Chapter 25: Remarkable Achievements
After returning to the newspaper office, Xia Yu handed over the completed article to Zhao Cheng. Zhao Cheng had already finished editing other content and was just waiting for Xia Yu's article. As soon as he received it, he immediately arranged for editing and layout, and then sent the second issue of the newspaper to the printing department for review.
Time slowly passed, and the teams that had gone out gradually returned. Once everyone was back, they immediately started compiling the delivery data for the day.
After the statistics were completed, Li Qian excitedly handed the data sheet to Xia Yu. The other staff members watched eagerly, their hearts racing with anticipation.
Xia Yu carefully reviewed the data and his face broke into a smile.
The results for today were astonishing and exceeded his expectations!
A total of 145,000 copies had been delivered. The additional 5,000 copies were due to a shortage in distribution when Xia Yu was away in the afternoon. After a joint decision by the other department heads, 5,000 more copies were printed, all of which were also delivered.
Among these 145,000 copies, one data point stood out: the number of newspapers delivered to newsstands.
It had reached nearly 70,000 copies, more than double the 32,800 copies recorded at 10 a.m.
A newspaper's primary sales are usually achieved in the morning, but *Jiu Ding Daily* was a special case, and Xia Yu understood why.
After a morning of buzz, news about *The Search for the Qin Dynasty* and the events at Kowloon Exchange spread, leading many people to seek out *Jiu Ding Daily* after work to get more information.
Xia Yu clearly understood what the nearly 70,000 copies represented.
Although these 70,000 copies were given away for free to various newsstand owners, they were actually sold by the newsstand owners, making it indistinguishable from normal sales.
While a significant part of the reason for selling 70,000 copies was the enthusiastic promotion by the newsstand owners, the fact that they were sold was undeniable.
If this level of performance could be maintained, even if the newsstand owners became less proactive after the official sale began, Xia Yu estimated that the daily sales would still reach around 30,000 copies, a tenfold increase compared to the 3,000 copies during the *Wenming New Report* period!
But considering the success of the first day, would *Jiu Ding Daily* only maintain this level?
Absolutely not. With Xia Yu at the helm, things could only get better!
It was foreseeable that the number of *Jiu Ding Daily* newspapers sold through newsstands would only continue to rise in the coming days!
In addition, 75,000 copies were distributed for free, and not randomly. The recipients were the most valuable and potential clients who were likely to convert. If even 20% of them subscribed to *Jiu Ding Daily*, it would add 15,000 copies to the sales.
The first day was a resounding success! It was secured!
The next step was to continue expanding influence over the next six days, increase achievements, and press forward! Make the distribution of *Jiu Ding Daily* continue to climb!
Looking at the curious employees and the eagerly awaiting department heads, Xia Yu cleared his throat and smiled, saying, "Today's achievements are remarkable. We distributed a total of 145,000 copies, with 70,000 copies taken by newsstands. This is worth celebrating!"
"Wow…"
"It's really successful, that's great!"
...
Hearing the figures announced by Xia Yu, even though some people in the office had been following the numbers all day, they only had a rough idea of the quantity. Many others were unclear due to being out delivering newspapers. At this moment, when they heard the shocking numbers, their faces couldn't hide their astonishment.
"Yeah, who would have thought that 70,000 copies were taken by newsstands? Does that mean our sales have reached 70,000 copies? Just a few days ago, our newspaper's sales were only 3,000 copies!"
One employee suddenly said loudly.
"Boss, I remember that the newspaper ranked tenth in Hong Kong's sales only has a daily sales of 68,000 copies. Our *Jiu Ding Daily* has made it into the top ten on its first day, pushing the tenth place out!" News Minister Sun Xin suddenly realized something and said excitedly.
At these words, the surroundings fell silent for a moment before erupting into even louder cheers.
Top ten in Hong Kong's newspaper sales!
Debut at the pinnacle!
No! It's a debut that surpasses what other newspapers could achieve at their peak!
The pinnacle of *Jiu Ding Daily* would definitely not stop here!
Everyone looked at the young boss standing in front of them with admiration. They all knew that all of this was thanks to the new boss Xia Yu, his strategy and reforms, as well as his articles and novels that led *Jiu Ding Daily* to achieve such brilliant results on its first day.
In the entire history of Hong Kong's newspaper industry, no newspaper had ever achieved such a feat as *Jiu Ding Daily*, making it into the top ten on its first issue!
At this moment, they all instinctively ignored the fact that their newspapers were given away for free.
If someone had told them before that a newspaper could achieve this, they would have laughed it off as absurd!
Unless the sun rose from the west!
But now, this previously unimaginable event was happening right before their eyes, and it was related to them. At this moment, it felt like a dream, and it was hard to believe!
"Boss is amazing!"
"Boss is powerful!"
...
With sporadic cheers, more and more people joined in, and the unified, loud shouts made everyone's scalp tingle, their blood boiling with excitement.
Seeing the employees' enthusiastic reactions, Xia Yu was very pleased, not only because of the results but also because it meant he had further gained the trust of the employees and had won them over from the heart!
At this moment, it seemed appropriate to do something! Don't waste the opportunity!
Xia Yu's eyes sparkled, and he raised his hands to signal for the employees to quiet down.
As the employees quieted down, Xia Yu smiled and said, "I said before that if the results pleased me, the bonuses would not be small."
At this point, Xia Yu paused and looked around at the employees.
Gulp!
Many people's eyes lit up as they recalled the boss's promise from the morning. They looked at the smiling boss Xia Yu eagerly, and some couldn't help but swallow, but no one mocked them. Everyone was looking forward to hearing what Xia Yu would say next.
"I announce that everyone's salary will be doubled for the next seven days, and if the official sales after seven days exceed 100,000 copies, everyone will receive an additional month's salary as a bonus at the end of the year!" Seeing that everyone was eagerly awaiting, Xia Yu no longer kept them in suspense and directly announced with a wave of his hand.
"Wow!"
"Thank you, boss!"
"Boss is getting rich!"
...
Everyone cheered, delighted by the boss's generosity!
In Hong Kong during this era, there were plenty of people, so it was rare for companies to give bonuses. Just having a decent salary was good enough. Now they had the opportunity to receive bonuses, and of course, they were excited!
Although the boss said that the bonus for an additional month's salary at the end of the year would only be given if sales exceeded 100,000 copies after seven days, at this moment, no one doubted its possibility. Given the current trend, it was highly likely that the boss's target would be met.
They could already see a month's salary bonus beckoning to them!
Their salaries had already increased by 20%. With the salary doubling in seven days and the future month's salary bonus, their total earnings this month would be about 2.5 times what they had before the new boss arrived. How could they not be excited!
"Alright, your hard work is the best reward for me. Keep up the good work!" Seeing that it was about time, Xia Yu emphasized.
"Boss, don't worry, we will definitely work hard!"
"By the way, our newspaper is seriously short of staff right now. You can spread the word about our achievements today to people you know. As long as they have real talent, we welcome them to join us. Don't miss the opportunity. Once we have filled all the positions, we won't be hiring anymore. The department heads will screen the applicants to ensure quality. Is that clear?" Suddenly realizing the severe shortage of staff due to the increase in newspaper sales and the number of temporary workers hired today, Xia Yu addressed the employees.
As long as today's achievements and employee benefits were spread, it would undoubtedly create a stir. Xia Yu couldn't afford to miss this opportunity!
With this windfall, those who were previously hesitant to switch jobs due to uncertainties would definitely be tempted!
Afterward, seeing that it was time, Xia Yu announced the end of work. Apart from a few printing department staff who stayed behind to work overtime, everyone else couldn't wait to go home and share the good news with their families and friends.
As the boss said, don't miss the opportunity! It's better to seize the chance to do a favor for friends. Almost everyone knew some capable peers.
With the promotion after they returned, the achievements of *Jiu Ding Daily* would spread. Many people were incredulous, but after friends swore repeatedly, they had to believe it. When they heard about the rewards and benefits of *Jiu Ding Daily*, many who were already considering switching jobs became eager and started seriously thinking about joining *Jiu Ding Daily*.
Some had even decided to apply for positions early the next morning.
Everything was developing in the direction that Summer Yu had hoped for, and it was foreseeable that the staffing shortage at the newspaper would be greatly alleviated.