novelslam Chapter 121 Deepening the Moat
Chapter 121 Deepening the Moat
Chapter 121 Deepening the Moat
Zhang Ming stood under the bus stop sign in the North District of the Science and Technology Park, looking at the notebook in his hand.
The notebook contains a newly drawn grid map of this area.
He circled the four main streets and thirty-seven shops and factories that had clearly expressed a need for recruitment with a red pen, and then connected them with lines to form several irregular blocks.
Next to each block was written a name: Zhao Yong, Sun Hao, Xu Xiaoming, and his own name.
"Assigning areas to individuals and assigning responsibilities to households." He closed his notebook and repeated these eight words to himself.
The night before last, Lin Feng called him and Wei Zejun to his office and they talked for half an hour.
Major recruitment websites like 51job and Zhaopin.com have started paying attention to the lower-tier market and expanding their business there. They have strong brands, and their sales representatives look impressive.
For local life websites to survive, simply offering free services isn't enough; they need to delve deeper and get closer to the local community than other similar platforms.
"They come once a month, so we come once a week. They send out messages and leave, so we have to make the merchants feel that our people are not just for sending messages, but for lending a helping hand." Lin Feng's words still echoed in my ears.
Zhang Ming called all four members of his group out and arranged to meet them directly in the park.
Zhao Yong arrived first on his bicycle, followed by Sun Hao and Xu Xiaoming. The four of them stood under the shade of a tree next to the bus stop.
Zhang Ming opened his notebook, pointed to the grid map, and said, "From today onwards, we'll each be responsible for a section. Every shop, every factory, even the small stores and barbershops—anything we designate is your responsibility."
Sun Hao peeked inside and asked, "Ming-ge, how do we manage this? They open a shop; can we really guard it every day?"
"It's not about just guarding the place, it's about making you one of the people on this street." You need to know the names of the owners and staff of the shops you're responsible for, how business has been lately, whether they're short-staffed, and if so, what kind. Find out all this through casual conversations, passing by, and when you're buying things.
Zhao Yong exhaled a puff of smoke: "Like how we treated Sister Liu at the old dock?"
Zhang Ming nodded: "Sister Liu can chat with me for five minutes now. Next time, I'll try to chat for ten minutes. You have to make the boss feel that you, Xiao Zhao and Xiao Sun, aren't just here to do business, but are neighbors, people he can talk to."
Xu Xiaoming was a little embarrassed: "But we're still doing this so that people can post job advertisements, aren't we?"
"It's for this reason, but it can't just be this."
Zhang Ming patiently explained, "When you pass by a hardware store and see the owner moving goods, you lend a hand. When you see a restaurant struggling, you help hand out menus. You know which shops are up for sale and which are being renovated—you write all this down. Later, when you chat with the owner, you'll show him you know more about the changes on this street than he does. Doesn't he consider you one of his own?"
He paused, looking at the three of them: "Those salespeople from big websites, dressed in suits and shirts, carrying briefcases, talking a good game, are just website salespeople in the eyes of the businesses. We, on the other hand, are friends of the businesses. With this relationship, we have our moat. The closer the relationship, the deeper the moat."
Once the area is assigned to a specific person and the process begins, the desired effect will take time.
There's a small printing factory in the neighborhood that Zhao Yong is in charge of. They posted a job ad for an operator before, and they actually managed to hire one person.
When Zhao Yong went again, the boss was quite polite to him, pouring him a glass of water. But when he heard that he wanted to "chat more and get to know each other better," the boss smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Little Zhao, I'm busy here. Just tell me what you need to say."
Zhao Yong was rebuffed, so he went back to Zhang Ming.
Zhang Ming didn't say much, and took Zhao Yong there again.
He didn't rush into the printing factory. Instead, he bought a pack of cigarettes at a small shop diagonally opposite the factory and chatted with the old man who was minding the shop for a while. He learned that the printing factory owner's surname was Chen and that he seemed to be looking for a day laborer to help with packing in the afternoon.
The next afternoon, Zhao Yong went to the printing factory again, carrying two bottles of chilled soda.
Mr. Chen was looking at the stacks of printed flyers with a headache, because the temporary worker he had hired hadn't come today.
Zhao Yong didn't mention hiring. He put down his soda, rolled up his sleeves, and said, "Boss Chen, I'll lend a hand. We'll talk about it after we're done."
The two worked together for over forty minutes, drenched in sweat. When they finished, Boss Chen wiped his face, looked at Zhao Yong, and his gaze changed. "Little Zhao, you—really..."
"Nothing much, just passing by." Zhao Yong grinned, then pulled out his notebook. "Boss Chen, I heard you're looking for some afternoon packing work? I happen to have two students' phone numbers written down, would you like to take a look?"
Boss Chen took the slip of paper with the phone number on it, glanced at Zhao Yong's ink-stained sleeve, and nodded: "Okay, I'll ask later. That job posting from last time seems to have expired? Could you post another one for me? I need an experienced worker, and the salary is negotiable."
The breakthrough was gradually achieved. But the pressure of competition also began to mount.
A few days later, Sun Hao encountered a problem.
There was a newly opened bakery in the neighborhood he was in charge of. The proprietress was a woman in her thirties surnamed Wu.
After Sun Hao made several trips and persistently pleaded with Wu, the proprietress finally agreed to post a job advertisement on the website for a bread-making apprentice.
Three days after the message was posted, two young men actually called to inquire.
Sun Hao thought the matter was settled, so he went back a week later to ask if they had found anyone and to solidify the relationship.
Unexpectedly, as soon as I arrived at the store entrance, I saw a young man wearing a light blue shirt, a tie, and carrying a briefcase come out of the store. He had a professional smile on his face and was shaking hands with the owner, Mrs. Wu, who was seeing me off.
"————Sister Wu, rest assured, our 51job service is absolutely professional. Once your job posting is published on our website, you'll see only high-quality candidates who are genuinely looking for work. It's much better than those messy little websites."
Try it for a month and see how it goes. We can discuss the follow-up costs then.
Sun Hao's heart tightened, and he stopped in his tracks.
After seeing the salesman off, Mrs. Wu turned and saw Sun Hao. Her expression was a little awkward, but she smiled and said, "Little Sun's here?"
"Sister Wu, what was that just now—" Sun Hao tried to keep his tone normal.
"Oh, it's that one—51job, the big website, you know it, right?" Boss Wu tossed her hair.
"They said they could help me recruit people, and I could try them out first. I thought—it's good to have another option."
Sun Hao remained calm, forcing a smile: "Yes, it's a big website, that's great. Have you recruited anyone yet?"
"It's not decided yet," said Mrs. Wu. "A few people have called to inquire, but none of them are quite suitable. The guy named Zhou just said that their website has a lot of users and their filtering is good, so it might be easier to find something suitable."
Sun Hao didn't know what to say, so he just nodded, asked routinely if there were any other needs, and then left.
As he walked out of that street, he felt a little stifled.
Big websites, big reputations, nice talkers, even their salespeople are dressed better than them. While we're out here braving the elements, talking ourselves hoarse, they just come in and easily snatch the customers away.
He told Zhang Ming about it.
After listening, Zhang Ming didn't speak immediately. He took Sun Hao and went to the bakery again. This time, they didn't go empty-handed; they bought a few apples from the fruit shop next door.
"Sister Wu, you're busy, aren't you?" Zhang Ming said with a smile as he entered, placing the apples on the counter. "I bought them on the way here; they're quite sweet. Please try some."
The proprietress, Mrs. Wu, was a little embarrassed: "Oh dear, how can that be—"
"It's nothing, just a few apples." Zhang Ming waved his hand, as if asking casually, "Did you make any progress with the apprenticeship recruitment last time?"
Mrs. Wu sighed, "A few people did call, but when they heard they had to come at four in the morning to knead the dough and work until the afternoon, and the pay wasn't high, they weren't willing to go. It's hard to find someone like that.
"That's hard work." Zhang Ming nodded, glancing at the neatly arranged bread in the glass cabinet.
"Your shop is newly opened, and business will take time to grow. You need to find someone hardworking and reliable. Too young people can't handle the hardship, and too old people complain about the low wages. Ideally, they should be local kids, live nearby, be able to endure hardship, and want to learn a skill."
"That's right!" Mrs. Wu exclaimed, as if she'd found a kindred spirit. "Little Zhang, what you said really resonates with me. I've been looking for someone like that, but they're hard to find. That guy from 51job said he'd help me find someone, but I don't know—"
"Big websites have more people, so the opportunities are greater," Zhang Ming replied calmly. "However, they mainly recruit white-collar workers in office buildings. For small shops like ours to recruit apprentices, it might be a matter of luck. I'll keep an eye out for you and let you know if there are any suitable candidates."
He didn't mention competition or belittle his rivals; he simply stated a fact. Then he chatted with Mrs. Wu for a while about the types of bread they sold, asking which ones were best. Before leaving, he said, "Ms. Wu, if you urgently need help, I'll go to a few of the nearby middle schools this afternoon to see if there are any graduates who want to learn a trade. I'll ask around for you. I'll let you know if I hear anything."
"That's too much trouble for you, Xiao Zhang." Boss Wu's tone became more sincere.
As they walked out of the bakery, Sun Hao couldn't help but ask, "Ming-ge, are we really going to the school to help him recruit people?"
"Go ahead, why not?" Zhang Ming kept walking. "You can't compete with 51job in terms of brand prestige or who dresses better. You have to compete in things they can't."
"Compare what?"
"It's about who knows this street better, who provides the best service, and who can truly help Sister Wu recruit people, instead of just throwing information online—"
Zhang Ming glanced at Sun Hao. "When you came before, did you ask Sister Wu what kind of person she specifically needed? Did you ask her what time the bakery opens in the morning and closes at night? Did you ask her what kind of person she was most afraid of hiring?"
Sun Hao paused for a moment, then shook his head.
"We didn't ask. Because our plan was just to have her send the message, and once it was posted, the task would be complete."
Zhang Ming continued, "The salespeople at those big websites think the same way: streamlined processes, standardized procedures, and high efficiency. But they don't consider that hiring an apprentice at a bakery is completely different from hiring a general worker at an electronics factory. We have to think ahead, and we have to think one step further than others."
He patted Sun Hao on the shoulder: "This afternoon, I'll go with you to the vicinity of the middle school and vocational school and talk to those kids who just graduated but didn't get into university. Don't we have a list of job seekers? Let's screen them and see if there are any interested in learning cooking or baking."
Whether we find it or not is another matter, but we have to do what we promised Sister Wu.
Sun Hao nodded; he had never imagined that the service would go this far.
A change in a merchant's attitude begins with a series of small things.
Zhao Yong became an "acquaintance" of Mr. Chen, the owner of the printing factory. Occasionally, he would stop by for a drink of water and chat about his children's grades.
Sun Hao really went to several schools. Although he didn't find anyone immediately, he gave the contact information of several interested graduates to Boss Wu. Boss Wu's eyes lit up with warmth when she looked at him.
In the neighborhood that Xu Xiaoming was in charge of, a small restaurant's freezer broke down, and the owner was in a panic. Xu Xiaoming remembered that he had a fellow villager who did appliance repair nearby, so he made a phone call and called him over. The freezer was fixed for less than 100 yuan.
The boss was so grateful that he insisted on inviting him to dinner. After that, whenever the restaurant needed to hire waiters or dishwashers, Xu Xiaoming was the first person they would approach.
Zhang Ming spends more time outside of his designated job area, at those scattered recruitment points, gathering information on job seekers.
At the entrance of the construction site, a spontaneous labor market has formed, with electricians and bricklayers squatting on the overpass waiting for work.
He carried a notebook and pen, chatted with these people, offered them cigarettes, asked them where they were working recently, what kind of work they were looking for, and wrote down their contact information and any news they heard about where there was work.
This information is scattered.
But this is another key difference between them and those big websites: those websites won't come down to the foot of the bridge to record these things.
At Friday's routine meeting, Zhang Ming reported the latest situation to Lin Feng.
"After assigning specific areas to individuals, the rate of proactive contact from merchants has increased. For example, Mr. Chen from the printing factory and Ms. Wu from the bakery now proactively call our people when they have needs. The quality of information has also improved; at least the job descriptions are more specific."
Zhang Ming opened the notebook. "In addition, we have begun to consciously collect the needs and information of casual and temporary workers."
This area is diverse, but the volume is substantial, and almost no other websites are doing it.
Lin Feng listened, tapping his finger lightly on the table: "Any movement from 51job?"
"Yes. Their sales representatives are also outreach, including to factories in industrial zones and shops along the street. However, they haven't managed to get any of the companies we've contacted, such as hardware stores and printing plants, to cooperate yet."
Although Sister Wu at the bakery was a little hesitant, she didn't use them immediately after we followed up.
I reckon they're mainly pushing those package deals, which puts a financial strain on a small shop like ours. We're offering them for free, and with our current strong service, we can manage."
"It's not enough to just hold on," Lin Feng said. "We need to make them feel that using us is more worthwhile and more effective than using those big websites."
"Understood. Zhao Yong and I have discussed it and plan to select one or two stores with good cooperation in each of our assigned areas to make them into model stores."
We not only help them post job openings, but also regularly organize and update their information, and even do preliminary screening of applicants, saving them time. We aim to refine this service and build a strong reputation.
"We can give it a try," Lin Feng affirmed the idea.
After the meeting, Lin Feng spoke with Zhou Zhongcheng, the human resources manager, about incentives for the recruitment team. He emphasized that it wasn't enough to just look at how many messages were sent; it was crucial to assess how many messages actually helped merchants recruit and how many merchants were willing to continue using the website.
Lin Feng demanded that these metrics be linked to bonuses, so that everyone's focus would shift from simply posting job advertisements to "achieving customer success".