Chen Lishu laughed and cried, "Do I look like someone who would wield power arbitrarily? Besides, I am a businesswoman. When doing business, one naturally goes with the supplier who offers better quality at a lower price."
Meanwhile, Zhao Xingwang, following Andre, watched as they turned and headed towards an adjacent booth.
Next door was the county's garment factory. Upon seeing foreign businessmen arrive, they were incredibly excited and warmly welcomed them inside.
Zhao Xingwang casually lit a cigarette. Before he could even finish it, he saw the two emerge again.
Andre frowned and spoke a few words to the interpreter. Zhao Xingwang had some exposure to Soviet people during his days as a black market dealer, and his Russian was rather broken, but he could understand the general gist of the few words that popped out.
It seemed he was not satisfied with this particular factory.
Then, Andre's gaze fell once more on the Shu Se garment booth.
Seeing Andre's reaction, Zhao Xingwang knew he was still interested in their factory.
His claim that he still wanted to look around before coming back was pure nonsense, as their booth was already the second to last.
He stubbed out his cigarette, flicked it on the ground, and then stomped on it. Just as he was preparing to step forward, he saw someone dressed in navy blue intercept them.
"Mr. Andre, I am from the Municipal Garment Factory. My surname is Cui." After speaking, he turned to the interpreter, "Translator Tian, please translate for me. Our leadership says the price is negotiable, and you will surely be rewarded handsomely after this is done."
The interpreter's eyes, hidden behind his glasses, flickered.
He then turned back to Andre as if nothing had happened and translated the man's words, adding, "The Municipal Garment Factory is the largest garment factory in the entire provincial capital. Importantly, it is a state-owned enterprise, which means more resources and easier dealings."
Andre replied, "I know what you're saying, but I don't find their designs appealing. They don't satisfy me."
He hadn't held out much hope initially, but the fashion show at the Shu Se garment booth had truly astonished him.
Seeing that Andre seemed reluctant, the newcomer quickly said, "The price is negotiable."
Noticing that the interpreter was also greedy, Zhao Xingwang realized that if they allowed this man to whisk Andre away, this fat fish, already hooked, would surely slip through their fingers with a bit of coaxing.
At this critical moment, he could no longer afford to be polite. Zhao Xingwang darted forward, smiling broadly as he addressed the group, "Excuse me, I'm from the Shu Se garment factory. Perhaps I didn't have enough time to elaborate earlier, but our factory's production capacity is no less than any garment factory in the province. Our goods are sold in department stores in major cities like Kyoto and Modu. We also supply Yangcheng and Pengcheng, with business dealings all over the country. We have stable procurement channels and employ top designers hired from abroad. We can't be compared to those unknown factories. Mr. Andre, you can conduct an on-site inspection at our factory. Our equipment is the most advanced, imported from abroad. I dare guarantee there's no other like it in the entire provincial capital."
Zhao Xingwang said all this without batting an eye. In business, one always mixes truth with a bit of exaggeration. Besides, more than half of what he said was true, he had simply embellished it slightly.
In any case, the priority was to keep Andre here. Otherwise, all efforts would be in vain.
After Zhao Xingwang's lengthy speech, Andre only understood the words "Shu Se garment factory" and could guess that they wanted to discuss cooperation.
He turned his head and asked the interpreter, "What did this gentleman say?"
The interpreter glanced at the representative from the Municipal Garment Factory, hesitated for a moment, and then roughly translated Zhao Xingwang's words.
Fearing the interpreter might play tricks, Zhao Xingwang strained his ears to listen, but his poor grasp of the language made him anxious.
Andre nodded after hearing the interpreter's translation. He understood that both the Municipal Garment Factory and Shu Se garment factory were interested in cooperating. He was reasonably satisfied with both and thus said, "This cooperation is just a beginning. If it satisfies me, there will be greater opportunities for cooperation in the future. I need to consider this carefully. Perhaps we could sit down and discuss it at length."
With Andre's agreement, Zhao Xingwang turned to find Chen Lishu.
"The other party agreed to sit down and talk?"
Zhao Xingwang rubbed his hands together, his expression tinged with excitement. "That Andre said this is just the beginning, and if we can reach an agreement, there will be bigger orders later. I saw the people from the Municipal Garment Factory seem to be trying to win over the translator. What should we do?"
Chen Lishu looked at Nan Haitao. "What do you think?"
Nan Haitao pondered for a moment and said, "Whether the cooperation is successful depends seventy to eighty percent on the price. Honestly, we don't have much of an advantage over the Municipal Garment Factory in this regard."
Chen Lishu nodded.
What he said was true. The Municipal Garment Factory had over a thousand workers, and its annual output value was calculated in the tens of millions.
They likely had foreign exchange quotas, which was why they were so keen on Andre.
"Therefore, to ensure a successful signing of this order, we can only make adjustments in other areas."
"Our factory is just starting. Continuously lowering prices is not wise, especially since we have our own brand, and we are doing quite well currently. Their order volume is not large, and even with promises of future large orders, nothing concrete has materialized. Everything is still uncertain."
Chen Lishu added, "Although the translator mentioned Andre is looking for a processing factory, I observed he clearly has an interest in our garment styles. The prices he inquired about were mostly for existing garments, making it seem more like he's here to procure. This is sufficient to demonstrate that our product designs have a distinct advantage."
While finding a processing factory is easy, if the other party is a major brand, many factors need to be considered.
Besides production capacity and timely delivery, there are also design teams and production equipment.
A good design team can not only offer beneficial suggestions during communication but also influence the quality of the finished products through the workers' sewing habits.
Furthermore, production equipment also plays a role, as different equipment results in different finished garments.
"Since we don't have an advantage in low prices, we can appropriately raise our prices within our controllable range. This not only leaves room for negotiation with the other party but also conveys the impression that our higher prices are due to guaranteed quality."
Chen Lishu tapped her fingers on the desk and said slowly.
A shrewd glint flashed in Nan Haitao's eyes. "When giving the cost budget, don't use whole numbers. It's best to keep it to two decimal places."
Chen Lishu reacted for a moment and then understood his meaning.
Precision to the decimal point would increase the credibility of the figures.
Meanwhile, at the Municipal Garment Factory, calculations were also being made.
In the past two years, with the impact of private enterprises and small workshops, the Municipal Garment Factory had been struggling.
This was even more true for foreign trade orders; with increased competition, they hadn't received any for quite some time.
"This is a rare opportunity. Although the order amount is not large, to continue cooperating with Andre in the future, I believe we can offer certain price concessions. Especially with the Shu Se garment factory also vying for this deal. According to Translator Tian, Andre favors them, and the fashion show at the opening was indeed quite impressive," the man said.
Director Guo scoffed dismissively, "It's merely a case of the ugly making a fuss. A small factory with just over a hundred people trying to snatch business from us? Utterly overestimating themselves."