The factory director frowned, "Shuse Clothing Factory, isn't that the newly established clothing factory in the province recently?"
Director Guo replied, "That's the one. The matter with the cultural shirts last time was caused by that person surnamed Chen. He's not a simple fellow. He stole the spotlight at two expos, overshadowing our clothing factory."
The factory director mused, "She wants to snatch our business. It seems the problem is a bit tricky."
"Little Cui has already connected with Andre's translator. The other party has agreed to act when the opportunity arises. We'll do our best to calculate costs and keep prices as low as possible. To be safe, Translator Tian will inflate their quote a bit above ours or help us out when opportune."
"Let's first lower our prices to let Andre choose us. Once Shuse Clothing Factory is out of the picture, we can then find excuses to raise prices from other aspects."
Although this was a risky maneuver, as once a contract was signed, it would be difficult to increase the price and the other party might not comply.
The factory director was stunned for a moment, then slowly nodded, "That could work."
The next day, Andre sat in the negotiation room with two other clothing factories.
What was called a negotiation room was actually a space enclosed by fabric panels behind the expo hall, used by exhibitors for temporary discussions.
While small client orders could be resolved on the spot, larger orders requiring detailed negotiation needed a relatively quiet venue.
Although the negotiation area was outdoors, tables and chairs had been thoughtfully placed inside.
After a night of consideration, Andre decided to stick to his original plan and select a processing plant to produce the specified designs.
The clothing styles produced by Shuse Clothing Factory were indeed good, but he still wanted to establish his own brand.
"Mr. Andre is planning to order two styles of clothing this time..."
The translator relayed Andre's requirements to the two clothing factories in detail, then turned to converse with Andre again, asking if he had any additional needs.
"That's all," Andre replied in stiff Mandarin.
"We hope the two factories can submit their quotes to Mr. Andre as soon as possible."
...
Upon receiving the detailed information, the City Clothing Factory submitted their quote the very next day.
Shuse Clothing Factory was a day late, only proceeding with negotiations with Andre after submitting a detailed quotation on the third day.
The translator, who had intended to manipulate the figures, couldn't help but smile upon seeing Shuse Clothing Factory's quote.
It was a full eight percentage points higher than that of the City Clothing Factory.
Andre also frowned when he heard the figure.
"I know that such a quote might seem insincere to Mr. Andre, but I believe Mr. Andre will have a different perspective after hearing my explanation."
Chen Li Shu spoke slowly.
She outlined all the factory's advantages.
The translator felt that at this price point, there was no chance, so he translated each of Chen Li Shu's points to Andre.
However, the expected angry departure did not occur. Instead, Andre took the quotation Chen Li Shu handed him and pointed to the content, asking the man to translate it for him.
The content was very detailed, with figures accurate to two decimal places. Coupled with the fact that they had quoted a day late, it was evident they had put in considerable effort.
Such a serious and responsible attitude had already made a very good impression on Andre.
"As the saying goes, you get what you pay for. We are a brand-name operation, ensuring that every piece of clothing produced on our production line is refined. From the sample styles you've provided, I can see that you also value quality..."
After Chen Li Shu finished speaking, she looked at the translator who had remained silent.
When the translator saw that Andre hadn't left and was still listening intently, he began to feel uncertain.
It was truly bizarre. The price was so outrageously high. Had Andre lost his mind?
Hesitating, he did not translate Chen Li Shu's words to Andre truthfully.
He believed it would influence Andre's decision.
Although Chen Li Shu did not understand Russian, she could sense that something was amiss from his expression.
She turned to look at Li Qiang, who shook his head at her.
She had specifically brought Li Qiang with her today because he grew up on the border. Although he couldn't write, there were no communication barriers.
She had brought him as a precaution, not expecting to actually need him.
"Mr. Andre." Before Chen Li Shu could speak, Li Qiang translated Chen Li Shu's words verbatim.
As soon as Li Qiang began speaking, the translator next to Andre's face turned a shade of liver-red.
As Andre's subordinate, Chen Li Shu said nothing.
Andre was not foolish, but his business acumen and composure, honed by his presence here, far surpassed that of ordinary people.
Without showing it on his face, he said, "I highly agree with your point of view, but I cannot accept this price."
The process and outcome of a negotiation were equally important.
Chen Li Shu deliberately set a high price, having understood the psychology of businessmen.
Only by negotiating the price down themselves would they believe it was the lowest price she could afford.
Otherwise, no matter how eloquent she was, they would not believe her.
Furthermore, although Andre's order was not large, she wanted to establish a long-term relationship.
Therefore, only when the other party felt a sense of balance would she have an opportunity for future transactions. If she refused to budge an inch, the deal might be closed this time, but future dealings would likely be very difficult.
There was no absolute trust at the negotiation table, even with her utmost effort and enthusiasm.
Chen Li Shu did not immediately agree or refuse, but instead frowned in contemplation for a moment, feigning difficulty, and said, "Our factory is honored to cooperate with Mr. Andre, and naturally, we do not wish to lose a client like you. How about this, if you can pay in full upon delivery, we can offer a five percent discount. What do you think?"
A five percent discount all at once truly made Andre feel Chen Li Shu's sincerity.
"Full payment is impossible. I've only brought ten thousand US dollars with me this time."
After hearing Li Qiang's retelling, Chen Li Shu didn't react immediately. When she finally understood, her heart began to beat uncontrollably.
"Does Mr. Andre mean that ten thousand US dollars is the initial down payment?"
Andre looked at her, puzzled as to why she asked, but replied truthfully, "If we cooperate, I can pay at most a thirty percent down payment."
Seeing the translator's somewhat surprised gaze, Chen Li Shu guessed that he had misunderstood from the beginning.
A thirty percent down payment equated to a total order value of thirty to forty thousand US dollars.
Calculated at the current exchange rate, this was an order worth over twenty to nearly thirty thousand US dollars.
This was the largest order the factory had received so far!
Chen Li Shu steadied her nerves and said calmly, "Since this is our first collaboration, if Mr. Andre can settle the remaining balance before delivery, we can make this concession."
After leaving the negotiation table, Chen Li Shu drove Andre to the factory for a tour. After understanding the detailed situation, both parties were filled with even greater confidence for this cooperation.