American History 1988
Chapter 210 - 204 Indirect Tactics

Chapter 210: Chapter 204 Indirect Tactics

"Jerry Brown hopes to meet with you, he’s preparing to run in next year’s election,"

David Morgentaler had once lobbied Washington and served as the chairperson of the Venture Capital Association.

Decades of experience had given him deep connections in California, the Brown Family being one of them.

"Why would they come to me?" Dean showed his puzzlement. "I don’t seem to have anything to offer."

"Dean," David Morgentaler had to correct his perception, "you should get used to these things.

Byte Company is already valued at four hundred million US dollars, and by the shareholding ratio, you are truly a multimillionaire."

"This is absurd." Dean laughed and spread his hands. "That’s a valuation; it’s not accepted by the public.

Before going public, it’s more like paper wealth. Apart from Byte Company itself, no one acknowledges its worth."

"That’s not important, what’s important is that investment institutions recognize you!

What’s important is that Jerry Brown is from California; he’s very familiar with everything here!"

Well, that explained why they would seek him out.

People from other places might not have much of an idea about Byte Company, but this former governor, a native son, certainly knew what it meant.

As long as Byte Company successfully went public, it would burst forth with tremendous influence.

This influence came not only from wealth but also from its intricate network of relationships.

"Mr. Morgentaler, do you know what he expects to get from me?"

Since they had approached him, there must be something they wanted.

"Jerry Brown wants your support, you know, it would be very helpful for his competition within the party’s candidates."

If you want to run for election, you must first get the party’s nomination.

If Byte Company goes public successfully this year, as its founder, Dean would also become a media darling.

Capitalizing on this wave of news traffic, if Dean openly supported him, Jerry Brown would benefit greatly.

Furthermore, if he were to run for election, the candidate would also need to raise campaign funds.

There’s no one better suited to be a fundraising target than a newly minted tycoon like Dean.

"I need your advice, Mr. Morgentaler."

Since Dean wasn’t very familiar with politics, he was inclined to hear others’ opinions.

"My advice is not to take a stand too easily, especially in public, we have enough time to watch and wait.

Also, to help you have a more concrete understanding of the campaign, I’ll collect some material for you to look at, and here is some you can start with now."

David Morgentaler wasn’t planning to intervene in Dean’s political views; he knew the latter had his own opinions.

However, since Jerry Brown was an old friend of his, David Morgentaler still passed his information on to Dean.

Dean took it, flipped through it casually. "A Democratic Party figure?"

"Liberal Conservative Party~" David Morgentaler believed that Jerry’s political views were completely opposite to those of his father.

From the information, it seemed that this former governor leaned left, advocating for reduced government spending with a particular focus on environmental issues.

The only thing that piqued Dean’s interest was his strong support for advanced technology industries and his high level of attention to Silicon Valley.

But there were also some cringe-worthy things on the record, like his deep relationship with Hollywood.

To celebrate the release of ’Star Wars,’ then-Governor Brown organized a "Space Day" throughout the state.

Because of this, he was mockingly nicknamed "Moonbeam Governor."

But Brown continued doing his own thing. The support he got in Hollywood was even greater than in Silicon Valley.

During the ’80 election for the Democratic Party nominee, director Coppola filmed a live promotional video for him on the steps of the Wisconsin State Capitol.

However, this was a disastrous live event, even considered one of the most emblematic failures in campaign history.

Due to a problem with the chroma key filter, on television it appeared as though Brown’s head was detached from his body, floating in front of the backdrop.

The sub-zero temperatures, the lukewarm response of the crowd, and Brown’s awkward speech content made the situation even worse.

This bizarre address was virtually a funeral for the high-tech campaigner’s fickle electronic gadgets.

Political journalists delighted in disaster, dubbing it the "Brown Apocalypse," one of the Democratic Party’s pillars of shame.

After reviewing the information in hand, Dean was convinced that this former governor wasn’t someone he wanted to support.

Mr. Brown’s views, both conservative and unpredictable, who knew what he might do next.

"I will meet him, but I won’t promise anything," Dean needed to make some things clear in advance.

"OK, I understand," David Morgentaler just wanted Dean to get more political exposure, which would be beneficial for his future.

"I’m more interested in business than in politics," Dean picked up the phone in his hand and waved it; he was now going to call someone from MCI.

Time flew fast, and it was almost April. The business of World Link was about to take off.

...

Jack was originally the sales manager for MCI in the Southern region, a position that was mid to high level within the company, but few people wished to stay in it.

Because the job was tough; this was the stronghold of AT&T’s headquarters, where MCI was practically beaten down.

To say nothing of taking away much market share from AT&T – maintaining existing profits was already a very positive outcome.

It was precisely for this reason that the Southern District always had the most cornered spot at all the regional managers’ meetings.

Every time Jack returned to Washington to report on his work, he no longer expected a promotion or raise from his boss, his only luxury was hoping for a quick change to another position.

Then, toward the end of last year, David had agreed to his report requesting a transfer.

The moment he received the email reply, Jack was ecstatic; he was finally going to leave the Texan’s territory.

Overwhelmed with emotion, he hurriedly phoned David to inquire whether he was going to the long-desired Network Communications division next.

David told him that his new position would mainly focus on network information value-added services, and he had also been promoted, to the CEO of a subsidiary.

WTF? This was the CEO position! For a moment, Jack thought he was dreaming; was this the boss’s reward for his years of hard work?

Without waiting a second longer, he immediately said he could go at any time and asked where the subsidiary was located, so he could prepare in advance.

Jack would never forget the look on David’s face, filled with encouragement yet tinged with a hint of oddness, as he gently uttered one location, Texas.

Jack was struck by lightning, "Boss, is today April Fool’s Day?"

That was the first thing Jack had said in response to David at that moment, feeling the deep malice of society.

But in the end, it was the substantial stock options and more autonomy in decision-making that motivated him.

Now Jack was back on the Texan’s turf, accompanied by a young man who was clueless about how the world works.

"Jack, who’s our first target? Exxon or American Airlines?"

These were well-known Texas enterprises with businesses all over the world, and long-distance calls were one of their essential tools for daily communication.

Danny had done his homework; he couldn’t wait to install his IP phone in the towering American Airlines building.

"Danny, if you don’t want World Link to be kicked out of Texas early on, I suggest you find a different target."

Jack was even less confident about this visit now; look at this greenhorn, wanting to hit AT&T hard right from the start.

Come on, these were AT&T’s core customers, was he so eager to make sure they didn’t overlook us?

"Why?" asked Danny, not understanding, "We have the ace in the hole, our prices are bound to be much cheaper than AT&T’s."

"It’s precisely because it’s too cheap that it’s more likely to get AT&T’s attention. Also, even if we have to go head-to-head with them, let’s not play hardball right from the beginning.

That would provoke our opponents, the safest approach is to use indirect tactics."

"Indirect tactics?" Danny, with a technical background, was almost a complete outsider when it came to marketing.

Jack pointed at a hamburger shop by the street, "They are a good choice."

"Kentucky Fried Chicken?" Danny thought he had misunderstood; what did hamburgers have to do with computer technology?

"Buddy," Jack patted his shoulder, "it’s not necessarily the airline companies that use the phone the most every day; it could also be a hamburger shop.

Of course, our advantage is in long-distance, but most of the calls from the hamburger shop are local. However, that doesn’t stop us from conducting an experiment."

After finishing his explanation, Jack walked into the KFC, as if he were just a hungry passerby looking for food.

"Excuse me, miss, may I ask you something?" Jack’s finger flicked, and a $10 bill appeared at his fingertips.

"That depends on the question. If you want to ask what color underwear I’m wearing today, that money’s not enough."

The girl behind the counter, with her blonde ponytail and cap, briskly snatched the bill from Jack’s hand.

"Oh, I’ll ask that question later," Jack winked at her before turning to glance over the counter.

He quickly spotted a landline phone, "If you work here for a day, how many calls would you usually make?"

"What?" The girl thought she had misheard.

"I mean, how many incoming calls for orders do you get daily, and how many calls do you make to customers?"

"I’m not quite sure; sometimes dozens, sometimes it could be hundreds." The girl, although puzzled by the question, still shrugged and answered.

"Next question," Jack magician-like, produced another $10 bill, "What time of day do you get the most calls?"

"Lunchtime," the girl answered without hesitation and just as quickly took the bill.

"Why is it at lunchtime?" Jack’s question-and-answer game continued.

"Because at noon, people from companies nearby call in orders. They are numerous and order many portions at once."

"Which company calls the most?" Jack was almost at his answer.

"Dell Computers," the girl pointed at the corner of the street, "They not only call, but they also appear in groups on the street."

"OK, thank you, beautiful miss," to conclude, Jack pulled out two $50 bills, "One last favor, could you make a list for me, a list of companies that call here the most frequently?"

"You’re not interested in the color of my underwear at all?" the girl complained a bit.

Ten minutes later, Jack and Danny exited the KFC, their hands full.

Not only did they have burgers and colas, but also a list full of company names.

"Oh, God! The color was pink." Danny was still reminiscing about the scene that had just unfolded.

"Before you continue daydreaming, we should finish our food and get to work early," Jack responded.

With the list in hand, Jack was satisfied, "We’ll start with Dell Computers, sweeping through each one, not letting any fish slip through the net!"