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At a time when the commercial vehicle and logistics and transportation industries are developing at a high quality, Ping An Car Butler, a brand of Ping An International Financial Leasing Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Ping An Leasing"), has teamed up with Fangde.com, the leading authoritative media in the commercial vehicle industry, and representative companies in the commercial vehicle distribution field to jointly carry out the "Car Dealers Face to Face" research activity to gain an in-depth understanding of the challenges and breakthroughs faced by many participants in the commercial vehicle field in transformation and upgrading, share the business models and management measures of high-quality dealers and logistics companies, explore the experience of high-quality companies in differentiated operations, innovative marketing, high-quality services, etc., and how to create a win-win situation together to provide consumers with a more worry-free, time-saving and cost-saving commercial vehicle financial leasing service experience.

This stop of the "Face-to-Face with Car Dealers" research activity came to Liaocheng, Shandong, and visited the "Top Ten" dealer company of Shaanxi Automobile Heavy Truck - Shandong Liaocheng Jixin Automobile Sales and Service Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Liaocheng Jixin").

Nearly 4,000 heavy-duty trucks were sold in a year. Since joining the Shaanxi Automobile family in 2014, Liaocheng Jixin has been one of the few heavy-duty truck dealers that has won the honor of Shaanxi Automobile's "Top Ten" for many years. In the past ten years, more than 20,000 Shaanxi Automobile heavy-duty trucks have been driven out of Liaocheng Jixin.

During the decade of ups and downs in the heavy-duty truck industry, Liaocheng Jixin has always maintained a leading sales volume and is the leading dealer in the heavy-duty truck industry in Liaocheng, Shandong. In 2023, Liaocheng Jixin's sales volume exceeded 1,000, ranking among the top five of Shaanxi Automobile Heavy Duty Truck's "Top Ten Dealers in China".

Focus on doing one thing well after more than ten years of entrepreneurship

Liaocheng Jixin has been named one of the "Top Ten Shaanxi Auto Dealers" for many consecutive times. It took Meng Xianfa, general manager of Liaocheng Jixin, nearly seventeen years to achieve this result.

In 2008, Meng Xianfa, who had many years of experience in the automotive industry, entered the heavy-duty truck industry and worked as a salesperson at the "Second Network" (second-tier heavy-duty truck dealers). At that time, thanks to the rapid growth of the domestic economy, the turnover of highway freight maintained a high growth rate year after year. As a downstream industry with a strong positive correlation with the demand for highway freight transportation, the heavy-duty truck industry continued to surge in sales.

The experience of working in the "second network" not only earned Meng Xianfa his first pot of gold, but also helped him accumulate industry-related knowledge and experience. "While working as a second-level dealer, I came into contact with a variety of heavy-duty truck brands and formed a deep understanding of them. Most importantly, during my work at the second level, I encountered some management pitfalls and learned the importance of serving customers well."

Meng Xianfa, General Manager of Liaocheng Jixin

In 2011, Meng Xianfa, who was not content with just being a "second network" company, entered the passenger car market and began to "develop both passenger cars and commercial vehicles". During this entrepreneurial experience, Meng Xianfa found his direction and also met partners who would stick with him for the next decade or so.

"In the process of operating the passenger car business, we have formed a more complete process specification and service system. Later, as the business increased, I thought that to do things, we should focus on one thing. If we do one thing, we must do it well." Meng Xianfa made up his mind and gave up the passenger car business that was like a fish in water in 2013, and transformed himself into a first-level dealer agent of Shaanxi Automobile Heavy Truck. That year, Liaocheng Jixin won the honor of "Shaanxi Automobile Top Ten Dealers" for the first time.

"Shaanxi Automobile's heavy-duty trucks are durable and especially fuel-efficient. Most importantly, Shaanxi Automobile is a big brand with many service stations across the country and wide coverage. Users are very impressed with the professionalism and timeliness of the service, which also solves the worries of our dealers." It is precisely because of the long-term two-way empowerment of both parties that Liaocheng Jixin has maintained high sales year after year for the past decade. At the same time, with the help of Shaanxi Automobile, it has successfully overcome many industry "winter"s.

In 2021, when peers were bidding for "National Five Vehicles", the Liaocheng Jixin business team found through research that users were very supportive of Shaanxi Automobile's "National Six" products. Therefore, Liaocheng Jixin was the first to switch to "National Six", eliminating the operational risks that may be caused by the backlog of "National Five" inventory. In 2023, the gas vehicle market was booming. Based on years of channel mutual trust with customers, the Liaocheng Jixin team quickly opened up the market for its gas vehicle products and seized the market opportunity.

"Traffic" or "Sales"? Long-termism is the fundamental

Liaocheng Jixin’s development path has also experienced the troubles and confusions that all entrepreneurs cannot avoid.

Under the impact of the Internet and new media, the marketing methods of the automobile industry are also changing. One notable feature is the surge of online live broadcasting. Especially in the passenger car industry, it has spread from car dealers' "Internet celebrities" to corporate "CEOs". Onlineization, IPization, and seizing traffic have also become the focus of repeated discussions between Meng Xianfa and his team.

There are many young "millennials" in the team of Liaocheng Jixin. "In Liaocheng, Shandong, our team has a relatively high number of undergraduates, and the vast majority of them are born in the 1990s. They are positive and have injected confidence and vitality into the company. At the same time, they are very interested in new things." As early as the beginning of Douyin live broadcast, Meng Xianfa tried to do online live broadcasting with the encouragement and advice of the team.

Facing the delicate camera and strangers in front of the screen, the initial online live broadcast attempt had no experience to speak of. "I answered questions from netizens and showed and introduced the vehicles over and over again. I wanted to be the first to try it, but I didn't know if it would work. The initial attempt was more like brute force without any rules," Meng Xianfa recalled.

After evaluating the live broadcast effect and discussing with the team, Liaocheng Jixin finally chose to temporarily give up the online live broadcast attempt. "Live broadcast can indeed help potential customers understand the product features. However, due to the requirements of vehicle sales area management, the sales conversion effect of online live broadcast is limited. On the other hand, heavy truck users are on the road most of the time, working 15-16 hours a day, with irregular rest time, and relatively few people watch the live broadcast. The online live broadcast of heavy trucks plays a more brand promotion role, and does not significantly help the market expansion and actual business sales in the region."

Meng Xianfa believes, "We have decided to put more energy and time into the service and maintenance of offline customers. Heavy truck sales are a long-term approach, and we cannot ignore the basic value of business operations just to catch up with the trend. We should be based in the local area and serve the local area. This is an important reason why Liaocheng Jixin has been recognized by the market for ten years."

In the next decade, we will focus on both persistence and innovation

In Meng Xianfa's eyes, "persistence and innovation" are the important magic weapons for Liaocheng Jixin to move towards the next decade.

"In 2024, freight rates are low, supply is scarce, market demand is insufficient, and price wars between brands have entered a white-hot stage. Many dealers have thought of 'withdrawing from the network'. But I think the more difficult the time, the more we must persist. Only by persisting can we see the dawn of hope." Meng Xianfa said confidently, "Over the years, the core team of Liaocheng Jixin has been relatively stable, and many people have been with Liaocheng Jixin since the passenger car business. In the long-term mutual assistance, our employees and customers have formed a stable and reliable relationship of mutual trust. In short, sales and service are integrated, and every request is met, so that users can rest assured in our products and services."

"Secondly, we always adhere to the people-oriented service spirit. In Liaocheng Jixin, there are no second-level dealers. The team of more than 40 people spend most of their time on the front line, staying with the market and customers. We also carry out a series of public welfare activities, hoping to help cardholders' families live a better life." Meng Xianfa said frankly.

At present, car buyers have higher and higher requirements for financial products. Liaocheng Jixin has strict standards for selecting financial partners and is constantly enriching the existing financial product system to better meet the actual needs of users.

The current heavy truck market has entered the stock stage. User demands are more rational, and dealers are also under pressure to adjust the structure and reduce inventory. "Difficulties are temporary. First, we must persist, and second, we must have confidence. Only in this way can we see the changes in the market, correctly grasp opportunities and overcome challenges."

As an important participant in the automotive finance segment, Ping An Leasing has been engaged in commercial vehicle financial leasing business early on, based on the natural adaptability of the automobile financial leasing model to commercial vehicle scenarios. It has now built a commercial vehicle financial leasing business system that covers all vehicle models, supports the entire life cycle, supports all customer groups, and advances in multiple business lines in a coordinated manner. It has also carried out a series of innovative practices in inclusive finance, green finance, and digital leasing.

In the future, Ping An Leasing will always adhere to its original intention of serving the real economy, promoting industry progress, and assisting industrial upgrading. It will deeply explore the financing needs of the commercial vehicle market, continue to create innovative commercial vehicle financial leasing solutions, and help the commercial vehicle financial industry achieve high-quality development.