fictionpage Chapter 24 Using Another's Strength to Fight Back
Chapter 24 Using Another's Strength to Fight Back
After finishing the meal at the tea restaurant, the matter was finally settled.
When Wu Wenjie went to pay the bill, he found that Lin Feng had already paid.
So he left first, intending to talk to Xinfa alone.
Lin Feng and Lin Xiaowen slowly walked back.
On the way, Lin Xiaowen couldn't help but ask, "Brother Feng, weren't you and Brother Jie getting along quite well on the train? Why is he...?"
"Why would he try to cheat me?" Lin Feng smiled. "He didn't cheat me. That's how business is. He has his methods, and I have my own. Once we've talked it out, everything's fine."
After walking a few steps, Lin Xiaowen asked again, "What if he doesn't help you? Will you be angry with him?"
Lin Feng advised her, "Why are you angry? Business is business. Whether the deal goes through or not, I'll still consider him a friend."
Lin Xiaowen nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.
On the other hand, Wu Wenjie didn't linger and took a car to Longhua alone in the afternoon.
The autumn sun in Shenzhen was still strong, shining through the car windows and making the car feel stuffy.
He unscrewed a bottle of mineral water, took a few gulps, and was still thinking about lunch.
Lin Feng is no simple character.
Wu Wenjie spent five years in Huaqiangbei, working his way up from managing a stall to opening his own, and he met many customers and business people.
Some are rich and arrogant, some are stingy and calculating, and some pretend to know everything but get ripped off and are still happy about it.
But people like Lin Feng are truly rare.
Young, but not impulsive. Thoughtful, but not unscrupulous. Acting with discretion and leaving room for maneuver in speech.
The words spoken at noon were both a showdown and an offer of a way out. They brought up the issue of rebates, gave people the option to choose, but didn't force them.
This was considered giving Wu Wenjie some face.
Wu Wenjie, a seasoned businessman, knew that this was far better than those who called each other brothers to your face but stabbed you in the back.
For this deal, Lin Feng needs 300 units, and the lowest price Boss Chen can offer is 290. If he quotes 310, he can get a rebate of about 10 yuan per unit. 300 units would be 3000 yuan.
But now, he doesn't want the money anymore.
The taxi stopped in front of Xinfeng Electronics Factory. The security guard recognized him and greeted him with a smile, "Brother Jie, the boss is in the office."
Wu Wenjie walked straight towards the office building.
Mr. Chen was making tea in his office when he was somewhat surprised to see Wu Wenjie come alone.
"Ah Jie? Where's Boss Lin?"
Wu Wenjie sat down opposite him and, without beating around the bush, said, "He went to see two more factories, Fuda and Jinke, and their quotes were both below 290."
Boss Chen's face darkened: "What do you mean? Is he planning to choose another company?"
"That's possible." Wu Wenjie picked up his teacup and took a sip.
"Old Chen, we've been working together for a while now, I won't lie to you. Don't let Brother Lin's youth fool you, he's no novice. He knows his stuff, he's not so easy to fool. This batch of 300 units is just a trial run."
Mr. Chen didn't speak, but picked up his teacup, seemingly lost in thought.
Wu Wenjie put down his teacup. "I won't take this order that you gave me before. If you lower the price to be similar to Fidelity's quote, I'll keep this order for you."
Boss Chen looked at Wu Wenjie for a few seconds, trying to confirm whether he was serious or joking.
"Ah Jie, what are you up to?"
Wu Wenjie said, "I'm just doing this to help a friend."
Boss Chen continued slowly, "Ah Jie, market costs are very transparent now. Our factory is a legitimate manufacturer that takes export orders; you can't compare us to small workshops. This price of 310 is really not inflated."
"I know. But the market is very competitive now. As long as the factory has work, the equipment and workers won't be idle. I reckon Brother Lin will have more orders in the future, and the volume won't be small. It's a long-term solution, and keeping this big client is definitely worthwhile."
Boss Chen lit a cigarette and handed one to Wu Wenjie as well.
After thinking for a full two minutes, Boss Chen finally gave in.
"Minimum price is 295. Bare machine is 285, silkscreen printing is 8 yuan, and packaging is 2 yuan. This is my bottom line; I really can't accept any lower."
The price of 295 was 5 yuan higher than Fidelity's, but 15 yuan lower than the original 310. Wu Wenjie thought Lin Feng might be able to accept it.
"Okay, I'll call them now. If they agree, we'll sign the contract as soon as possible."
"it is good."
Wu Wenjie walked outside the office, took out his phone, and dialed Lin Feng's number.
The phone rang four or five times before it was answered.
"Brother Jie."
"Brother Lin, we've negotiated a deal with Xinfa. It's 295 yuan per unit, with 285 yuan for the bare machine, 8 yuan for silkscreen printing, and 2 yuan for packaging. Boss Chen said this is the bottom line."
There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.
"Thanks, Brother Jie. I can accept this price." Lin Feng no longer worried about it being 5 yuan more expensive than Fuda.
"Okay, then come over tomorrow with the deposit and sign the contract. Is that alright?"
"Okay, tomorrow then."
After hanging up the phone, Wu Wenjie returned to his office and nodded to Boss Chen: "Brother Lin has agreed. Come over tomorrow to sign the contract."
Mr. Chen breathed a sigh of relief; no matter what, the order was saved.
"Ah Jie, thank you so much this time. Don't leave tonight, I'll treat you to dinner."
"Don't rush to eat. Let's make this order look good first. Brother Lin is a meticulous person; if the food is done well, there will be plenty of orders in the future."
"Don't worry, I guarantee the quality."
The next morning, Lin Feng and Lin Xiaowen went to Xinfeng Electronics together in Lin Xiaoqiang's van.
Since he needed a car, Lin Feng decided to patronize Lin Xiaoqiang's business.
Boss Chen was already waiting in his office. When Lin Feng entered, Boss Chen stood up to shake hands, his attitude much warmer than last time.
"Boss Lin, welcome, welcome. Ah Jie told me that young people have ideas and courage, I admire him."
"Mr. Chen, you're too kind." Lin Feng sat down opposite him.
Lin Xiaowen sat quietly next to him, took out her notebook and pen from her bag, and prepared to take notes.
The contract was a pre-prepared standard contract, and Mr. Chen filled in the unit price, quantity, delivery date, and payment method.
Lin Feng took it and examined it carefully.
Three hundred customized MP3 players, each priced at 295 yuan (including the bare unit, silkscreen printing, and packaging), for a total price of 88500 yuan.
Regarding payment terms, a 30% deposit is required upon signing the contract, and the remaining balance is due upon delivery 20 days later.
The quality clause states "as per sealed sample standard".
"Boss Lin, is there anything else you'd like to add?" Boss Chen asked.
Lin Feng came prepared: "Price is no problem. But I'd like to add a clause regarding after-sales service."
"After-sales service?"
Lin Feng nodded: "I know that generic molded products usually don't have a warranty and are not accepted after purchase. But my products are souvenirs for students, so I can't accept them today and have them break down and become scrap metal next month. I require an after-sales warranty period."
Mr. Chen looked embarrassed and demurred, saying, "Mr. Lin, we, the manufacturer of these generic mold machines, are not responsible for the brand. After-sales service is the responsibility of the brand owner!"
Lin Feng said calmly, "We at Fengchi Digital can't be considered a brand manufacturer yet; we're making generic models. But I believe that day will come soon."
"This time it's really different. This batch of machines, from the inside out, including the main controller, flash memory, battery, casing, silkscreen logo, and packaging, are all customized to my specifications."
Essentially, it's already my product, and you're my contract manufacturer. We're no longer in a simple buyer-seller relationship, but rather a collaborative production partnership.
Since it's a collaborative production, the final quality and reliability of the product are related to the interests of both of us.
If quality issues lead to a large number of returns or repair requests, it will damage my reputation, and also yours. At that point, I can't simply dismiss it with a "we're not responsible for after-sales service" statement; we'll have to sit down and resolve the issue.
These words surprised Boss Chen; the young man in front of him had a long-term vision.