Chapter 1137 — I Won't Let You Come Out on the Losing End
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
"Then what should we do?" Wei Zhao asked. He did not understand much about business. Sending him off to run a competitor into the ground was all well and good, but sales was far beyond him.
"First, expand production capacity as fast as possible and find a way to get a loan to build new factory buildings," Fatty Lai said. "Second, expand the sales channels by setting up branch offices in the major cities of each province. But that will require not only a great deal of capital, management will also become a problem! Setting up several branch offices all at once, with the management system unable to keep pace, will lead to chaos - each office going its own way, with the head office too far away to exercise any control!"
"Oh? Can't we just ship directly from the head office without setting up branch offices?" Wei Zhao asked.
"We could, but the consequences might be even worse. Without a local branch office to coordinate, control, and supervise, vicious market behavior could emerge - arbitrary price hikes, frantic price cuts, hoarding, speculation, cross-territory dumping, and the like. That would do great damage to our company's reputation!" Fatty Lai understood these consequences all too well, and so he was deeply worried.
"I say, Fatty Lai, you know perfectly well I'm no good at business, and yet you come asking me? If you've got a good suggestion, just say it!" Wei Zhao was caught between laughter and tears. Aren't you just trying to scare me?
"My suggestion is to find a company with a well-established sales network to work with. But that company has to be reliable, with a solid reputation. Otherwise, if the lifeline of our channels ends up in their hands, we could find the guest turning into the host - and that is not what we want to see," Fatty Lai said.
"All right, do as you say," Wei Zhao said with a nod.
"But... Boss, I still haven't figured out the question of which company to work with. The marketplace is a battlefield - where are there friends forever?" Fatty Lai said with a bitter smile. "Offhand, I can't think of anyone suitable, which is why I called to talk it over with you..."
"Mm, let me have a look and see," Wei Zhao said with a bitter smile. The entrepreneurs Wei Zhao knew were limited too. Apart from Gu Pengzhan, there was no particularly friendly company in Songshan City either.
"That works. I'll start looking into the loan and financing question on my end..." Fatty Lai had only been asking, really. If Wei Zhao truly had no solution, then the only option was to control the sales company through contracts! But that sort of cooperation, built on mutual suspicion, was no long-term plan, and could never achieve the greatest possible win-win.
Not long after Wei Zhao hung up, the phone rang again.
Wei Zhao assumed it was Fatty Lai calling back, or perhaps Kang Xiaofeng, so he picked up without a second thought: "Hello?"
"Is this Divine Doctor Lin? This is Liu Tianyi!" On the other end came Liu Tianyi's deep, resonant voice.
"Oh? Mr. Liu? Hello..." Wei Zhao found it a little odd that Liu Tianyi would call him at this hour. His impression of Liu Tianyi was fairly good - especially since the man had lent him money without the slightest hesitation, which had made Wei Zhao think all the better of him, and so he had come to accept him as a friend.
"Divine Doctor Lin, I heard your company officially released a new product today. Congratulations, congratulations!" Liu Tianyi said with a laugh. "I've already sent over a small token of my regards - I couriered a red envelope with a check to your company!"
"Oh? That's very kind of you!" Wei Zhao had not expected Liu Tianyi to send a congratulatory gift, and was rather surprised! But since Liu Tianyi was extending an olive branch, there was no need for Wei Zhao to slap a smiling face, so he accepted it with good grace: "You're too thoughtful!"