Chapter 132: Recruitment

The atmosphere in the room fell into an instant silence at Liu Ziqi’s words. Both men and women wore expressions of awkwardness, casting strange glances in her direction.

Zhang Wei gave Liu Ziqi a thumbs-up, completely defeated by her, and remarked, "A true heroine among women!"

He had no desire to continue the topic of "Brother Wei." If Liu Ziqi were to blurt out anything else as earth-shattering as her previous comment, Zhang Wei knew he wouldn't be able to handle the embarrassment.

When Zhang Wei returned to the Zhongtong branch, Xu Ming had not yet returned from the Fengdu Berlin residential branch. Sitting at his desk with nothing to do, Zhang Wei began to consider the recruitment of new sales agents, which was his most urgent priority.

"Wenfang, please post some recruitment ads online. It’s best if we can attract experienced agents," Zhang Wei said. After thinking for a long time without coming up with any better ideas, he had no choice but to rely on the old methods.

"Brother Wei, I post recruitment ads every day. The click-through rate is quite high, but very few people call to inquire. Even when they do, they only ask about company benefits. We rarely see any newcomers coming in for interviews, let alone experienced agents," Wenfang said with a shrug, looking somewhat helpless.

In this society, a person’s status changes along with their title. Just as Wenfang now addressed Zhang Wei as "Brother Wei," it was, in fact, a reflection of the respect she held for him.

Zhang Wei didn't particularly care for the nickname "Brother Wei," but he didn't reject it either. Primarily, his own authority was not yet well-established; if he were to adopt an indifferent attitude toward how he was addressed, it would only undermine his position as store manager.

"Is there something wrong with the posts you're writing? Why else wouldn't we be getting any applicants?" Zhang Wei asked, puzzled.

"How could that be? I’ve been posting them for months. There shouldn't be anything wrong with them. Why don't you come over and take a look?" Wenfang said, sounding a bit unconvinced.

"Alright, I'll take a look." Despite the firmness in Wenfang’s tone, Zhang Wei still felt uneasy. He stood up and walked over to her desk.

Wenfang had been posting on the Ganji website. The content was accurate enough, but it was written too "honestly," and the titles lacked any appeal. Every post was titled "High-Paying Recruitment for Zhongtong Company, Yayuan Branch."

"Wenfang, change the title of this post to 'High-Paying Recruitment: Million-Dollar Annual Salary' and see if we can get more applicants," Zhang Wei suggested.

Wenfang acknowledged the order and changed the titles as instructed. She herself felt that Zhang Wei’s title was more attractive, though it made her feel a bit guilty, as if she were deceiving people.

"Guo Bin, grab a sign from the storage room and use a calligraphy brush to write a recruitment ad. Remember to make the words 'Recruitment' nice and big. Let it dry, and then hang it at the storefront entrance," Zhang Wei said as he returned to his seat and began browsing the web.

"Understood, Brother Wei." Upon hearing Zhang Wei’s instructions, Guo Bin showed no signs of dissatisfaction. On the contrary, he felt a sense of relief; Zhang Wei giving him tasks proved that he was still useful. If Zhang Wei had simply left him aside and ignored him, he would have felt a sense of crisis.

Now that Zhang Wei was a store manager, he no longer needed to handle every single detail himself. If he could recruit ten sales agents and command them effectively, his efficiency would be ten times greater than working alone.

As a store manager, he had two primary roles. On the sales side, it involved controlling and judging individual deals. For example, if an agent took a client to view properties but the client showed no intention to buy, the manager had to step in to guide the agent, showing them how to create a sense of urgency and "help" the client make a decision.

The second role was managing the branch, an area where Zhang Wei still lacked experience. He had to handle emergencies, resolve disputes between agents, and boost team morale.

As Zhang Wei had been promoted to manager of the Yayuan branch, he naturally had to treat his colleagues to a meal that evening. Xu Ming arrived just as the dinner was about to begin. The group celebrated lavishly, and Zhang Wei, as the guest of honor, drank quite a bit.

After Xu Ming was promoted to regional manager, he hadn't yet treated the Yayuan branch staff to a meal. So, after dinner, Xu Ming took everyone to a karaoke bar, where they stayed until after midnight.

Zhang Wei had a decent tolerance for alcohol, and once they reached the KTV, Xu Ming took center stage, so he barely drank any more. The KTV was not far from the Yayuan residential area, so he decided to walk home. By the time he reached the neighborhood, most of the alcohol had worn off.

"Ring, ring..."

His phone rang. Zhang Wei pulled it from his pocket and checked the screen. It was a call from Yang Guang, which made him feel rather curious.

"Hello? What brings you to call me at this hour?" Zhang Wei asked, getting straight to the point.

"It’s not curiosity, it’s frustration," Yang Guang replied, his tone low.

"What's wrong? Did you confess to the woman you like and get rejected?" Zhang Wei teased.

"Do you think I'm you? Getting stood up on a blind date? I am handsome, dashing, irresistible, adored by everyone, and even cars get flat tires just from looking at me..." Yang Guang rattled off a long list like a machine gun, as if a sore spot had been poked.

"Alright, just tell me what's going on. Stop with the nonsense," Zhang Wei interrupted, his ears nearly developing calluses.

"Well... I quit my job," Yang Guang said after a brief hesitation, stumbling over his words. "Can you help me find a job in Beijing?"

"You quit? Why? Did Wu Yong and Zhang Qi give you a hard time, or did they fire you?" Zhang Wei asked, frowning.

Zhang Wei had once tricked a BMW out of Wu Yong’s 4S dealership, causing the shop to lose over a million yuan. Since Yang Guang was a good friend of his, Zhang Wei naturally worried that Yang Guang had been implicated.

"It's not that. I quit for other reasons. Don't ask so much," Yang Guang said, sounding impatient, as if he had some unspeakable secret.

"Are you really sure you want to leave Baocheng and come to Beijing to make a living?" Hearing the despondency in Yang Guang’s tone, Zhang Wei didn't want to provoke him further.

"Yes. Can you help me find a job or not?" Yang Guang asked.

"What do you want to do?" Zhang Wei asked in return.

"I don't know. If all else fails, I'll just sell houses with you," Yang Guang replied after a moment of silence.

"Selling houses isn't simpler than selling cars. The pressure is even higher. If you don't close deals, you won't make any money," Zhang Wei explained.

Zhang Wei’s team was indeed desperate for staff, so hearing that Yang Guang wanted to work in Beijing felt like a perfect fit. However, because Yang Guang was a close friend, he felt obligated to explain the reality of the real estate industry truthfully. Zhang Wei might deceive strangers, but he would never deceive a friend.

"It's fine. If you can make money, why can't I? I’m not any worse than you," Yang Guang said confidently.

"Alright, if you're that confident, then come. I'll pick you up at the Muxiyuan Passenger Terminal," Zhang Wei said.

"Don't speak too soon. What if your manager doesn't agree? I don't have any experience in real estate. What if he doesn't hire rookies?" Yang Guang asked.

"Two days ago, I wouldn't have been able to guarantee it. But I officially took over as manager today. Since I said I’d hire you, it’s definitely not a problem," Zhang Wei said.

"What! You became a manager? And it happened just today?" Yang Guang exclaimed in surprise.

"Exactly. So you can come with peace of mind," Zhang Wei reassured him.

"You're messing with me, right? How could it be such a coincidence? I quit my job and called you today, and you just happened to become a manager?" Yang Guang questioned. "Besides, you've only been working for a few months. I don't believe you're a manager."

"You're too brilliant; you've seen right through me, alright!" Since Yang Guang didn't believe him, Zhang Wei couldn't force him to. He sighed and said, "Anyway, our store is hiring. If you come, you'll definitely get the job."

"I believe that. The turnover rate for sales is so high. Which store isn't hiring?" Yang Guang remarked.

"Alright, I won't waste any more phone credit. Just let me know when you're arriving, and I'll drive to pick you up," Zhang Wei said.

"Alright, hang up then. I'm going to sleep," Yang Guang said and hung up.

"That's not bad. Someone delivered themselves to my doorstep. I should be fully staffed in a few days," Zhang Wei muttered to himself, feeling much lighter now that he had another agent.

In truth, while Zhang Wei appeared confident in his ability to manage the Yayuan branch, he was secretly worried. This was his first time in the saddle, and his ability to read minds didn't necessarily mean he was omnipotent.

Especially with such a severe lack of staff, he didn't even have enough soldiers to fight the battle. Furthermore, even if he recruited new people, most would be inexperienced, and he would have to train them from scratch.

It could be said that Zhang Wei's path as a manager would not be smooth sailing, but there was one advantage: the agents he trained himself would have much stronger loyalty than those hired mid-career.

If one day Zhang Wei wanted to jump ship or open his own company, they would be his strongest supporters and his first core team. This was why he placed such great importance on training newcomers.

After hanging up, Zhang Wei returned home. He took a warm shower and lay in bed, but he found it hard to sleep. Today was a special day for him—the first step in the leap of his career!