At 7:30 p.m., Chen Jin, Lu Jia, the business development manager, and I met at a Hunan restaurant near Jiulongju. The reason we chose Hunan cuisine was because we learned from Lu Jia that the business development manager was from Hunan, so this was a way of catering to his preferences and making the matter go more smoothly.

After we were seated, Lu Jia introduced Chen Jin and me to the business development manager. Chen Jin was extremely enthusiastic, serving tea and praising her for her good looks, her elegant demeanor, and her successful career.

I was feeling quite down, so I didn't say much. Anyway, Chen Jin and Lu Jia are both the kind of people who are really good at chatting, so they'll take good care of me.

After symbolically drinking a few glasses of wine, Lu Jia finally spoke to me, saying, "Michael, could you tell our Manager Wu about the progress of things? She's the only person besides the general manager who has the authority to make decisions on this project."

Manager Wu smiled at me very politely.

I smiled back and said, “Manager Wu, before we talk about cooperation, I need to tell you the real situation of Jiulongju… Although this commercial street has been built for several years, the foot traffic is extremely poor. Apart from the occasional tour guide bringing in tourists who have booked tours, tourists almost never come in… I can’t give you a specific figure for the foot traffic, but just think of it in the worst possible way.”

Manager Wu looked at me with some surprise, probably not expecting me to be so frank. He then said to me, "At noon today, Designer Lu and I strolled around Jiulongju, so we have a general understanding of the situation on this commercial street. But I'm very curious, this commercial street is located in the ancient city, and its location can be said to be very good. Why is it so deserted?"

"There are two explanations. The first is rather mystical. People who believe in feng shui say that Jiulongju has feng shui problems because 'long' is a homonym for 'dragon,' and most people can't control its powerful aura. The other is more scientific. This street is located in the ancient city, in a very good location. Before it was even fully built, it was almost sold out, so the developers didn't put much effort into promoting the commercial street. In addition, the exit closest to Renmin Road was blocked by buildings, making it very small and inconspicuous. Normal tourists could easily miss it when passing by... At first, some shops were willing to move in, but because the owners paid a lot of money when they bought the shops, the rent was high. If they couldn't make money, they wouldn't stay because of the high rent costs. Over time, it entered a particularly troublesome vicious cycle, and in the end, the street became a waste!"

Manager Wu nodded, then fell into a brief silence, seemingly weighing her options. Chen Jin, however, looked at me nervously, probably worried that my frank honesty would ruin the deal. But I didn't have that worry. I didn't want to lure customers in through deception, because if they didn't do well, disputes would inevitably arise, which would be detrimental to overall stability. So, explaining everything clearly and letting them weigh the options themselves was the best course of action. I hoped that these customers, once they joined, would at least have the psychological resilience to withstand risks. Without this resilience, they would be very vulnerable, leading to another wave of store closures and a vicious cycle. In that case, "Jiulongju" would never become a popular business.

Finally, Manager Wu spoke up again, saying to me, "Do you think our company's experience store can be opened in this location?"

"You'll have to judge for yourself. What I can do is tell you the most accurate picture of this street... Besides, besides being deserted, this place isn't without its advantages... At least the rent is cheap. If you want to get a 300-square-meter shop in a more bustling area of ​​the old city, you can't negotiate a rent of less than 2 million yuan a year. Even in Yangren Street, which is a bit further from Renmin Road, the rent won't be less than 1 million yuan a year. But in Jiulongju, you only need 200,000 yuan a year to start your business... Most importantly, my studio and I are confident that we can develop this street, and your company, as one of the first merchants to move in, will definitely benefit the most..."

After pausing for a moment, I smiled again and said, "This is the most important point, but also the most uncertain... It all depends on whether you, Manager Wu, are willing to trust me as a person and my team... I hope you can trust us, because we really need this opportunity."

Manager Wu smiled at me, then whispered something to Lu Jia.

Two minutes later, she nodded and said to me, "Designer Lu should have also communicated with you. The target customer group for our experience store is not actually in traditional channels. We just need to let the public know that we have such an experience store in tourist cities with strong ethnic characteristics like Dali and Lijiang, which can really reflect our corporate culture. Our ultimate sales channel is still online... If opening in Jiulongju can save us so much rent, then it is quite in line with my expectations. We can use the money saved on store design and decoration... In addition, I personally admire your honesty and courage. No wonder Designer Lu praised you so highly. I also think you have outstanding qualities. I believe you can make this commercial street a success!"

"So, what you mean is...?"

Manager Wu smiled and said to me, "We are willing to be among the first businesses to move into this commercial street. When can you arrange shops for us?"

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