dkrc Chapter 120 The Emergence of E-commerce Competitors
Chapter 120 The Emergence of E-commerce Competitors
On Friday afternoon, Zhang Ming gave a briefing to Lin Feng.
"...Currently, within the designated area, we have successfully guided twelve businesses to post job openings. Among them, five businesses directly connected with job seekers through the information we provided, and three of them ultimately succeeded in recruiting employees."
We have already used these three companies as typical examples and are promoting them in the surrounding neighborhoods.
We've accumulated over 150 valid job seeker profiles through proactive online and offline channels, which have been roughly categorized by job type and region. Since having this "list," our success rate in communicating with businesses has improved.
Lin Feng nodded after listening. "Since the method is effective, let's continue."
Zhang Ming was very happy to receive the boss's affirmation. He added, "My next step is to continue to cultivate this 'model area' while trying to standardize the successful cases and sales scripts, and train the second batch of ground promotion personnel."
At the same time, we hope to recruit one or two full-time information collectors as soon as possible, so that Xu Xiaoming can be freed from the work of collecting information and focus on visiting businesses.
Additionally, the job postings on the website require technical support to create a very simple posting process, ideally one that businesses or their sales representatives can quickly manage using their mobile phones.
"Okay," Lin Feng decided.
Lin Feng then assigned Zhou Zhongcheng to expedite the recruitment process. Simultaneously, he instructed Zhou Bin from the technical department to collaborate with Zhang Ming in optimizing the posting and backend management processes for greater ease and efficiency.
As the days went by, the pace of life in the Shenzhen office of Tongcheng Life Network accelerated.
Zhang Ming and his recruitment team worked like ants, slowly but surely chipping away at the land in the science park.
The method is indeed clumsy and not very efficient, but it works.
With successful examples and the "ammunition" of job seeker information they had collected, their success rate in knocking on the doors of small businesses was visibly increasing.
Some shop owners were initially skeptical, but with a try-it-and-see attitude, they asked Zhao Yong to help them post the words "hiring waiters" and their phone number online.
A few days later, I actually received two or three inquiry calls. Although it might not be possible to close a deal immediately, the bosses' attitudes changed.
The next time Zhao Yong went, the boss started offering him cigarettes and water.
"Hey Xiao Zhao, what's that website of yours called...? Right, Local Life Network. The one you posted last time actually got some inquiries. But it was a woman. My shop sells dry goods, which requires some physical strength, so it has to be a man." The hardware store owner said, handing over a cigarette.
"Brother Liu, how about I change that message for you?" Zhao Yong immediately chimed in.
"Okay, add a message, make it clear: male only, hardworking."
And so, the pitiful number of entries in the recruitment section's backend started from zero, painstakingly climbed to a dozen or so, and then slowly moved towards several dozen.
The quality of information has also improved; job descriptions are clear and specify the requirements, rather than simply stating "recruitment + salary".
On the other hand, Lin Xiaoqiang's task of collecting personal housing information began to take off as a newly recruited batch of ground sales personnel completed their training.
They are no longer limited to the neighborhoods around the science park, but have begun to penetrate into more established communities, factory dormitories, and even areas outside the city center, according to the designated areas.
The rental information on the website, like ink drops on rice paper, begins to slowly spread outward from the center.
Although each piece of information still requires the ground promotion staff to run around, ask questions, and then go back to enter it, the increase in quantity is real.
The "Latest Listings" list on the homepage refreshes much faster than before. We're starting to see listings from Luohu, Futian, and even further afield, Bao'an and Longgang.
Clicking into the Shenzhen City Channel of Tongcheng Life Network reveals a wealth of housing information across various districts and sections, while recruitment information is also increasing.
For those "Shenzhen drifters" who have recently arrived in Shenzhen and are eager to find a place to stay and companies that are hiring, more and more people are using local life websites. Gradually, it has gained a reputation.
The number of backend access IPs kept climbing each day. Server pressure began to show as the amount of information and access increased.
Zhou Bin wasn't idle either; he led his team to complete the server upgrade and data optimization. Even more ingeniously, he developed a new feature: "Automatic demotion of expired information."
"Simply put, every piece of information, whether it's for renting a place or hiring, will have a timestamp when it's posted."
Zhou Bin explained at the meeting: "We have set a time limit: thirty days. Whether it is a rental listing or a job posting, if the poster does not manually click 'rented out' or 'job posting closed' or update the listing after thirty days, the ranking of the listing will automatically drop."
This ensures that the information displayed at the top of the search results and most easily seen by users is from the last month.
This feature is simple but very useful. It can clean up some obviously outdated "zombie information," improving the efficiency of users finding information.
Lin Feng watched the demonstration, nodded, and quickly arranged for it to go online.
Everything seems to be moving in a positive direction.
The recruitment snowball started to roll, the coverage of rental housing expanded, and the website technology was continuously optimized.
But things don't always go smoothly; competition from peers came sooner than expected.
Zhang Ming has been making extra frequent trips these past few days. He's practically covered every business around the science park.
That afternoon, he took Xu Xiaoming to an industrial area that was a little further away from the science park.
There are many manufacturing plants and small workshops here, and the demand for general workers and operators is also high. Zhang Ming felt that this was a new area worth exploring.
They entered a hardware processing shop. The shop smelled strongly of machine oil, and several workers were operating machine tools.
The boss was a middle-aged man in his forties, wearing work clothes stained with oil, and was calculating something in a notebook.
"Boss, busy?" Zhang Ming asked with a smile, offering him a cigarette.
The boss looked up at him, didn't take the cigarette, and asked, "What do you do?"
"We're from 'Tongcheng Life Network,' a local information website. We help factories and shops like ours post job openings for free, and we also help job seekers find work. Are you short-staffed lately?"
"Hiring?" The boss looked them over. "Are you from the job market?"
"It's not a job market, it's a local services website. You can view it on a computer, and job seekers can see your job postings and call you directly," Zhang Ming explained.
He then took out a small notebook he always carried with him, opened a page, and copied down several job postings.
"Look, I happen to have a few people here looking for operator or general laborer jobs; they've all recently registered. If you're interested, you can check their phone numbers and contact them."
The boss glanced at the notebook, which indeed contained information such as "Male, 23, looking for a factory worker, hardworking, phone number XXX".
His expression softened slightly, but he still waved his hand: "No need. People from 51job came by a couple of days ago and asked us to post information on their website. I've already done that."
Zhang Ming's heart skipped a beat, but his smile remained unchanged.
"Oh, 51job, I know. They mainly recruit white-collar workers for large companies. We prefer local manufacturing companies in Shenzhen, like factories and shops like yours. Our services are more targeted and free."
"Free?" The boss seemed intrigued. "51job charges for it, you really don't want to pay?"
"Really, no. Posting job openings and refreshing listings on our website is free. It's all for everyone's convenience," Zhang Ming quickly said.
"Alright then, register one for me first." The boss pulled out a waste disposal list from the side, with the back facing up.
"Just write down 'Looking for two CNC lathe operators, male, 20-35 years old, experienced preferred, accommodation provided, salary negotiable. Just use this phone number from the shop.'" He gave a number.
Zhang Ming carefully wrote it down and checked it again.
"Okay, boss, I'll post it for you when I get back. If you find a job, please let us know so we can update the information to 'fully filled'."
"Okay." The boss figured it was free anyway, so he let them do it.
As they left the hardware store, Xu Xiaoming whispered, "Brother Ming, 51job... that's a well-established job search website. Are they targeting these small factories too?"
Zhang Ming didn't answer immediately. He went to two more factories.
After an afternoon of visiting five or six factories that were looking to hire, three of them mentioned "51job" or "Zhaopin".
Although they didn't know much about the specifics of these websites, and some even mixed up their names, the fact that competitors had already arrived put pressure on Zhang Ming.
Back in the office, it was already dark. Zhang Ming didn't even have time to eat; he went to find Lin Feng first.
"Mr. Lin, there's some new information."
Lin Feng was reading a technical briefing written by Zhou Bin and gestured for him to sit down and talk.
"I went to the industrial park today and met several shops that mentioned that other recruitment websites were also contacting them," Zhang Ming said faster than usual. "Mainly 51job and Zhaopin."
Lin Feng put down the briefing in his hand and looked up at Zhang Ming: "What exactly do you mean?"
"51job and Zhaopin are also promoting their online platforms. In the past, they mainly targeted white-collar workers and college students, but recently their sales representatives have been trying to reach some manufacturing factories. I feel..." Zhang Ming carefully chose his words.
"It will put pressure on the blue-collar and basic job market that we are currently working in."
Lin Feng seemed to be deep in thought.
51job and Zhaopin.com are indeed the leading players in China's recruitment market, with their business model primarily based on charging companies for posting jobs.
They are large in scale and have high brand recognition. If they are really eating into the white-collar market while also tentatively encroaching on the blue-collar and service industries, even if it's just a side project, it would be a significant threat to the newly established local life website's recruitment section.
Lin Feng slowly explained, "They charge fees, we offer it for free. This is both our advantage and our disadvantage. The advantage is that offering it for free attracts more small and micro-sized businesses. The disadvantage is that if we can't find other ways to generate revenue, we can't survive on the free model alone."
Zhang Ming nodded: "Yes, the owner of that hardware processing factory today, as soon as he heard '51job,' thought it was a legitimate website. We had to explain for a long time before he agreed to try it because it was free."
"What do you think?" Lin Feng asked.
Zhang Ming had clearly been thinking about this on the way: "I suggested that we differentiate ourselves from the competition. Their market is large, but their focus is definitely not on blue-collar workers. We need to be more 'down-to-earth.' Their salespeople might come to canvass the streets once a month, while we need to come once a week to become familiar with them."
They might just ask merchants to post information online and that's it. We need to do what we're doing now: not only help post information, but also try to provide leads on job seekers, even if it's just a phone number.
We want users to feel that although our website isn't as famous as theirs, it's more practical, more useful, and offers better service.
"Also," Zhang Ming thought for a moment and added, "starting tomorrow, let's find out more about 51job and Zhaopin's services and pricing models. Knowing your enemy and yourself will ensure victory in every battle."
Lin Feng looked at Zhang Ming, the recruitment team leader he had personally selected. Zhang Ming had a pent-up energy and a clear mind.
He nodded: "Our roots are in offline services, in the relationships we've built by visiting each household, in the tangible information connections that actually help us. As you just mentioned, understanding the competition's movements is also important. Keep exploring, but don't panic."
Lin Feng concluded by emphasizing, "Your current task is to lead your team and thoroughly develop these two model areas—the science park and the industrial zone. Make sure that when users think of hiring, they think of our 'Local Life Network.' Establish a firm foothold, and no one can take it away."
"clear!"