One visit leads to familiarity, two visits lead to acquaintance. Liu Fang, having already been an agent, knew how to fight for her own interests.
Chen Long was amused by this direct, no-nonsense inquiry, the first he had encountered. He nodded and said, "Regarding the price, for our own agents, there will definitely be discounts. However, this discounted price is tiered. If the basic sales volume is met, we, the manufacturer, will give you a one percent rebate at the end of the year. For every additional twenty percent above that, the rebate will increase by another percent, and so on."
A one percent rebate.
In fact, this was why no one had been willing to act as an agent for "Meili Brand" before. Not only was the profit margin on the wholesale price low, but the rebates were virtually non-existent.
Liu Fang was indeed a little hesitant.
The three of them were in a stalemate, neither speaking first.
Liu Chen, who had been observing, had to sit back beside her mother and poke her head out to ask Chen Long, "May I ask how many items your basic sales volume refers to? Are there any penalties if the basic sales volume is not met?"
"The basic sales volume requirement is ten thousand pieces per year. If it's not met, we will not issue any rebates. There are no other penalties."
Ten thousand pieces? Liu Chen blinked, her mind quickly calculating. Their own "Meili Brand" ham sausage sales were already ten pieces a day, totaling over three thousand pieces in a year. The sales volume of other brands of "Meili Brand" in the market was about thirty pieces a day. Wouldn't their own ham sausage alone exceed the target?
Then they could get almost three percent back?
Wait? Why hadn't her mother agreed yet? It shouldn't be like this?
Although it was a bit strange to whisper in front of the manufacturer's salesman, Liu Chen leaned closer to her mother's ear and whispered:
"Mom? I've observed that the sales volume of 'Meili Brand' in the market is about thirty pieces a day. In a year, that's already over ten thousand pieces. So, wouldn't our own ham sausage alone be eligible for a three percent rebate? Ask him how high the rebate can go!"
Liu Fang had been very conflicted just now. On one hand, she regretted not having clarified the policy and letting the "Meili Brand" salesman come to negotiate directly. On the other hand, she hesitated. Her son, Chen Chen, seemed very optimistic about this brand's agency. If she didn't secure it, would Chen Chen be angry?
While hesitating, she heard her son's hushed words in her ear, and she was completely bewildered. What? Eligible for a three percent rebate? Then, combined with the low price already offered to distributors, wouldn't each piece of merchandise yield five or six yuan in profit?
This made her no longer confused! Liu Fang straightened her back slightly and looked at Chen Long, asking, "Chen Long, what's the highest rebate we can get? What if we achieve excess sales, and you say the highest is only two percent..."
"The highest rebate is fifteen percent. Don't worry, this is written into the contract."
"Okay, then how long is the term of this agency contract? If it's short, and I've just managed to sell your ham sausage smoothly, and you take it back, then I'm definitely not getting a good deal, right?"
Since the profit was acceptable and the sales volume was promising, if it weren't for the recent boom in business, Liu Fang would have almost signed immediately. But now, although she really wanted to sign, she could at least hold steady and negotiate for more details.
After the final discussion, the first batch signed a five-year contract. Upon expiration, "Sister Liu's Frozen Goods" would have the priority to renew. Furthermore, during the agency period, "Meili Brand" ham sausage would not be allowed to be shipped to the C City frozen goods market without authorization. Otherwise, it would be considered a breach of contract, and for each discovery, "Sister Liu's Frozen Goods" would be compensated one thousand yuan.
After signing the contract, both Chen Long and Liu Fang felt they had profited.
For Chen Long, having an agent meant that the company's transportation costs could be saved, and it would also be beneficial for promoting their products. In any case, with someone handling sales and delivery, the factory's resources would not be depleted.
As for Liu Fang, she was going to sell ham sausage anyway. Now that each piece of ham sausage could be two yuan cheaper, the warehouse costs and labor costs were already covered, leaving an extra three or four yuan per piece as pure profit.
However, the only regret was that the contract would take effect at the end of the month, and Liu Chen would have already started school. The senior year studies were intense, and Liu Fang would not let her come to the shop anymore.
Fortunately, before school started, Liu Fang had already gotten the inventory and invoicing system in order. This way, she no longer had to spend half the night with a calculator under the desk lamp.
When she got home from work and turned on the computer, she just had to reconcile it with the money collected that day. As for the daily profit, the software would update today's profit every evening at 7 PM, based on the pre-set selling price and cost price.
To make it simpler and more intuitive for Liu Fang, Liu Chen directly added two yuan of operating costs when entering the cost price.
And now it was the 24th, and Liu Fang still hadn't found a suitable warehouse for the ham sausage. Either it was too expensive, or it was too far from the wholesale market, causing her to break out in a pimple from worry.
Liu Chen saw this and also went out to look for apartments during lunch for the past two days. However, she wasn't looking for warehouses. Originally, she had planned to rent a warehouse herself and then sublet it cheaply to her mother. But her mother was too quick, having already inquired about all the warehouses in the area.
So, that plan was naturally not feasible. Therefore, Liu Chen was looking at residential apartments. Finally, she found an elevator apartment on the first floor. However, rent in the city center was not cheap; a three-bedroom apartment was priced at three thousand five hundred yuan.
After inquiring about the price, Liu Chen paid a five thousand yuan deposit to have the real estate agent hold the apartment. Only then did she rush back to the shop. When her mother hung up the phone after inquiring about warehouses, she quickly said:
"Mom, why don't we just put the goods in a residential building? The first floor of an elevator apartment has ramps for going up and down. We can buy a three-wheeled vehicle, and then use a handcart to move the goods from the house outside and load them onto the three-wheeled vehicle."
"That's right! Oh my, I've been so busy lately. We're just storing goods, not doing business, why do we have to find shops and warehouses?"
Liu Fang finished speaking and stood up to go out.
Liu Chen quickly grabbed Liu Fang's coat. "Mom? Where are you going?"
"I'm going to find a place! Time is too tight, and it's not easy to find a first-floor unit. If that doesn't work, we'll have to look at other floors in the elevator apartments."
Seeing her mother's urgency, Liu Chen couldn't rest any longer and stood up from the stool.
"Then I'll go with you, Mom. Aunt Li and Uncle can hold the fort for now. Aunt Li, can you manage?"
Sister Li, who was about to receive her increased salary again in a few days, waved her hand quickly upon hearing this.
"Go ahead, we can manage for a while. We'll leave the orders and money on the desk for you."
Since the elevator apartment was right next to the wholesale market, the mother and daughter could walk there. On the way, Liu Fang inquired about the floors and prices of the apartments. Finally, upon hearing that Liu Chen had paid a five thousand yuan deposit, her footsteps suddenly stopped.
"Where did you get five thousand yuan?"
Liu Chen, who had also been anxious, caught up in her mother's emotions, had forgotten that in her mother's mind, she had no money!
Fortunately, being a salesperson in her previous life wasn't for nothing. She blinked and maintained a look of confusion on her face. "My aunt gave it to me when I went to Beijing before? Mom, don't you remember?"