Chapter 178
After being asked for the price by the Soviet big brother at the opening reception, Ye Manzhi began to have doubts in his heart.
Many European countries can produce canned fruits and vegetables on their own, so they will increase import quotas on foreign goods and even raise import tariffs.
Even if they need to import, they will first consider importing from other European countries.
Ivanov suddenly paid attention to the price of canned fruit at the Canton Fair, which made Ye Manzhi wonder if there was insufficient production capacity in Europe?
She was originally only 50% sure.
After signing the contract with Smith yesterday, it became 70%.
Looking at Ivanov's reaction, she was almost certain that the canned fruit production capacity in Europe was indeed insufficient this year.
Ivanov was still thinking of buying at a low price, so he naturally wouldn't easily believe her lies.
"Ye, I'm an old friend of the Canton Fair. Chinese people value their reputation, and once a product's price is set, it won't change easily."
"We do value our reputation, but adjusting prices based on market conditions is a normal economic practice," Ye Manzhi sighed. "Mr. Ivanov, you're already my friend, so I'm urging you to place your order as soon as possible. Don't wait any longer!"
Ivanov was still skeptical. He had been to the Canton Fair several times and had heard a lot about price cuts.
But I have never heard of any rumors of price increases.
"I'll think about it."
Ye Manzhi didn't force him and let him think about it.
After seeing the guests off, she quickly walked into the food reception team's office and told the team leader Gu Songqiu the information she had just obtained.
"Is the information accurate?"
"That's pretty close," Ye Manzhi recounted her speculations of the past few days. "Ivanov simply believes we won't raise prices, but he hasn't denied the shortage of canned fruit production in Europe. He's even thinking about buying at the bottom during the final days of the conference."
Gu Songqiu has participated in every Canton Fair since the first one, and is quite familiar with Ivanov.
"That's his habit. He won't make a move until the very last minute. He's also very good at bargaining. He's the type who haggles over every penny."
"Team Leader, can we discuss the price of canned fruit?"
"I need to find a few more merchants to inquire about the situation in Europe."
Gu Songqiu is the director of the Food Import and Export Corporation. As early as two months ago, he was involved in the pricing of most of the food group's products.
However, it is quite difficult to collect overseas market information nowadays. They can only use the quotations from the previous Canton Fair and make corresponding adjustments based on the responses of customers after the opening of the conference.
The local products team just learned the day before yesterday that the export price of cassia bark is 50% higher than that of Indonesia. They are considering lowering the price these days!
If the price of canned fruit can be appropriately increased, it will definitely be good news for us!
She reported the situation to the director. After making inquiries from many sources, she was finally able to confirm that canned fruits in Europe had increased in price at the beginning of this year due to insufficient production.
After getting the confirmed information, she gathered the traders in the food group for a meeting.
"We're raising prices on several popular canned fruits in the European market, such as pineapples, oranges, peaches, and strawberries, by about 10%. When marketing to European customers, we should try to make them feel that canned fruit prices are continuing to rise, encouraging them to place orders as quickly as possible."
Someone asked: "Team Leader, will the price increase after that?"
Gu Songqiu looked inscrutable, "That depends on the situation."
If traders are effective and facilitate several large orders in the early stages, making the market appear active, it is not impossible for prices to continue to rise in the middle and later stages of the conference.
Ye Manzhi and Yu Youfang were holding the latest price list, and they were both eager to try it out.
"It's been almost a week since the convention opened, and we haven't signed any canned goods orders yet."
"It doesn't matter," Yu Youfang said calmly, "Although we didn't sign, others have. When the time comes to allocate production tasks, our factory will also have a share."
Ye Manzhi: “…”
The whole country playing chess is actually quite good.
In the next two days, they still didn't get any canned food orders, but orders for vermicelli and noodles really came to them like snowflakes.
In two days, nearly 3,000 fans and 430 fans were signed.
Ye Manzhi estimated the factory's inventory of raw materials and finished products and felt that it could not handle so many orders.
She made a long-distance call to Niu Enjiu, asking him to stock up on mung bean flour and sweet potato flour as soon as possible, and that the grain replica workshop also work overtime to prepare for a large wave of upcoming export orders.
When Niu Enjiu received the call, he almost knocked over his teacup. "Director Ye, we've never exported vermicelli before. Are you talking about the vermicelli from our food factory?"
"Yes, yes, it's from our factory!"
Amidst the clamor, Ye Manzhi held the microphone in one hand and covered her other ear with her other hand, raising her voice. "A customer in Singapore wants to add a seasoning packet to our vermicelli noodles and modify the serving method. They'd like to increase the price by £0.50 per box, and I've already agreed. Factory Director, please find a technician to come up with a delicious seasoning packet for the vermicelli noodles!"
Niu Enjiu: "..."
Fans were sold out by them.
Ye Manzhi felt that his tastes were more in line with the average consumer, so he added, "Director, have the technicians try a few more flavors. When Engineer Yu and I return, we'll hold a tasting and select the best seasoning packet. Southeast Asian customers have similar cuisines to ours, so perhaps we can cultivate repeat customers!"
“…”
“…”
After hanging up the phone, Niu Enjiu said "Hey".
He thought the call was about urging the factory to stock up on canned food, but unexpectedly, vermicelli and rice noodles became popular first.
Although the prices of grain replicas are not as high as those of canned food, they are sold in large quantities.
The total value of the orders they have signed now is as high as RMB 60,000 to 70,000.
We couldn’t sell so many fans in a year before…
Niu Enjiu quickly called the Supply and Marketing Department and asked them to organize people to purchase mung bean flour and sweet potato flour.
Back in Guangzhou, Ye Manzhi put down the receiver and returned to the exhibition hall, where she saw her old friend Ivanov again.
"Mr. Ivanov, we meet again!"
Ivanov had just asked other people for the price, but he didn't expect that the price of canned fruit would actually go up.
"When did you raise the price?"
"Just after you left last time," Ye Manzhi said, spreading his hands. "I told you a long time ago that you are my friend, so I advised you to place your order as soon as possible. Look, the price has really increased now!"
Ivanov stared at the cans on the display shelf for a while, his expression not looking good.
There were two rows of small round tables in the center of the exhibition hall, and Ye Manzhi asked him to sit behind one of the small tables.
He also opened cans of yellow peaches and luncheon meat produced by the food factory for him to taste, and even took out a bottle of hospitality wine from the office and poured a glass of red wine for each of them.
"Mr. Ivanov, eat something first. Sweets can make you feel better."
Ivanov is a very penny-pinching customer. This time, not only did he fail to buy at a low price, he even encountered a price increase.
It's strange that he can feel at ease.
Ivanov took a sip of red wine and asked her, "My friend, the price of peaches and strawberries should be negotiable, right?"
Ye Manzhi shook her head repeatedly. "Prices are only going to keep going up. Just ask around and you'll know. We've had clients from France and West Germany sign several canned fruit orders with us these past two days. Several businesses in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia have also signed orders in the past two days. Just like you, they like to make deals in the final days of the conference. With this kind of market activity, prices are only going to keep going up. How much import quota did you get this time?"
"Eighteen thousand pounds..."
The price quoted at the Canton Fair was £3.5 per box, but Ivanov wanted to buy 4,700 boxes at the final price of £3.2, saving £1,400.
However, after the price of yellow peaches and strawberries increased, he not only failed to save money, but had to spend more than 1,600 pounds.
Ye Manzhi said with empathy, "That's indeed a big difference. I'd be upset too if I were in their shoes. However, I still urge you to place your order as soon as possible. In three days at most, the price of canned fruit will increase again. The price of canned fruit in other European countries is twice as much as ours. Even if we adjust the price, it will still be a good deal for you. Don't miss out."
Ivanov drank the red wine in the glass, still looking unwilling.
Ye Manzhi poured him some more red wine and asked, "Mr. Ivanov, besides canned fruit, do you have any other purchasing plans this time? For example, canned meat or canned seafood?"
"I'll also be buying some luncheon meat."
This is what he purchases every year, but he has to wait until the last few days of the conference.
Ye Manzhi stood up and fetched two empty square luncheon meat cans, placed them in front of him, and asked, "What do you think of this luncheon meat? Is it similar to the packaging in Europe?"
Ivanov took a closer look and nodded. "Pretty much. Europeans like to eat luncheon meat in square cans, but you almost always produce it in round cans here."
"In order to cater to the usage habits of European customers, my factory purchased this square can production line and has started producing square can luncheon meat."
"How much is it?"
"A 340g box costs £7.60."
Ivanov thought that each box would cost 30 pence more than the round cans.
Ye Manzhi smiled and said, "Mr. Ivanov, I heard that your business is quite large, and some of your products are exported to Africa and Oceania. If you can also purchase a batch of square canned luncheon meat at the same time as the canned fruit, I can try to negotiate with my superiors and give you a 2.5% commission on the canned fruit order."
Fifteen thousand pounds of canned fruit is a big order.
The previous Smith was a big client in the UK and also received a 2.5% commission.
Ye Manzhi then picked up two square cans of different sizes and said, "Some products are discounted before the conference closes to clear out inventory. But as you can see, I can only show you two packages of this square can. I don't even have the actual product, so how can I have it in stock? You might as well order the square cans and canned fruit as soon as possible. This will avoid future price increases and still earn you a commission."
Ivanov criticized, "You don't even have the finished product, how can I place an order?"
"Except for the packaging, the formula and weight of luncheon meat are exactly the same as in the round can. If there are any quality issues with the product, you can just refuse it. We have no problem selling this kind of luncheon meat."
Ye Manzhi chatted with him for two hours and drank a whole bottle of red wine with him.
Unfortunately, this Soviet big brother was eating and drinking here, but refused to sign the bill.
After Ye Manzhi sent the person away, he stood there in silence for a long time.
"Haven't you signed yet?" Liu Xun, a colleague from the same group, came over and asked.
"No, I guess it's because the price of canned fruit has gone up, and I'm feeling a bit upset."
"Haha, that's how Ivan is. He's one of the top three most difficult old customers. He only buys cheap things, not expensive ones," Liu Xun gloated. "Just wait and see. When the price goes up again in a few days, he'll definitely regret it."
Ye Manzhi had no idea what to do about this situation, so he went back to the office, got a few letters of intent to purchase, and went back to work.
Anyway, she spent two hours eating and drinking with Ivan without having to entertain other customers, which was actually quite comfortable.
*
"Comrade, how much is this sandwich?"
Ye Manzhi heard the voice and turned around, but didn't see anyone. She lowered her eyes and exclaimed "Ah" in surprise.
"Baby, why are you here?"
Wu Yuzhuo, wearing a small sun hat and an overalls skirt, smiled with her hands behind her back: "Let me check your work!"
Ye Manzhi squatted down and held her daughter in her arms: "Who did you come with? Dad? Where is he?"
"My dad didn't come because he was at work," Wu Yuzhuo said with a smug smile, "I came here on my own!"
Ye Manzhi patted her on the butt and said, "Tell the truth."
"Hey, I came here with my aunt."
While the two were talking, Wu Xiaogu had already come up the stairs, holding onto the handrail. She gasped and said, "This little girl ran too fast! I couldn't catch up with her!"
Ye Manzhi took the two of them to a small round table nearby to rest, and bought them soda and southern snacks out of her own pocket, and asked about the details.
"Auntie, when did you leave? Did you take her out by yourself?"
"No, there are her great-grandparents. They don't like the sun outside, so they're resting in the hotel. I took Yanyan out for a walk. We left the day after you left with the trading group."
Ye Manzhi: “…”
No wonder Youyan was particularly calm on the day she left.
She didn't cry or make a fuss, and even said goodbye to her mommy very obediently.
She thought her child had grown up and felt melancholy for several seconds.
As soon as she set off, these four people got in the car. It was most likely a premeditated plan.
I just don’t know if Wu Zhengrong is an accomplice.
She glared at her daughter and said, "Your grandparents are so old, why are you bothering them?"
The old couple are both over eighty years old.
"My great-grandfather said he missed his son and wanted to come see my grandfather."
Ye Manzhi: “…”
Wu Zhengrong and Dean Wu, the grandfather and grandson, have similar attitudes towards Commander Wu.
How could she, at her age, make a special trip to see her son?
It's probably because of Accountant Xiao Wu's harassment.
"Auntie, you left so early, how come you only just arrived in Guangzhou?"
Ten days later than her!
Wu Xiaogu said: "We stayed a few extra days in Beijing because we had to change trains."
In the four-person tour group, the old and the young are all slow in doing things.
In order to take care of the health of the old couple, they only visit one tourist attraction every day.
I spent more than a week in Beijing before setting off for Guangzhou.
Wu Yuzhuo drank lychee soda and said, "It was so nice to be with my great-grandparents. We visited the Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. My dad only took me on the train and took pictures of Beijing Railway Station!"
Ye Manzhi: “…”
Her little cub has an early memory and has always remembered the time when Dr. Wu tricked him into taking a train to find his mother.
The last time he went to Shanghai with her, Dr. Wu was complained by his daughter. This time when he went out with the old couple, Dr. Wu was disliked by his daughter again.
The arrival of the old couple from the Wu family in Guangzhou was a big deal, so she called her elder sister-in-law Wu Dailan and made an appointment for the family to have dinner in the evening.
I called my mother-in-law, Sun Ruzhen, and told Director Sun that the old couple were going to the base to see their son, and asked him to find a way to receive them as soon as possible.
As a result, that afternoon, her parents-in-law came to Guangzhou together by boat, and Commander Wu went to the hotel in person to take the old couple to the island.
Wu Yuzhuo had only seen his grandparents when he was still unable to speak, and he actually had no impression of them.
When the adults were greeting each other, she took Ye Manzhi's hand and asked, "Mom, can I stay with you?"
"Sure," Ye Manzhi nodded, "but you have to take a boat to get to the island. There's a beach on the island where you can swim and eat fish, shrimp, and crabs. I went there once a few years ago and I've never forgotten it."
Wu Yuzhuo had eaten fish and shrimp, but never crab. She asked curiously, "Is crab delicious?"
"It's delicious. You'll know once you try it."
Although he was still a little unfamiliar with his grandparents, Accountant Wu was still very much looking forward to the new food.
This time when she went out to visit relatives, she wrote many diaries under the guidance of her great-grandfather, recording the places she had visited.
She also used the notebook she won from participating in the cultural performance to write down the delicious food she had eaten.
If she could remember the crabs, she could go home and tell them to her grandparents, brother Cheche, brother Qiuqiu, and Yi Yi!
"Has my dad ever eaten crab?"
"Yes."
Wu Yuzhuo crossed out "Dad" and made up her mind to eat something her father had never eaten and show off to him when she got home.
*
The whole family, young and old, took a boat to the island the next morning. Ye Manzhi had work to do and did not go to the dock to see them off.
When the team leader learned that her family was coming to Guangzhou to visit relatives, he wanted to grant her two days of leave.
However, Director Xiao Ye, who is dedicated to serving the public, declined the team leader's kindness and remained committed to the front line of foreign trade.
Two days of round trip by boat was not enough for her.
And she has to stay here and wait!
After the price of canned strawberries and peaches increased from £3.5 to £3.85, it soon rose to £4.2.
In just ten days, the price has increased by 20%!
After the second price increase, Ivanov came to the food department again, even more excited than before: "Ye, why are the prices going up again?"
"Mr. Ivanov, this is the current market situation. Our canned food is already popular in Hong Kong and Southeast Asian countries. This year, orders from Europe have also surged. Our inventory has been cleared out, so we're definitely going to have to raise prices!"
"If I had known the price would increase so much, I should have placed the order on the first day!" Ivanov muttered to himself.
Ye Manzhi: “…”
I told you a long time ago that the price would be raised, but who can you blame if you didn’t listen?
However, for customers like Ivanov, the more the price of the goods increases, the less willing he is to sign the order.
Because he would constantly be calculating in his mind how many pounds he had lost.
This was far from what he expected!
"Mr. Ivanov, if the price is 3.85 pounds per box, would you accept it?"
"Are you willing to lower the price?"
"Of course there won't be a price reduction. Not only will there be no price reduction, but as inventory is gradually cleared, there will be another round of price increases. But you're my friend after all. We Chinese like to make friends over wine. We have a friendship from drinking together, so I will definitely help you if I can."
Ye Manzhi asked him to wait for a moment, then returned to the food group's office alone and took out a completed purchase intent letter.
"Take a look at the prices here. Are you satisfied?"
The letter of intent for purchase was filled out based on a price of 3.85 pounds per box of 480g canned yellow peaches and strawberries and 7.6 pounds per box of 340g square canned luncheon meat.
At the bottom were her seal and the seal of her team leader Gu Songqiu, as well as the seal of the conference.
The date of the stamp was the day they ate and drank together.
"I'm not sure how much of each product you'd like to purchase, so I've given you a rough estimate: 2,200 cartons of peaches, 2,500 cartons of strawberries, and 4,800 cartons of canned luncheon meat. The luncheon meat represents the quantity you purchased last year. However, these figures can be modified in the contract. Once you sign the letter of intent, we can sign the contract based on a unit price of £3.85. In addition, I'll give you a 2.5% commission. I hope you can sell our products around the world and help us promote them."
Ivanov took the letter of intent and looked through it carefully. He obviously didn't expect Ye Manzhi to help him fill out a purchase letter of intent in advance.
This is so unexpected!
Ye Manzhi smiled and said, "Mr. Ivanov, this is all I can do for you. I can't get a lower price..."
"No, no, no, my friend, this is so unexpected!" Ivanov put down the letter of intent and patted Ye Manzhi's slender body with his big bear-like paw. "Oh, my God, thank you, my friend!"
The price of 4.2 pounds is much lower than that in the UK market, so even if he purchases at 4.2 pounds, he still makes a profit.
However, the frequent price increases at the Canton Fair have a huge impact on people’s mentality.
He has made preparations not to purchase canned fruit at this Canton Fair. The import quota is in his hands, and he can wait until autumn.
Unexpectedly, the situation took a turn for the better. His new friend actually helped him fill out the letter of intent for purchase and even stamped it!
In his eyes, Ye Manzhi's behavior was like that of an angel.
Ivanov is very stingy in business, but he is also a man of temperament.
After he signed the letter of intent, he was about to sign a formal purchase contract with Ye Manzhi.
Ye Manzhi had not signed the canned food order yet, so she called her most experienced trader for help and discussed the contract terms with Ivanov.
Ivanov crossed out 4,800 boxes of luncheon meat in the letter of intent and changed it to 6,000 boxes.
He also told Ye Manzhi to ensure the quality. If this square can sells well in the UK, he will cooperate with Ye Manzhi's factory in the future.
Ye Manzhi patted his chest and promised to give him the best luncheon meat.
Then, excitedly, he took the contract worth 63,695 pounds and went to the team leader to get it stamped.
The production task of canned fruit must be assigned by the head office, but the square can luncheon meat must be from their Binjiang factory.
A total of 6,000 boxes, 45,600 pounds!
Oh my goodness! She finally opened up here in Can!
Yu Youfang, who had just signed an order for canned pork, ran over and high-fived her to celebrate.
I helped her proofread the English contract again before handing it to Ivanov.
Ye Manzhi shook hands with Ivanov and took a photo together. Before parting, she treated him like any other client, asking him to come often when he was free and preferably introduce more clients to her.
What she said was just a business compliment, which the team leader taught them during the pre-trip training.
She talked to several clients, but no one actually brought her any customers.
However, in the heart of Soviet big brother Ivanov, Ye Manzhi has already become his friend!
He didn't know that it was the information he provided that caused the frequent price increases of canned fruits.
From his point of view, Ye Manzhi reminded him twice that the price of canned food would increase and advised him to place an order as soon as possible. When he refused to listen, the other party actually helped him fill out a letter of intent in advance and even got him a 2.5% commission.
Ye Manzhi is the most sincere trader he has ever met!
So, he actually helped Ye Manzhi contact customers!
Within two days, a West German businessman named Miller was brought to Ye Manyi.
Ivanov introduced, "Ye, Miller's company is the largest middleman in West Germany. He wants to purchase some concentrated fruit juice from the Canton Fair this time. But he hasn't found the right product. You are the most sincere trader I have ever met. Should you be able to help Mr. Miller?"
Ye Manzhi had actually seen this Miller before; he had been around the food area several times.
Many traders have met with him, but none of them have been able to reach a deal.
A good cook cannot cook without rice. No matter how eloquent the traders are, there is nothing they can do if they don’t have the source of concentrated juice.
With Ivan's translation and matchmaking, Ye Manzhi shook hands with Mr. Miller.
But the food factory does not produce concentrated fruit juice, and she has never heard of any manufacturer's concentrated fruit juice that meets export standards.
For China, concentrated fruit juice is still too advanced; she has never even seen it.
Ye Manzhi still hoped that the Soviet big brother would help her translate, so she said in Russian: "Mr. Ivanov is my friend. Since Mr. Ivanov has asked, I will definitely help. However, we don't have a factory producing concentrated juice in our country yet. Mr. Miller is a middleman. If you really want it, you can consider helping us introduce a set of concentrated juice production equipment. Then we can use the payment for the juice, or the payment plus cash, to offset the equipment costs..."
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