DENZA Zhao Changjiang: Every car should be in the top three sales
At 1:23 a.m. on May 17, Zhao Changjiang was still tweeting -
"Hot sales, as expected. Thank you all for your recognition and support! Pre-sale 30 minutes, orders over 3000 units ......"
At this time, more than 5 hours after the pre-sale launch of DENZA MPV model D9, after a series of activities arranged, although it was late at night, he did not forget to take a bubble on Weibo.
At 7:00 a.m., he logged onto Weibo again and replied to some questions raised by netizens.
The general manager of the sales division of Tennis attaches great importance to posting and responding to news about Tennis on Weibo. And, unlike typical sales bosses, he also frequently discusses consumer needs and product details with netizens, and updates progress.
Zhao Changjiang's Weibo cover
The last person I remember who discussed product details so openly on Weibo was Li Xiang, founder of LEADING ILEADING IDEAL. I was known as a super product manager type of entrepreneur because of his superb control and understanding of the product.
Now, some people also call Zhao Changjiang a product manager-type sales boss.
This 86-year-old Hunan native, towards the important position, relies on the general style of the Hunan army forged by Zeng Guofan: he can bear hardship, dominate brutality, and be willing to die. He dares to carry out the task and also dares to rush.
Before Zhao Changjiang took over the sales of DENZA, he rethought the positioning and responsibilities of a new marketer, paying more attention to the product's fit with the target users' scenarios and needs; more attention to interaction and service with users.
However, he is still brave, and regarding the new DENZA, he put forward the goal, "Each of our cars will have to enter the Top3 inside each class in the future."
How is he going to achieve this goal?
01
Facing users directly
Some people half-joke that Zhao Changjiang is the marketing boss who gets the most @s from car owners every day.
In addition to actively speaking and interacting on Weibo, Zhao Changjiang is also a real name or a dive in many owners' WeChat groups, listening to owners discuss the product and of course, having many criticisms and suggestions.
Since assuming the role of General Manager of the DENZA Sales Division, Zhao Changjiang has become the first spokesperson for the DENZA brand, with many messages that predate the official DENZA brand Weibo.
Of course, the response has been more enthusiastic, with significantly higher numbers of reads, retweets, and comments. "User engagement is very high, there are some posts that are a million + reads, and the average single ones are a few thousand." Zhao Changjiang said.
Zhao Changjiang's post on configuration advice received 1,288 comments
Traditional marketing bosses do not like to face users directly - there are dealers in front of the block, there are good things out to grab credit, there are bad things for dealers to take the blame - can be in or out.
But Zhao Changjiang insisted on open interaction: "Communication with the user must be on top of an open platform so that the user can reach you and you can reach him. In addition, our philosophy is co-creation and sharing, hoping to really work with users to create good products, good brands, and share the value of products and brands."
"Users feel a sense of participation and a sense of chasing the show." The most "dramatic" is, of course, Zhao Changjiang. However, users are not just spectators, but are also changing the development of the "plot".
"Originally, the second row of seats in the DENZA D9 had a ventilated and heated function, which was only available in the middle and high range. But the users said, to treat the first row and the second row of users without discrimination, we did standard." Zhao Changjiang was introduced.
For a new start brand, DENZA naturally needs attention, but also may be the same as other new brands, in the early words too full of hidden problems, the honeymoon period, immediately after the "pink to black" also have.
Zhao Changjiang is not worried about this, "First, I'm not worried about the product, what we said, it must have something; second, I'm not worried about the quality, DENZA is co-founded by BYD and Mercedes-Benz Group, is China's first joint venture focused only on new energy vehicles. Both sides of the twelve years of accumulated R & D system, intelligent manufacturing, quality management, vehicle tuning, including service, there will be no problem."
Zhao Changjiang and DENZA's close interaction with users certainly do not stop at the product warm-up period. "In terms of user operation, we will use user co-creation thinking, IP-based operation of the whole system to create a new user ecology, and there will be more interesting and fun interactions to follow, so you can look forward to it."
2
"One car with multiple functions" will become mainstream
The first product is a new energy MPV.
MPVs are becoming a craze today. The reason is that, with the improvement of economic level, mid-and high-end MPVs are no longer limited to business trips, and with the liberalization of the two-child policy and the rise of family self-driving trips in recent years, the demand for mid-and high-end MPVs for domestic use is also growing.
Market data also reflects this - mid-to high-end MPV sales, which were 150,000 units in 2015, have reached 380,000 units by 2021.
Zhao Changjiang also sees these, but he considers the product more from the scenario and needs of the target users.
"Is it multiple cars inside the home or one car with multiple capabilities?" Zhao Changjiang said, "In the core cities, especially in the first and second-tier cities, I think it's one car with multiple capabilities will be a mainstream."
If one car is to be multi-purpose, a 7-seat MPV is the best choice when traveling with a large family. "If it is a 7-seater SUV, the seat layout 232, how to get on the third row? If it's a 6-seater SUV, it can meet three generations of people traveling, but with parents and parents-in-law, how do you sit?"
DENZA D9 third-row seats are also equipped with a child seat interface
Zhao Changjiang also made a special note that the DENZA D9 also has a child seat interface in the third row. This "many so-called global models are not, it is considered what family MPV?"
If a car is multifunctional, then the car also needs to meet the business travel function, and the D9 is also to do business and family. But can "business and family" be both?
"The hardware can certainly be integrated, regardless of your home or what use, are the needs of people, to be comfortable, to space, to get on the car to facilitate. Just like a Japanese brand, the car step 46 cm, it is suitable for home? We have two levels, the first level 39 cm. Even for commercial use, the people in the car see shorter steps, easy to get on and off, is not more comfortable?"
Zhao Changjiang said, "Now it has come to the age of intelligence, so we have done a lot of intelligent cockpit-based crowd demand distinction, such as meeting mode, can cast screen, can video, and children's mode and so on."
His overall logic is, "D9 is the epoch-making all-round MPV, to treat everyone sitting in the car with comfortable space and no distinction, and respect everyone sitting in the car."
The best family travel solution, based on one vehicle with multiple capabilities, is to have another 5-seat SUV or sedan.
DENZA will launch five vehicle lines D, E, N, Z, and A. In addition to D9, an MPV, A, and N will represent SUVs and sedans, which will also be launched in 2022, while E and Z are not yet fully finalized, and may have coupes.
Now Zhao Changjiang spends 50% of his day on the product. "Marketing is based on the product, we only have a good product, and then the service on the ground, and ultimately make the user satisfied, the brand it can stand."
3
BYD gives "privileges"
Since the establishment of the DENZA brand, the marketing lead has changed several times. Now, the new DENZA changed to BYD-led, Mercedes-Benz to help support.
BYD is naturally determined, from the first car D9 technology used can also be seen, DENZA gathered BYD's current latest technological achievements in various fields.
Wang Chuanfu at the DENZA D9 launch
In terms of the core powertrain, the D9 is equipped with DM-i Super Hybrid technology and e-Platform 3.0 technology, both of which are BYD's recently launched and market-proven breakthrough technologies.
In terms of suspension, DENZA D9 is equipped with DiSus-C intelligent damping suspension, which automatically matches different damping for different road conditions, effectively suppressing body pitch and roll, as well as a braking nod and acceleration head lift, perfectly balancing overall vehicle handling and comfort performance.
In terms of intelligence, DENZA is a privilege - "In BYD, DENZA's brand attributes positioning determines that intelligence is the first ride." Zhao Changjiang said.
In terms of the intelligent cockpit, the DENZA D9 application of the DENZA Link super-intelligent interactive cockpit is the world's first to take the seven-screen Internet.
In terms of intelligent driving, the DENZA Pilot advanced intelligent driving assistance system has a class-leading all-round sensing system with 24 sensors to achieve L2+ level autonomous driving, more RPA remote parking, HWA high-speed assisted driving, ICC intelligent navigation system, to achieve worry-free driving.
The second car of DENZA will also realize full-scene intelligent driving assistance, that is, including high-speed, city, and parking lot driving assistance, which greatly strengthens the intelligent driving assistance capability.
In terms of manufacturing, DENZA will be produced in BYD's new intelligent manufacturing plant - the second plant in Changsha. In the context of BYD's various brands grabbing production capacity, it also shows the status of DENZA.
04
To be the explosive model
"It must be the breakout model in the segment."
Zhao Changjiang has not been on the marketing frontline for more than a year but has had enough time to think about the changes in the new energy vehicle market.
"This is an era of product glut, with only a few dozen models selling more than 10,000 units. It is necessary to create explosive models to support the development of the brand."
Specifically, he has two main goals, "each of our cars should be in the Top 3 of each class in the future".
The second is that DENZA is a sustainable IP, constantly innovating and passing on from generation to generation.
The core of the current sales business is to establish channels.
Zhao Changjiang introduced that DENZA will adopt the model of all direct operations. He believes that only through direct operation can we do a good job of serving the new luxury. The main assessment of the stores is not sales, but the net recommendation value of users, that is, the percentage of users willing to recommend the vehicle to others. The assessment of the user net recommendation value is to urge the sales and service staff to focus on making users satisfied, reflecting DENZA 's insistence on the user-centered service concept and determination to build quality service. He hopes that the net recommendation value of each store will reach more than 90%.
DENZA D9 pre-sale price
DENZA plans to build 200 channels in 68 cities this year. The offline channels are divided into several, with fully functional DENZA centers; city MINI centers; and also city experience stores. since the D9 pre-sale, the response has been overwhelming. Zhao Changjiang is ready to increase the number of cities covered or upgrade the specifications of the stores.
In terms of user operations, DENZA has also established the DENZA Life brand. Zhao Changjiang said that the purpose of the Life brand is to provide users with a peripheral product based on car life. The second is to realize the sharing of user value. "Let's say, A opened a restaurant, B opened a hotel, C opened a bed and breakfast, they can be with each other diversion." The third is to provide users with a lifestyle based on the values of our brand.
DENZA D9 was launched and began pre-sales on the evening of May 16, with close to 20,000 orders to date. The vehicle is poised to begin official deliveries in late August. We will soon see if the DENZA D9 can become the breakout model in the segment.
