2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 97 Order Signing (Seeking First Subscriptions)

Just like the weather in Guangzhou this season, it's hot yet warm, and so is the atmosphere of the Canton Fair.

As the large-scale trade fair, which targets the whole world, has developed to the point of nearly 100 sessions, its supporting facilities and services have become quite complete. With the help of the official authorities, it is not difficult to find a reliable law firm.

When contacted, the official person in charge of organizing the exhibition in Ningbo was very surprised to hear that there was an order worth 600 million US dollars for the whole year that required the assistance of a lawyer. When they learned that it was a clothing order, the person in charge was even more surprised.

Ordinary exhibitors may not know the specific figures, but these people do. This year's order volume for apparel and textiles is not ideal. 600 million in orders for the whole year is not much, but if it is just a single contract, then that's quite interesting.

Without any hesitation, the person in charge immediately issued the order: "Cooperate fully, contact reliable law firms, and provide them with legal aid services as soon as possible."

It must be said that the administrative efficiency of those in charge of these matters in coastal cities is truly impeccable. They treat all enterprises, whether state-owned or private, large or small, equally when it comes to orders.

As long as the economy can be revitalized, everything is negotiable. After the arrangements were made, the person in charge retrieved Jinpeng Trading's information. This year, it's a real-name system, so no matter if you go through the formal procedures or other channels for this exhibition, all participating companies have their information archived.

"Ha, a company in Beicang, established only half a year ago, and it meets all the requirements and qualifications?" Customs and tax authorities can easily tell whether a foreign trade company's export volume is falsified.

Given the limited number of exhibition booths, it's already quite remarkable that a company that's only been established for six months could be shortlisted. If the data is falsified, it's almost impossible to pass unless you have a very strong network of connections.

In other words, this trading company, which was only established for half a year, may have used some behind-the-scenes influence to get the exhibition booth, but it also got it based on its own strength.

However, when it was discovered that the company's legal representative and two shareholders were both 20-year-old outsiders, and the legal representative was not even 20 years old yet, the doubts about the company's export volume vanished.

There are indeed many intricacies to doing business, and many businesses are easy to make money from. However, clothing exports, which are built up from a series of orders, are unlikely to be among them.

It is quite remarkable that these two young people from out of town have achieved such results.

Regardless of where they are from, as long as their company is registered in Beicang and they secure this $600 million order, they have contributed to Zhejiang Province, Ningbo, and even Beicang's export earnings. As long as they operate legally and compliantly, we welcome such entrepreneurs.

"If I have the chance, I might go to their exhibition and meet those two young men. They'd be interesting."

It's clear that although this trading company is not large in scale, it has a strong ability to take orders. If it does well, it could really achieve an export volume of tens of millions a year.

After receiving legal aid, Tan Jincheng quickly contacted James to arrange a time and place to sign a formal contract in order to avoid any unforeseen complications. The draft agreement was less secure than the formal contract.

However, although James wanted to use some tricks to lower the price, since both parties had the intention to cooperate and the price had been agreed upon, and he had indeed benefited, he did not cause any more trouble before the contract was officially signed.

After six months of cooperation, James was quite satisfied with the goods provided by Jinpeng Trading, both in terms of style and quality. At the same time, market feedback showed that the sales of the clothing styles designed by Jinpeng Trading were about 10-20% higher than those of similar products provided by other companies.

This shows that Jinpeng Trading's clothing styles are still quite well-received by the market, so there's no need to cause any more trouble at this point.

James could see that Tan Jincheng really wanted to get the contract and that he was in a hurry, but at the same time, James could also sense that what Tan Jincheng said during yesterday's negotiations was not just a way of putting pressure on them.

If I really put too much pressure on him, Tan Jincheng will actually terminate the cooperation and implement a temporary contraction strategy.

That's the downside of working with young people; if you can't reach an agreement, they're really willing to flip the table without any scruples.

The professional legal team was very efficient. After reviewing the draft agreement provided by Tan Jincheng and asking for some key information, they immediately began to work on drafting the formal contract.

After negotiating and revising the details with the other party's lawyer, Tan Jincheng's Jinpeng Co., Ltd. and James's import and export company officially signed their first year-round supply contract.

This is also the first long-term order since Jinpeng Trading was established.

Jinpeng Trading provides the other party with clothing and textile products with a total value of no less than US$50 per month. James' side provides a prepayment of 35% of the total order value for the month at the beginning of each month, and the remaining payment is settled within one week after the process is completed.

"Tan, it's been a pleasure working with you. I hope we can stay in touch over the next year."

After both parties signed their seals, the tall, bearded James was the first to stand up and extend his hand.

Tan Jincheng also looked at James with a smile: "It's a pleasure to work with you, my friend."

At that moment, Tan Jincheng thought this tall guy was extremely handsome and gentlemanly, haha.

Standing to the side, Zhang Xupeng tried his best to suppress his excitement. Jinpeng Trading is set for this year!

Sun Yuming and Liu Wenbin were both spared from causing trouble today and stayed at the exhibition area.

“Not your uncle?” James raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, he's my uncle, and also my friend." After saying that, the two of them burst into laughter, while the others were completely bewildered, not knowing what the two were talking about.

But none of that matters.

This is a small office provided by the exhibition hall. After the contract was officially signed, everyone chatted happily for a few minutes and then went their separate ways, as time was precious during the exhibition.

Tan Jincheng sincerely thanked the legal team for their help. Without them, this formal contract would probably have taken a long time to process. He was also very grateful to the person in charge in Ningbo, as he did not expect them to respond to his request so promptly.

Of course, the necessary fees must be paid, and Tan Jincheng had already contacted the finance department to arrange it.

After seeing James and his group, along with their lawyers, off one by one, Zhang Xupeng could no longer contain his excitement and jumped up, waving his hands.

From last night until today, Zhang Xupeng has been in a state of excitement and tension. Orders worth nearly 50 million yuan a year are simply unimaginable.

Although Tan Jincheng didn't show it so obviously, he was actually very excited inside.

The contract, a dozen pages long, felt light in my hand, yet also quite heavy.

This order not only marks a new beginning for my career, but also significantly alleviates the financial pressure I'm currently facing.

"Alright, stop jumping around, Zhang Baiwan. The trade fair is still half a month away. We need to keep up the good work and try to sign long-term supply orders with the other stable customers from last year."

James's company isn't the only stable client we developed last year; several other companies have also scheduled visits. If we can sign another long-term supply order, then we'll truly have nothing to worry about.

The Canton Fair is a place where miracles happen. It's not uncommon for a small company to achieve annual exports of over 100 million RMB as long as its production capacity keeps up.

Back when the exchange rate was in the 6s, an export-oriented factory with a workforce of around 100 people could easily generate over 100 million yuan in annual output value if it had plenty of orders.

"Haha, Zhang Baiwan is a good title. I never thought I was a millionaire. And Xiaotan, why don't you look excited at all?"

"Who says I'm not excited? I just didn't show it as obviously. How could I not be excited about making a fortune?"

"How about we celebrate tonight?"

"A celebration is a must! Tonight, let's skip fast food and go find a fancy hotel for a nice meal to treat ourselves."

"How about going to Dongguan?" Zhang Xupeng looked at Tan Jincheng with anticipation.

"Go to Dongguan? Heh, if you can develop a new client on your own or sign a $20 order, I'll take you there to see what it's like."

Damn, is that kind of decadent place something you can just go to casually?

When Sun Yuming and Liu Wenbin learned in the morning that Boss Tan had secured James and was preparing to sign a formal contract today, they were both very excited. Sun Yuming accidentally let slip that the events of the night in Dongguan City had happened.

Although Zhang Xupeng didn't know the whole story, he was still incredibly excited just listening to it. Could it really be done like this? Could there be so many tricks involved?
Is there no justice? Why do I have to stay at home to protect the data?!
I, a boss, am not as successful as two salespeople!

"Really? You said it?" Zhang Xupeng's eyes lit up.

"Seriously, I meant it. If you can handle all of this on your own, I'll take you there." You're getting a little cocky, aren't you? You really think it's that easy?

"Then you'll have to translate for me, is that alright?"

"Go and hire another part-time translator. If you can't handle it, come to me."

"Didn't you say we should save money wherever possible and not hire a translator?"

The past is the past, and the present is the present. Before, when I lacked confidence, I had to be frugal. Now that I have confidence, can't I enjoy myself after making money?

“Okay, we’ll do whatever you say. We do need a translator, otherwise we’ll just have to stand guard when you’re not around, and we won’t dare to approach clients who don’t have a translator with them.”

Zhang Xupeng also figured this out. He couldn't rely on Xiao Tan alone. All the previous orders were negotiated by Xiao Tan. Apart from doing odd jobs and reporting wrongdoings, the three of them didn't seem to provide much help.

With the help of professional translators and Xiao Tan's guidance over the past few days, it would be unacceptable if we couldn't secure any small clients or orders, even if we didn't have any.

"Yes, that makes sense. Let's go back."

(End of this chapter)