-Bo Qian wanted to add some spice to his life, so he purchased the Ideal ONE, a car he had been following closely for a long time. While using it in his daily life, he quickly realized the changes that intelligent electric vehicles could bring to everyone’s daily commute. In the fourth month after obtaining the car, he submitted his resume to Ideal Automotive.
“Now looking back, I have made the right judgment regarding the trend. Compared to the education industry, the new energy industry has huge advantages in terms of policy support and market size.” However, Yi-Bo Qian underestimated the difficulty of “selling an Ideal ONE” when he first joined the company. “At that time, I thought that with a price of around 300,000 yuan, as long as people understand and compare, who wouldn’t buy an Ideal ONE?” When he actually worked at the retail center, he realized that he needed to put in twelve times the effort in ideal’s “preach, teach, and explain” in order to succeed. He had experienced a situation where his sales record had remained at zero for more than twenty consecutive days.
At this time last year, the market awareness of new energy vehicles had not been fully established, and consumers still held doubts about the industry. According to recent statistical analysis data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, China’s new energy vehicle sales volume from January to July this year reached 1.478 million units, surpassing last year’s total sales volume of 1.367 million units. The popularity of the current market is evident.
“I am very fortunate to have witnessed the process of this industry from cold to hot, and in my work, I have also found my greatest value.” In April of this year, Yi-Bo Qian met with a user who deeply touched him, a university professor in his thirties. This professor had also been following the Ideal ONE for a while. One day in April, he brought his mother and lover to the store for a test drive. When they paid a deposit of 5,000 yuan, all three of them were trying to pay at the same time. In the end, the mother won and paid the 5,000 yuan deposit.“`
At that time, I felt strange that the professor had good economic conditions, why would he let his mother pay for the car. Later, I learned that the professor’s father had passed away due to illness, with one unfulfilled wish, which was to buy a car that his son liked as another form of companionship, so the professor’s mother insisted on paying for it. After knowing the cause and effect, Yanbo Qian was greatly moved and left a message in the work group.
“I want to become a promoter of China’s intelligent electric vehicle industry. It is not only leaders who are promoters, but also every one of us who strives for the goal. I hope that every product expert can serve every user well. Every car we sell carries a new way of life for a family and is also an important foundation for us to achieve our 2025 goal.”
The Chengdu Auto Show is currently taking place, and these three partners are facing every visitor with the most sincere and professional service at the booth. Going back to the question in the article title, what is the greatest recognition that users can give an enterprise? I think we already have the answer. It is to join it, do what you love, and strive for it without regrets.
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This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.