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Yesterday, I impulsively posted, "If I don't buy a Smartisan, I'll be letting Old Luo down." Tonight, I went to the Marion Bar Coffee across from the Anfu Road Drama Center, ordered a cup of tea, opened my laptop, and will now explain in detail why I need to buy a Smartisan.
Outsiders watch the excitement, insiders watch the craft. As someone in sales, I naturally focused on how he conducted the product demonstration. Fortunately, this Smartisan phone launch event was a classic. Netizens joked that it was like listening to a "crosstalk" performance, but this was no simple comedy act. The entire performance was meticulously planned and choreographed—where to place the punchlines, where to expect applause, where to pause, and where to build suspense were all precisely designed. Old Luo is a sales genius. His packaging of product selling points, his grasp of user needs, his control over audience emotions, and his articulation of company values are all world-class. For this alone, he earned my heartfelt respect, and I feel I must buy a Smartisan.
I took notes while watching the event and recorded nine key points, which I'd like to share with you.
1. Redefine the Rules of the Game
Brainwashing (if you'll allow me to use this not-so-great word, as I can't find a better one) isn't about shouting slogans; it requires a solid logical foundation and argumentation. What was the first thing Old Luo did at the start? He redefined the rules of the game.
He first listed the selling points of many phone manufacturers—quad-core, octa-core, 21-megapixel cameras, HI-FI sound, benchmark champions—and then dismissed them with contempt, saying these are low-level competitive tactics. Because they can't create a great user experience, they resort to simple, crude parameters for marketing. It's like a woman who can't conquer a man with her charm, so she flaunts her measurements.
Ordinary competitors compete within the rules, comparing parameters. High-level competitors, like Old Luo, directly change the rules. You say your specs are great? I'm telling you, those specs don't matter! The scary thing is, consumers actually believe it. That's a high-level move.
2. Speak the Human Language
Every salesperson knows they should speak the customer's language, but few actually do. Old Luo understands this well. When presenting hardware specs, he first wrote the parameters in technical jargon, then joked that he didn't understand them either. The PPT slide switched, and the plain-language version appeared: "The world's best CPU in mass production" (roughly).
Marketers with a product background are most prone to the mistake of not speaking plainly. Because they know the product so well, they assume others do too, so they spew jargon and think others are ignorant if they don't understand. Hey, are you doing business or academics?
3. Information Transparency
In 99% of companies, "trade secrets" are like a woman's bra—if you try to peek, she'll slap you. I've never quite understood what companies are afraid of. If you fear competitors will surpass you by knowing your secrets, it only means your competitive barrier is too low. If you fear customers won't buy if they know the truth, doesn't that mean you're making money off shady practices?
When 99% of companies hide everything, the 1% that are transparent gain a huge credibility advantage even if they do nothing else. Old Luo told the story of how he secured the JDI display, the Fujitsu camera solution, and the Ammunition design company in full detail. Other manufacturers did the same things, but they didn't talk about it. When he did, people thought he was especially reliable.
Believe it or not, I believed it.
4. Low Posture
During the presentation, the phrase "Considering we're a small company..." appeared like a repeated montage in a movie, N times, each followed by a short story. I loved this segment. It instantly narrowed the distance between the company and consumers. In the past, brands liked to package themselves as lofty and grand, with an attitude of "I'm awesome, come worship me," and they talked about "fan economy." These days, mass media has come down from the altar, and brands that stay aloof are fooling themselves.
As Old Luo said at the end, buying and selling is a fair transaction, mutually agreed upon. No one is begging anyone. Just because you're a consumer doesn't make you God; everyone is equal.
5. High Class
Low posture is an attitude. High class is also an attitude. Although Smartisan is a small company, its product images are world-class, and the video shot by Robert from Ammunition to endorse them is world-class. You can be humble in words, but never sloppy in action. That's how you earn respect.
6. Start from Specific Use Cases
Old Luo's favorite part was demonstrating software, because that's where he had the most room to shine and differentiate from other brands. In this segment, I said "wow" several times. I noted down: quick capture, scheduled SMS, voice recording with flags, full-screen pull-down, scheduled mute, SMS added to calendar, calendar iconization, and screenshot cropping.
Whether a product has value to consumers isn't about its low price, its materials, or its advanced technology—it's about whether it's useful to them. The more specific the use, the clearer the pain point it solves, the easier it is to sell. How do we sell Excel to someone? If we say Excel can do formula calculations, generate charts, and write programs, consumers will be confused. The normal way to sell it is: "Hey, you're in finance, right? Look, I have a template here. Just fill in the numbers, and the results come out automatically. It'll save you 5 hours a day."
7. Pricing Strategy
Pricing isn't about being as low as possible, nor as high as possible. Old Luo himself used a PPT slide to quote netizens mocking him: "A domestic phone at 3000 yuan? Are you out of your mind?" The price is indeed not low, but the key to successful pricing isn't the absolute value—it's whether consumers think it's worth it. That's where the brand needs to make a reasonable explanation.
Old Luo's explanation: We don't make high cost-performance phones because you get what you pay for. Low prices mean compromises in the product, and I don't want to compromise (notice he also slipped in a value statement). We also don't make luxury items; we only make products that don't compromise on quality. Is that a reasonable explanation? Very reasonable. And the implication is: people who buy Smartisan are neither the cheap-skates who only care about price nor the suckers who buy luxury phones, but rational users who truly care about user experience.
8. Self-Question and Answer to Eliminate Doubts
After the two-hour demonstration and the price reveal, it's time to close the deal. At this point, consumers have desire for the product, but there are still "small obstacles" preventing them from ordering immediately. That's when you enter the "eliminate doubts" phase.
Are you waiting for the 4G version? I tell you, don't wait for 4G; it's meaningless.
Still think 3000 yuan is expensive? No problem. We've partnered with China Merchants Bank for 24-month installment payments.
What about after-sales and customer service from a new manufacturer? Don't worry. As a public figure who smashed a Siemens refrigerator, do you think I'd dare to have poor after-sales?
How can a former principal of an English training school lead a group of former English teachers to make a phone? How could I possibly lead a group of English teachers to make a phone? That's crazy. Our CTO is Dr. Qian Cheng, one of the three former product managers at Moto, and we have 200 engineers.
After several self-questions and answers, would you still hesitate to buy a Smartisan?
9. Value Output
If the first two-plus hours were marketing at the product level, the final segment elevated to the level of values. After 10 PM last night, the phrase "I'm not here to win or lose, I'm just serious" kept appearing in my Moments. Why did everyone share this? Because it touched a soft spot in our hearts—that's called resonance.
There was another line that didn't get as many shares but also revealed Old Luo's honesty and pursuit as a capitalist: "Deliberately improving human life to make a profit."
With that, a perfect product demonstration was successfully completed.
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About us: WeChat ID: 快销品经销商专业咨询管理 Account intro: 20 years of FMCG distributor operation and management experience, specializing in distributor internal management.
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