Zhou Jian'an frowned. He had come to South America, but was advised to go to Europe. If sales were not good in Europe, where else could he go?
Besides, he spent a lot of money buying plane tickets from Hong Kong, which, when converted to Chinese currency, would be a considerable expense.
He's used to being frugal and really doesn't want to move again.
"Mr. Villefort, please let me give it a try!"
Wilford waved his hand, too lazy to waste words with him, and very rudely kicked him out of the electric fan factory.
With his suit jacket draped over his arm, Zhou Jian'an, whose throat was parched from the heat, squatted by the roadside, staring blankly at the passing residents. The local temperature was 25 degrees Celsius.
Suddenly, a voice caught his attention.
"Mr. Zhou?" The other person was a young man with black hair. He was an employee of the Wilford factory, and it was currently his off-duty time.
Zhou Jian'an was stunned. This person's pronunciation was much better than Wilford's. He could even pronounce "Zhou" correctly and communicate with him normally.
Are you Chinese?
He smiled, blinked his big eyes, and shook his head cheerfully, "No, I learned some Chinese from a Chinese person. Wilford lost a lot of money in the stock market, and he doesn't have the money to buy your electric fans. Why don't you try other factories?"
Zhou Jian'an also wanted to go to other places, but the only customer for electric fans in South America was Wilford.
He also called the local telephone exchange, but still couldn't get the phone number for the electric fan factory.
Starting anything is always the hardest part. Selling electric fans isn't difficult, but selling the first one is extremely difficult.
Zhou Jian'an was like a headless fly, completely at a loss as to how to proceed.
He lingered there, unwilling to leave, because he was lost. Back at the hotel, he had no idea what to do tomorrow. He had a lot of money, but it was all obtained through fraud. He was wanted in mainland China and probably wouldn't be able to return there in his lifetime.
If someone like him can't gain a foothold in Hong Kong, he really has no way out.
"I don't know which electric fan factories are in the area."
The young man scratched his curly hair. “I used to work in two electric fan factories. I can tell you that, but you have to give me $200.”
Zhou Jian'an's eyes lit up. What was $200? He had spent tens of thousands of yuan here, and if he couldn't find a partner, all that money would be wasted.
"Deal. Take me there now."
The young man thought for a moment, "Many people here don't speak English very well. Do you have any samples? That would make it easier to see."
Zhou Jian'an actually shipped samples over; how could he discuss business without samples? He spent money to ship several electric fans, mainly oscillating fans, as well as a ceiling fan he designed.
This ceiling fan is quite special. He saw it in a household in the port city. The ceiling fan has a very classic shape with a European and American style. There are several lights in the middle of the ceiling fan, and the lights have pull cords to control the switch.
This combination of ceiling fan and light is particularly novel.
However, this sample had never been sold in South America, so Zhou Jian'an didn't hold out much hope. He still hoped that the oscillating fan would sell well.
Zhou Jian'an, who couldn't speak the language, gave the young man two hundred yuan and asked him to act as a translator to help him communicate with his boss.
Although the young man liked money, he was quite reliable. He not only helped Zhou Jian'an move the electric fans, but also found the largest electric fan distributor for him.
"Instead of working with manufacturers, it's better to work with distributors. There's a saying among us locals: the fewer people who handle the profits, the more you earn. If you work with a factory, they take a cut, and by the time it reaches the consumer, the price is already very high. It's better to sell directly to wholesalers, who can then supply shop owners, allowing consumers to buy electric fans at a lower price."
The little boy seemed very shrewd, and Zhou Jian'an thought that made sense. Now that he was in South America, there was no need for him to cooperate with the manufacturer anymore. He should bypass the manufacturer and contact the distributors below.
This wholesale market is quite large, but the infrastructure inside is not very good. There are temporary shacks everywhere, making it look somewhat messy.
However, the flow of people here is very large, and several well-known home appliance brands have shipping points here, which shows that this wholesale market is legitimate.
After assessing the situation, Zhou Jian'an concluded that the little boy was probably not lying to him.
“Here, Cafu is a very large distributor for us. You’ll definitely make the right choice by partnering with him.”
Kafu greeted Zhou Jian'an very politely. There were very few Chinese people in the area, and he had never cooperated with any Chinese people before. However, he was a distributor, and doing business was all about making money through harmony. Therefore, he was very polite and courteous to Zhou Jian'an.
Zhou Jian'an nodded to him, greeted him, and then explained his purpose.
When Cafu heard that he was going to sell electric fans, he shook his head. “We have our own electric fan factory here, but frankly speaking, oscillating fans are outdated. Many families are unwilling to buy them. Besides, as you know, our local summers are not particularly hot. Rich families can afford the high cost of air conditioning and will use it 24 hours a day. Poor families, on the other hand, will save on electric fans and rely on the evening breeze to dispel the heat.”
The little boy told Zhou Jian'an what Cafu had said.
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