The styles have been improved, and production has stabilized, but sales are still not as good as expected. Although the shops on the fashion street have a decent amount of foot traffic, it's still far behind that of large department stores.
Qin Xiaoyu and A Lei had investigated and found that they couldn't get into any of the major shopping malls; they were dominated by foreign brands, which was impossible to challenge.
"What should we do? Should we build one ourselves?" A Lei asked Qin Xiaoyu, feeling frustrated.
"No, no, it's not the right time yet. Let me try another approach." Qin Xiaoyu didn't want A Lei to invest; she always felt that it would be illegitimate.
She thought of starting a franchise chain.
Agency and wholesale are two different concepts. Wholesale is unrestricted and follows sales patterns. Agency is more focused, making it easier to control styles and quantities, which is more suitable for her original fashion designs.
When it came to actually running the business, she realized she lacked a capable assistant. Factory Director Fei couldn't speak the language, Sister Su lacked experience, and Cheng Fuyue was even less capable.
She couldn't bear to let A Lei keep following her.
It was as if fate had known she needed help; everything was arranged by heaven.
She had been out running around all morning without closing a single deal. Dejected, she drove back to the shop and saw Zhu Xu and Man Aihong chatting with Factory Manager Fei.
"How did you get here?" Qin Xiaoyu asked in surprise.
“I came for a follow-up appointment, and he insisted on coming along. Now that the delivery is stable, it's all thanks to Director Bao. He's practically my right-hand man…”
Qin Xiaoyu chuckled to herself upon hearing this, realizing that what he had said back then was absolutely right.
After lunch, Qin Xiaoyu drove Man Aihong to the hospital, and Zhu Xu, unusually, did not go with her.
"Sister Hong, just say what you want to say." Qin Xiaoyu guessed that their visit for the follow-up check was a pretense; they really had something to say.
"Zhu Xu has been pestering me for days, wanting to work as a designer for you, but no matter how I try to persuade him, he won't listen..."
"Sister Hong, please don't be angry if I tell you the truth, he's really no good."
"I know, but this is his dream!"
Qin Xiaoyu glanced at Man Aihong. This woman, sigh! Living in a dream world, married for love, helping an incapable person achieve their dreams—everything she does only leads to setbacks.
"Let me ask you, do you need any salespeople right now?" Man Aihong realized that Qin Xiaoyu was unmoved, so she had to resort to her trump card.
"lack."
"Alright, I'll be your salesperson, the kind that will definitely satisfy you. You can transfer Zhu Xu to the design studio."
“Sister Hong, we’re talking business here, not playing games.”
“I’m not joking. It’s true that Zhu Xu and I are classmates, but I’m not a design major. I studied marketing. You can take a look at my level. If you’re willing, then do as I say, buy one get one free.” Man Aihong’s sales skills were indeed very strong. With just one buy one get one free offer, Qin Xiaoyu couldn’t even refuse.
"Okay, I'm looking for someone to represent my brand now. Do you have any ideas?"
"What could I do? Just tough it out. I still have some connections in Guangzhou. Zhu Xu insisted on creating original works, so I had to bite the bullet and run around for him back then. Sigh."
"But it still couldn't be pushed up."
"That's because his product is really bad. And you don't even have confidence in your own product?" Man Aihong's sharp edge was revealed. Qin Xiaoyu became even more interested in her.
"You know he's no good, yet you still force him on me. That's not fair."
"Don't worry, two of them are not as good as one, but I am as good as three. You'll still make a profit." Man Aihong was full of confidence.
Why do you live such a tiring life?
"Why?" Man Aihong was taken aback by the question, slowly turned her head to look out of the car, and after a long while said, "I don't know. Because, because he loves me."
Qin Xiaoyu also fell silent. This simple answer moved her and saddened her at the same time.
It's such a waste that a woman like Man Aihong is tied to Zhu Xu.
The following afternoon, Man Aihong convinced Qin Xiaoyu even more that she was a rare sales prodigy.
Although they didn't close a single deal, it's definitely not Man Aihong's fault. Her performance was commendable, something Qin Xiaoyu herself couldn't do.
"I'm just wondering, you're so capable, why does he keep you locked up in the countryside?"
“He gets jealous,” Man Aihong said with a wry smile.
Well, he certainly has a lot of flaws. Qin Xiaoyu's resentment towards Zhu Xu grew even stronger.
They have already visited five stores across two districts, but none of them showed any interest in becoming agents for Riyue Apparel.
The owner of the sixth store is a fashionable and elegant woman. Man Aihong had already introduced her to Qin Xiaoyu. Her surname is Lu, she is single, and she owns six clothing stores. If they could win her over, it would be a huge piece of the pie.
"Xiaoman, I was wondering why you hadn't shown up for so long, and you've finally come today." Sister Lu's Mandarin was excellent.
"I went back to my hometown and only just came out," Man Aihong said, omitting her illness. She took out Qin Xiaoyu's sample and handed it to her.
This is a floral print dress, simple and elegant, a bit different from what's popular on the street. It doesn't have many decorations, but it's exceptionally fresh.
"Wow? Your old Zhu has finally figured it out? That's great! Give me a few sets of these." Sister Lu was indeed very generous.
“This wasn’t made by our Zhu Xu. Let me introduce you to a friend, Director Qin of Riyue Garments.”
Qin Xiaoyu followed behind her the whole time. As she listened to her introduction, she quickly took out her business card and presented it to her with both hands.
Sister Lu had been stealing glances at Qin Xiaoyu ever since she entered the room, and when she saw that the business card was printed beautifully, she took a few more looks.
"Did your factory design this yourself? It's really beautiful. What other styles do you have?"
Qin Xiaoyu quickly took out the photo album and handed it to her to look at it carefully.
"That's great. Is the factory in Shanghai or Guangzhou?"
"Mainly in the north," Qin Xiaoyu answered honestly, and Sister Lu looked up at her a few more times.
"I'd like to order several sets of each. Will you deliver them?" Sister Lu had just noticed the car Qin Xiaoyu was driving.
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