pdf-ebookys Chapter 600: The cooperation is progressing very smoothly.
Chapter 600: The cooperation is progressing very smoothly.
With Zhao Zhiqiang's lack of interference, the business returned to normal.
After repeated calculations, Li Xiangyang found that the existing equipment could barely meet the needs of the new orders, but the workers' workload would increase. So he decided to raise wages for all workers as compensation for overtime.
"Director Li is so kind!" The workers were very excited when they heard the news of the wage increase.
"Thank you all for your hard work," Li Xiangyang said to the workers in the workshop. "With increased orders, your workload will also increase. But please believe that as long as we work together, we will definitely make the company even better, and everyone's income will continue to rise."
The workers responded with enthusiastic applause.
Just when everything was going well, Li Xiangyang received an unexpected phone call.
"Director Li, this is Zhao Zhiqiang."
"Mr. Zhao, what's the matter?"
"It's like this, I have a large transport order here, and our company can't handle it all at once," Zhao Zhiqiang said politely. "I was wondering if your fleet would be interested in taking it?"
Li Xiangyang was taken aback. He hadn't expected Zhao Zhiqiang to bring up the cooperation so quickly.
What kind of order?
"It's a delivery service for an appliance company in the provincial capital, requiring about eighty truck trips per month," Zhao Zhiqiang explained in detail. "The freight rates are quite good, but the timeliness requirements are very high."
Li Xiangyang's heart skipped a beat. Besides serving the factory, his fleet did indeed have surplus transport capacity. If he could land this order, it would not only increase his income but also improve the utilization rate of his fleet.
"How much is the shipping cost? What are the delivery time requirements?" Li Xiangyang asked.
“It’s 1,200 yuan per trip, and delivery must be within 24 hours,” Zhao Zhiqiang said. “If you’re interested, we can meet and discuss it in detail.”
One thousand two hundred yuan per trip, eighty trips would be ninety-six thousand yuan, which is indeed a good business.
“Okay, when shall we meet?” Li Xiangyang made the decision immediately.
Two hours later, Li Xiangyang and Zhao Zhiqiang met in the latter's office.
"Director Li, this is the detailed information about that appliance company," Zhao Zhiqiang handed over a document. "You can take a look first."
Li Xiangyang took the document and read it carefully. This home appliance company was quite large, with more than a dozen stores in the provincial capital, and it certainly needed a stable logistics service.
"Why don't you pick it up yourselves?" Li Xiangyang asked, somewhat curious.
"To be honest, our fleet has run into some problems recently," Zhao Zhiqiang said somewhat awkwardly. "As you know, in order to compete with you, our operations were a bit...not quite standardized. We're currently rectifying this, and we can't free up that much capacity in the short term."
Li Xiangyang nodded. It seemed that the evidence had indeed put considerable pressure on Zhao Zhiqiang, who was now working to standardize his operations.
"If we take this order, how will the revenue share be calculated?" Li Xiangyang asked.
"I'll handle contacting clients and collecting payments, and you'll handle the shipping," Zhao Zhiqiang said after a moment's thought. "How about we split the profits 50/50?"
This condition is fairly fair. Li Xiangyang did a simple calculation and found that even with a profit-sharing arrangement, he could still earn more than 40,000 yuan a month, enough to support the entire fleet with a surplus.
“Sure.” Li Xiangyang extended his hand. “Pleasure doing business with you.”
"It's a pleasure to work with you!" Zhao Zhiqiang gripped Li Xiangyang's hand tightly.
Li Xiangyang was in a good mood as he left Zhao Zhiqiang's office. Turning enemies into friends not only solved the problem of vicious competition but also unexpectedly brought new business opportunities.
Back at the factory, Li Xiangyang told Wang Ergou and the others the good news.
"Xiangyang, that was a brilliant move!" Wang Ergou gave a thumbs up. "Not only did you solve the problem, you also secured a new order."
Li Xiangyang waved his hand: "It's just looking at the problem from a different angle. Enemies aren't always enemies, and friends aren't always friends. The key is to find common ground."
That evening, Li Xiangyang returned home to find Li Xiaoyun helping her son, Li Wangchen, with his homework.
"Dad's back!" Li Wangchen happily greeted Li Xiangyang.
"My good son, you've grown so tall in the blink of an eye, Daddy can hardly carry you anymore." Li Xiangyang smiled and hugged his son.
"Xiangyang, you've been very busy lately. Is something wrong?" Li Xiaoyun asked with concern.
Li Xiangyang briefly recounted the recent situation, omitting the darker aspects.
"Turning enemies into friends?" Li Xiaoyun mused. "Xiangyang, I think you did the right thing. In business, harmony brings wealth."
“Yes, and I’ve found that sometimes giving others a way out is also leaving yourself a way out,” Li Xiangyang remarked. “If I had directly handed over that evidence to the relevant departments back then, I could have certainly crushed Zhao Zhiqiang immediately, but in that case, he might have completely given up, and it would have been a lose-lose situation.”
"It's good as it is," Li Xiaoyun said with a smile. "It's always better to have one more friend than one more enemy."
During dinner, Li Xiangyang received a call from Chen Guodong.
"Director Li, I heard you've reached a settlement with Zhao Zhiqiang?"
“Yes,” Li Xiangyang said while eating, “Mr. Chen is really well-informed.”
"Haha, of course I can't hide such a small matter from you," Chen Guodong laughed. "However, I'd like to remind you of one thing: reconciliation is a good thing, but you still need to be vigilant."
Li Xiangyang put down his chopsticks: "What do you mean?"
"It's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change a person's nature," Chen Guodong said earnestly. "Zhao Zhiqiang compromised because he was forced by circumstances. If one day he feels he has power again, there's no guarantee he won't resort to the same old tricks."
This reminder is timely. Li Xiangyang has indeed been considering this issue.
"Mr. Chen, do you have any suggestions?"
"I wouldn't call it advice, but I'd just like to remind you to be prepared for both possibilities," Chen Guodong said. "When cooperating, be sincere, but also have contingency plans for unforeseen circumstances."
After hanging up the phone, Li Xiangyang fell into deep thought. Chen Guodong was right; he did indeed need to remain vigilant.
Over the next month, Li Xiangyang was busy expanding production to meet Jinghua's new orders while also starting to operate the logistics business in cooperation with Zhao Zhiqiang.
Surprisingly, the collaboration progressed very smoothly. Zhao Zhiqiang was indeed skilled at maintaining customer relationships, and Li Xiangyang's fleet of vehicles also provided excellent service that satisfied customers.
"Director Li, our revenue this month is even higher than expected," Wang Hu excitedly reported to Li Xiangyang. "That appliance company was very satisfied with our service and even said they would recommend other clients to us."
“Very good.” Li Xiangyang nodded. “But remember, service quality is always the top priority. We'd rather make less money than ruin our reputation.”
"clear!"