As the saying goes, circumstances create heroes. Jake's abilities were already outstanding, and on top of that, he unexpectedly possessed a unique golden finger, allowing his future achievements to far surpass those of his peers.
Yet even so, securing a 100% victory in the competition still posed a significant challenge.
Lily and Cabel had only joined Shigella two years earlier than Jake. All in all, Jake's team was truly made up of the younger generation.
The other teams more or less had at least one veteran employee, mostly between 30 and 40 years old, with over five years of experience at the company. They were seasoned, shrewd, and had an intimate understanding of the market.
Nowadays, many resources were controlled by those veteran employees. Excluding long-term partner companies already collaborating with Shigella, Jake's targets could only be small and medium-sized enterprises.
After the meeting, Jake, Lily, and Cabel each set clear goals. Comparatively speaking, they were like newly hatched chicks, with pitifully few resources at their disposal. Competing with the favorites for the championship was far from feasible.
In the short term, developing long-term partnerships was unrealistic. They could only learn on the fly and make use of whatever resources their friends and family had—such as Lily's uncle and aunt, or Cabel's parents.
As for Jake, he had no such resources to speak of. His biggest asset was none other than the CEO of Shigella.
The fact that he could even join Shigella was already thanks to Mia's influence. If he had applied as a fresh graduate with only a bachelor's degree, he likely wouldn't have made it past the initial screening.
Moreover, from what Jake knew, Lily and Cabel were genuine postgraduate degree holders. In this fiercely competitive society, finding a job that matched one's field of study was no easy feat.
Besides, a major company like Shigella—just getting in was proof of one's excellence. Even the sales department, often looked down upon elsewhere, was considered a coveted position here. After all, aside from executives and R&D talent, which other role offered such a leapfrogging salary?
Of course, the accompanying hardships were unavoidable.
From the moment Jake stepped out of Shigella's headquarters, this silent war had already begun.
In late August, the cicadas in Jalvethan still chirped relentlessly.
Almost the entire summer had passed without a single drop of rain. The scorching sun hung high in the sky, radiating endless heat, the stifling temperatures making the very air seem to warp.
At 9:30 a.m., Jake drove through the streets. As a high-performing salesman with two and a half years of experience, he wasn't like a rookie, foolishly knocking on doors one by one in search of clients.
Jake's targets were the recent trade exhibitions. Ordinary people could also use such avenues to expand their networks and business. If one's professional knowledge was solid and their corporate backing strong, there was a good chance of attracting the attention of other company executives.
Jake fit this profile perfectly.
A graduate of a prestigious university, even without an advanced degree, he could embellish a little—with the formidable Shigella as his support, his credentials were impeccable. The rest depended on Jake's improvisation.
Moreover, Jake had deliberately chosen exhibition halls that completely avoided Shigella's zones.
First, many other sales team members likely had the same idea. Even if the newcomers didn't think of it, the veterans would certainly try.
Second, Shigella's own exhibition areas would undoubtedly be overcrowded. If Jake recklessly tried to poach clients there, the gains wouldn't be worth the losses.
So Jake specifically picked out a few mid-sized exhibitions to visit. The clients there might not be top-tier, but quantity could make up for quality—one no, then ten, twenty, thirty…
Jake quickly entered the nearest ordinary mid-sized exhibition, held on the first floor of a shopping mall. The space was quite large, and at a glance, the place was packed, bustling with activity.
After squeezing his way in, Jake was surprised to spot quite a few familiar faces from the sales department. Clearly, those who could make it into Shigella were no pushovers. What Jake had thought of, others had realized as well.
Fortunately, none of them noticed Jake. The situation wasn't as ideal as he had originally hoped, but it was within expectations.
With too many wolves and too little meat, rather than fighting a pack of starving wolves, it was better to take the opposite approach, starting with the farthest exhibition.
This was part of Jake's plan.
He quickened his pace and left, driving toward the most distant trade fair.
To save time, Jake even used voice commands to map out the most efficient route on his phone while driving, striving to maximize efficiency.
Everything was ready.
During the drive, Jake deliberately stepped on the gas a few times, buying himself a little extra time for victory.
Switching to the farthest exhibition venue, the liveliness decreased somewhat, but the number of potential clients did not shrink. Most of these companies were in a wait-and-see mode—rather than hastily partnering with any random company, they preferred to wait patiently. If a well-known domestic company happened to come by for market research, they might still have a chance to make an impression.
Jake had precisely grasped their mentality.
Without Shigella's presence, the other companies were evenly matched in capability. There was no scenario where one booth was overcrowded while another stood deserted.
Since Shigella primarily developed products targeting women, Jake specifically sought out companies that needed such goods.
Moreover, each booth was staffed by a man and a woman, making it convenient for Jake to read their company's secrets directly from their thoughts.
Before starting, Jake carefully scanned the exhibition hall to confirm that no other members from the sales department were present. Only then did he proceed.
He selected booths systematically, starting from the entrance and moving right to left, completing his research on all relevant companies in a counterclockwise manner.
Arriving at the first booth, he saw a middle-aged man in a suit and tie and a young woman in office attire sitting on chairs.
The seasoned middle-aged man immediately noticed Jake approaching—his strides steady, his posture confident, his head held high, exuding an air of self-assurance.
What most caught the middle-aged man's attention was Jake's expensive black suit, one of the two sets Mia had bought for him.
It was often said that no matter a man's age, cars, watches, and beautiful women were his greatest loves. There were also a few collectors who could instantly recognize the value of a stranger's clothes or watch at a glance.
The middle-aged man happened to be one of them.
The young woman beside him couldn't help but fall into the trap of Jake's appearance either. Tall, handsome men—few women could resist them, right?
Jake casually took a seat across from them and introduced himself simply, "Hello, my name is Jake, from Shigella."
His tone was neither submissive nor arrogant, radiating confidence.
The middle-aged man's sharp eyes gleamed with excitement as he extended his hand and greeted Jake politely, "Hello, hello! I'm from Hanke Apparel Co., Ltd. May I ask which department you're from at your esteemed company?"
Although Jake's first impression had already won over both of them, it was clear the middle-aged man held some level of authority. Every company at the exhibition knew this mid-sized event didn't include Shigella's participation. Without proof, no matter how much the middle-aged man liked Jake, he wouldn't engage in casual conversation.
Jake smiled faintly and calmly retrieved a pre-printed business card from his suit's breast pocket—a special allowance for this competition.
The plain white card bore black advertising-style lettering.