Chapter 686 Hooking up
The reason why Zhang Bin was able to make a name for himself in Hong Kong was not only because of his courage, but also because of his meticulousness.
Although the previous meeting was just a contact, he was able to understand Zhao Minglei and Wang Juan's background through some tests and details.
Just as he had initially guessed, these two people were from well-connected families, and they seemed to be from powerful families. But this was normal, because this kind of business was not just a small business of transporting clothing and household appliances by water, but a genuine "big business", and it was impossible to do this without a strong background and connections.
If his judgment is correct, the possibility of this business cooperation is very high. As for the deposit and risk issues he raised, it is not intentional to deceive Zhao Minglei and others. There are indeed such rules in the underworld.
Once the cooperation is successful, Zhang Bin's "business empire" will be able to go further. It's not the same as before. The business they are talking about is extremely profitable. Even though Zhang Bin has added a lot of profit to the original cost, there is still a lot of room for development in the mainland.
As for the source of goods, Zhang Bin had already arranged it. Part of the goods were imported from abroad and could be resold when the time came.
Another part is the relationship in the underworld. Zhang Bin still has some status in the underworld. There are many car dealerships and repair shops in the underworld. There are many inside stories that outsiders don't know. For example, some cars collected from special channels are refurbished in the repair shop, and then sold through other channels. Such situations are everywhere.
Zhang Bin had already asked someone before coming. This method can even allow you to pre-order styles. When the time comes, the other party can get the style you want. The price is much , so the profit will be higher.
In fact, if you really trace it back, some of the sources from foreign channels are similar to those in Hong Kong. This is a common practice in this industry. Of course, there is no need to really trace it back, because the goods have been processed when they reach the customers, and non-professionals cannot see the difference at all.
Zhang Bin was an educated youth and had read related books countless times back then. He also knew the contents by heart.
The book says that when the profit reaches 10%, some people begin to get ready; when the profit reaches 50%, some people dare to take risks; when the profit reaches 100%, they dare to trample on all human laws; and when the profit reaches 300%, they are not even afraid of going to the gallows.
Zhang Bin used to disagree with this statement. When he returned to Shanghai and did the clothes hanger business with Song Yuanchao, they eventually parted ways for the sake of profit. Then he ran to Guangzhou because of an incident. After that, he did such a big thing in Pengcheng that he took a boat to escape to Hong Kong, and gradually made a name for himself in Hong Kong.
His experience fully confirms what the book says: as long as there is benefit, anything can be done. If it fails, it is because the benefit is not in place. This has become Zhang Bin's motto.
Precisely because of this, Zhang Bin did not show an eagerness to make the deal at the dinner table. Instead, he looked nonchalant. He made such an attitude to give the other party an illusion, even though he was very eager deep down in his heart.
After the meeting, Zhang Bin stayed in Guangzhou temporarily. Every day he either slept in the hotel or went out for a stroll with his younger brothers, just like a Hong Kong businessman traveling to the mainland.
After waiting for a few days, I felt a little anxious and even thought about whether I should take the initiative to find Boss Gao to inquire about the situation, so as to avoid losing the deal.
But Zhang Bin still held back. He knew that a business that is pursued is not a business. Once he took the initiative first, the initiative of both parties would be in the hands of the other party, which would be very unfavorable for the subsequent cooperation.
In this way, Zhang Bin endured and continued to wait patiently. Fortunately, he didn't wait long. After just one day, Boss Gao came to him and said that he wanted to meet with Zhang Bin again to continue discussing the details.
The second meeting was not held at a dinner table like the first one, but in a more formal place.
They arrived on time. Wang Juan and Zhao Minglei had already arrived. They shook hands warmly. The middleman, Boss Gao, made tea for them. After the tea was ready, he found an excuse and left, leaving the three of them to talk on their own.
Zhao Minglei said straight away that they could accept the price, but they still needed to discuss the deposit. It wasn't that they didn't want to pay the deposit, but once the deposit was paid directly to Zhang Bin, the huge risk would be transferred to them. In order to guarantee their interests, they had to make sure that there would be no problems on Zhang Bin's side. After all, this was their first cooperation, so some things had to be made clear in advance.
Wang Juan called Zhang Liming the day after they met and talked about this matter on the phone. This was also what Zhang Liming meant.
Zhang Liming reminded Wang Juan on the phone not to forget what happened in Dashilan. It is better to do business by exchanging money for goods. At least there should be a reliable middleman to guarantee. This business is not like the clothing business. When Zhao Minglei was doing clothing business, he was fooled by a Hong Kong swindler and almost lost all his money. Such a thing must never happen again.
Wang Juan also agreed with this. Wouldn't it be stupid to fall into the same pit twice? Therefore, how to operate and ensure that the interests of both parties are not damaged is the top priority. In the past few days, Wang Juan and Zhao Minglei have also thought of several ways, and then they made an appointment with Zhang Bin.
Zhang Bin naturally reiterated his previous statement, insisting on ensuring that the deposit was in place before shipping the goods, otherwise he would rather not do the deal.
Seeing that both parties were deadlocked on this issue at the beginning of the negotiation, Wang Juan quickly came out to smooth things over, said a few nice words, and then asked whether the middleman, Boss Gao, could be the guarantor, so that everyone would feel more at ease.
However, Zhang Bin knew that although Boss Gao's business was good, he was only so-so in clothing and household appliances, and Boss Gao did not have the strength to do such a big business. Of course, if Zhao Minglei and others could support Boss Gao in this regard, as long as his interests and procedures were not a problem, Zhang Bin would not care so much.
Seeing Zhang Bin say this, Zhao Minglei and Wang Juan laughed immediately. It seemed that the situation was no different from what they had imagined. As expected, Zhang Bin was just a person who cared about interests. The process was not important, what was important was the result. As long as his conditions were met, everything else could be discussed.
In this way, the two sides discussed the details and bargained over the amount of the deposit. After a long discussion, Zhang Bin reluctantly reduced the deposit from 40% to 35%. At this amount, they refused to reduce it no matter what.
Zhao Minglei and Wang Juan looked at each other and felt that this ratio should be the lowest amount Zhang Bin could accept, so they agreed immediately.
In this way, the two sides reached an agreement, and Zhao Minglei went out to call Boss Gao over. Wang Juan and Zhang Bin were left in the room.
"Boss Han, are you used to living in Yangcheng these days?"
"It's very boring. There's nothing to do here. We can only eat and drink in the hotel." Zhang Bin shrugged and spread his hands. This look made Wang Juan smile.
"Thank you for your hard work, Boss Han. The mainland is indeed not as prosperous as Hong Kong, and there is not much entertainment. I heard that Hong Kong is very lively at night. Is that true?"
"Of course." Zhang Bin said with great joy, "Hong Kong's nightlife is incomparable to that in the mainland. There are many places to have fun. I told you last time that if Miss Wang has the opportunity to come to Hong Kong, I can take you around and I will cover all the expenses."
Wang Juan was originally a playful person. She used to go to Hu Yaoqing's place to dance every few days. But last year, there was a typhoon and many people were caught in it. Even Wang Juan was almost caught in it.
Now, more than a year has passed, and things have gradually calmed down, but everyone is still very careful because of the lessons learned from the past. Wang Juan hasn't gone dancing for a long time, let alone other fun activities.
When Zhang Bin described to her the entertainment activities in Hong Kong and various bars, nightclubs and other places, Wang Juan couldn't help but reveal a longing expression in her eyes.
"Boss Han, I will definitely go to Hong Kong if I have the chance. But since Boss Han likes to play so much, why don't you open a few places like this in the mainland? Our business will be a long-term cooperation in the future. Boss Han will have many opportunities to come to the mainland. With his own place, he will have a place to have fun."
Zhang Bin was stunned, thought for a moment and said, "Miss Wang, I remember that you don't seem to do this in the mainland, right? Don't lie to me, I asked Boss Gao about it a few days ago."
"Hehe, that depends on the situation." Wang Juan said with a smile: "Yangcheng is definitely strict, but don't forget there is also Pengcheng over there. Pengcheng is a special zone, and there are many bosses from Hong Kong in Pengcheng, and the atmosphere is more open."
"If it were someone else, it would definitely be difficult to do this, but you, Boss Han, are different. Plus, I have some connections here and can help smooth things over. What do you think, Boss Han? Are you interested?"
Zhang Bin laughed: "Of course I'm interested, but what Miss Wang said wouldn't just be a waste of help, right?"
Wang Juan was very satisfied with Zhang Bin's understanding, and smiled and said, "Of course. If Boss Han thinks this can be done, we can cooperate. There is no rush to discuss the details now. How about we wait until our business is established and we have a foundation of trust before discussing the details?"
"Women are as good as men!" Zhang Bin praised and gave Wang Juan a thumbs up. "Miss Wang, if that's the case, then it's settled. I'm also planning to invest in a factory in Pengcheng, so it wouldn't be bad to invest in the entertainment industry. How about working together? We can make money together."
"Boss Han is right. Let's make money together. Come on! Let's have a drink?"
"cheers!"
The two raised the teacups in their hands and clinked them together. When the teacups touched, Zhang Bin's little finger rubbed against the back of Wang Juan's hand intentionally or unintentionally. Wang Juan had a smile in her eyes. Instead of being annoyed, she looked at Zhang Bin meaningfully and drank the cup of tea with a smile.
