In order to pay off debts, Zhong Xuegao sold sweet potatoes

Due to the company's operational difficulties, Zhong Xue Gao's founder Lin Sheng conducted his first live broadcast on Taobao to sell goods, hoping to repay his debts and save himself by selling sweet potatoes. This move has attracted widespread attention and discussion.

Zhong Xuegao sells sweet potatoes and ice cream.

On the evening of May 28, Zhong Xuegao Lao Lin conducted his first live broadcast selling goods on the Taobao platform. The words "live broadcast selling sweet potatoes" and "729" were displayed in the live broadcast room, and the account signature was "make good products, pay off debts well, and stay together well."

The live broadcast debut had a cumulative viewing of 843,300. Many netizens chose to pay out of their own pockets for the various sweet potato products.

Zhong Xuegao, which once created the Hermès of ice cream, what new ways can it come up with to sell sweet potatoes?

1. Why did Lin Sheng choose to sell sweet potatoes through live streaming?

Zhong Xue Gao reached its peak right after its debut, and was on the hot search list almost every day. However, it was also the product of its success and failure. When the brand was in its heyday, it was caught in the whirlpool of public opinion about "ice cream assassin" and "ice cream that can't be melted", which caused its product sales to shrink rapidly. There were many hot searches such as "Zhong Xue Gao owed 729 yuan in employee salary", "Zhong Xue Gao was forced to execute 9.01 million yuan", and "Zhong Xue Gao was restricted from high consumption". With the influence of public opinion, the Chinese ice cream Zhong Xue Gao also faced operational difficulties.

At the beginning of the live broadcast, Lin Sheng introduced his partner and talked about his courage, opportunity and original intention for choosing live broadcast. At present, the company is not operating well, which is his own responsibility, and the employees are wholeheartedly devoted to the company. Now many employees’ salaries, compensation and reimbursements have not been paid in time. Live broadcast is to repay debts and save the company.

As for why he chose to sell sweet potatoes, it was because he had a drink with some friends earlier. When his friend talked to him about the company's debt problem, he casually said, "I have to pay off the debt even if I have to sell sweet potatoes." This became the opportunity for Zhong Xuegao to choose to sell sweet potatoes to pay off his debts.

Afterwards, #Founder of Zhong Xue Gao says he will sell sweet potatoes to pay off debts# became a hot search on Weibo. In response to this, Lin Sheng also responded again on Weibo to the topic of selling sweet potatoes to pay off debts, "Not running away, not blaming others, not being cowardly." This is the underlying character of Chinese private entrepreneurs.

It seems that the foreshadowing of Zhong Xue Gao selling sweet potatoes to pay off debts was already planted when negative public opinion "besieged" the brand. Selling sweet potatoes was accidental, driven by the Internet, and was also what everyone expected.

2. Taobao Live’s first show, what exactly is Lao Lin selling?

At a time when live streaming is booming, if you want to "retain customers", you need your live streaming room to have its own characteristics. On the surface, Lin Sheng's first Taobao live streaming show was selling sweet potatoes and ice cream, but in fact, it was also selling product stories and feelings.

1. Selling sweet potatoes, but not just selling sweet potatoes

When the news of selling sweet potatoes live was spreading, some netizens joked, "Will there be a sweet potato assassin so that I can't afford to eat sweet potatoes?" Lao Lin replied, "Forgive others when you can."

Regarding the pricing of sweet potatoes in the live broadcast room, Lin Sheng also said frankly: "We are afraid of being scolded, so the sweet potatoes we brought today are moderately priced. We hope to find sweet potatoes with better cost-effectiveness and better quality to bring to everyone." What he meant was that if you think the current price of the product is appropriate, you can choose to place an order. If you think the price is not appropriate, then you will try to find more cost-effective products in the process of selecting products later.

In the live broadcast debut, sweet potatoes are considered the "star product" of Zhong Xue Gao's Lao Lin live broadcast room. Another protagonist in the live broadcast room is naturally Zhong Xue Gao's various ice creams. At the same time, the live broadcast room also put on sale 75 products such as Wufangzhai's rice dumplings, Qia Qia melon seeds, Xuanmai chewing gum, Sanhe Simei shrimp sauce, Huang Laowu fried dough twist, Xiaoguancha tea, Honor mobile phones, etc.

2. Sell the production process and the story behind the product

During the live broadcast, Lin Sheng said that this live broadcast had been prepared for more than a month. Judging from the content of the live broadcast, this live broadcast seemed to be selling goods, but in fact Lin Sheng also sold the stories and production processes behind the products.

For example, when selling sweet potatoes, the brand founder was invited to tell the story of his relationship with sweet potatoes and the difficulties of running an agricultural product company. He also imagined the vision of developing Zhong Xue Gao sweet potato ice cream, which is exciting. Even though it is not easy, some people still persist. This may be the result of concentration and passion, as well as their own feelings.

When selling dried sweet potatoes, they talked about the traditional three-steaming and three-drying technology used in the product process. The effects of each step are different, and they all serve the taste and health attributes of the product. When selling soy sauce, they extended it to the "research and development story" that may appear behind the product. Shrimp paste and preserved eggs may be accidental foods. When selling apple juice, they quoted the original words of the brand founder, "While I was sleeping, my apples were growing quietly." Poetry and distant places were immediately created.

3. Selling feelings

As we all know, live broadcast content has a rough script, and behind the eloquent speech is a team of people working hard. Lin Sheng's live broadcast did not deliberately exaggerate the anxiety of buying, and he also emphasized not to "create anxiety" and focused more on the origin and story of food culture, the focus and love of food R&D personnel on the product, and some of his own ideas for the brand that have not yet been realized. Products with warmth and feelings allow more people to experience the warmth behind the products, and also form the differentiation of Zhong Xue Gao's live broadcast prices.

3. What are the advantages of launching the founder’s live broadcast for the Zhong Xue Gao brand?

In addition to what Lin Sheng has been repeating, namely, paying off debts and saving himself, what is the significance of launching the founder’s live broadcast for the current development of the Zhong Xue Gao brand?

The founder's live broadcast is a gimmick, but it is also a general trend

No one would blame a person who steals bread. For a company to choose live streaming in times of crisis is brave, responsible, and even righteous. When the public's attention is focused on the motivation for live streaming, the brand and Lin Sheng himself may face fewer doubts.

In the Internet age, business survival is inseparable from traffic. When a boss appears on a live broadcast, it is more like betting the entire "reputation" of a person and the company. It has gimmicks and topics, and is more likely to bring about self-spreading publicity for the brand, thereby generating sales.

Moreover, live streaming is a trend, especially after the brand marketing fan circle, founders and chairmen have come out to support their own brands, from Dong Mingzhu to Lei Jun, Zhou Hongyi, etc., all of which prove that founder live streaming may be a new trend. Standing out in the name of selling sweet potatoes may be an opportunity for Lin Sheng to embrace the trend.

1. Established a new window to face public opinion

To be honest, Zhong Xue Gao went from being an Internet celebrity to facing difficulties in operation, starting with the "ice cream that won't melt" and the public questioning its product ingredients and costs, and being caught in a whirlpool of public opinion. Taobao Live also established a window for Zhong Xue Gao's Lao Lin to directly face public opinion.

Instead of letting people speculate, it is better to admit and face the difficulties openly. For example, when the public guessed that Zhong Xuegao was facing operational difficulties, Lin Sheng made it clear in the live broadcast room that the brand had indeed reached a point where it needed to save itself. Now in order to survive, the company has reduced its inventory across the country, and some places have also been unable to ship goods.

When a (former) colleague asked for salary in the live broadcast room, Lao Lin had a sincere attitude, bowed and apologized, and made it clear that "I will pay off the overdue salaries to the employees first, and thank them for their support all the way through"; and when it comes to live broadcasting, he was also prepared to "be scolded in the first two months"; as for debts, Lin Sheng also bluntly stated that "repaying debts is what I have to do, whether it's through live broadcasting or selling goods, it's not shameful to pay back debts."

Lin Sheng actively faced public opinion and sold products through live broadcasting. On the one hand, it was able to calm people's hearts and let creditors know that Zhong Xuegao was actively working to solve the problem. On the other hand, the launch of live broadcasting could also build a new channel for open communication between the brand and consumers, creditors, and suppliers. Problems could be communicated in real time, effectively preventing the fermentation of negative public opinion and strangling the "negative" in the cradle.

2. Demonstrate corporate responsibility and regain user confidence

The failure of the "Internet celebrity effect" has caused Zhong Xue Gao to face operational difficulties. In order to return to the mainstream arena, in addition to reliable product quality, Zhong Xue Gao's first task is to regain consumer confidence. Where does this confidence come from?

On the one hand, it is the sense of responsibility of the enterprise. A company that is responsible for its former employees and suppliers will naturally be responsible for the fundamental "product" of its development, which undoubtedly gives consumers some confidence.

Another aspect is the selection and display of product ingredients. The focus of public opinion is product ingredients. Showing product ingredients to users will be a "compulsory course" for Lao Lin's live broadcast. During the live broadcast, Zhong Xue Gao Lao Lin's team will always show the ingredients of each product when selling it, which may reduce the public's resistance and make them willing to try Zhong Xue Gao's products again.

4. Final Thoughts

It is not easy for "private entrepreneur" Lin Sheng to regain the market through live streaming, but his attitude of "not running away, not giving up, not giving up" is still worthy of respect and affirmation. Facing the red ocean of live streaming e-commerce, whether Lin Sheng can turn the tide is still worth looking forward to.

Author: Mr. Bingfa; Source: WeChat public account "Marketing Bingfa (ID: lanhaiyingxiao)"