Chapter 289: Placing the Order
Chapter 289: Placing the Order
Jiang Xia turned towards the elder with a smile, "Sir, yes, this discount is only available for orders placed now, and it's for bulk carriers of 27,000 tons or more. The discounts are different for other ships."
The elder also understood that different ships had different prices, and some small boats didn't even cost $50,000, so it was impossible to get a $50,000 discount.
He smiled and said, "I understand that. I also want to order a bulk carrier of over 10,000 tons. Can you make a 30,000-ton bulk carrier?"
Jiang Xia laughed, "Of course! Sir, if you want to place the order, do it as soon as possible. Our shipyard has received many orders, and the earlier you order, the earlier we can schedule production, deliver the ship, and make money. Time is money. If we can deliver the ship a month earlier, who knows, you might earn back half the cost of the ship."
Although this statement was a bit exaggerated, long-distance ocean-going vessels took more than a month for a round trip, and the freight charges were very high.
Delivering the ship a month earlier would definitely earn more than $50,000.
The elder also understood this logic, "If I place the order today, when can I take delivery of the ship?"
Jiang Xia smiled, "Our shipyard is doing very well, and orders are already lined up for a year. But sir, you are our shipyard's first customer from the Huizhui Conference. We can deliver your ship three months in advance, at the same time as Mr. Jill's ship."
Jiang Xia had been speaking in English with the elder, and the other translator was always translating the conversation between Jiang Xia, the elder, and Mr. Maen for Factory Director Zhou.
At this point, Factory Director Zhou spoke up, "The earliest delivery will be next June."
With an additional production line, it would actually be ready by April or May, but he couldn't say that; he had to leave some time as a buffer.
Jiang Xia looked at Factory Director Zhou and asked, "Can all the ships ordered today be delivered by next June?"
She gave him a deep look.
Factory Director Zhou understood, "Only the first fifteen ships ordered can be delivered six months in advance. The rest will be delivered according to the order sequence."
Jiang Xia smiled and relayed Factory Director Zhou's words to the elder, "Sir, Factory Director Zhou said that the delivery time can be advanced by six months! But only fifteen ships can be delivered six months early."
Advancing the delivery time by six months was more than they could have hoped for!
The elder immediately said, "I'll take five! I'll place the order right now!"
"Good! I'll have someone prepare the order for you, sir."
Jiang Xia then said to Factory Director Zhou, "Director, this gentleman wants to order five 30,000-ton bulk carriers. Please arrange for someone to process his order."
Factory Director Zhou immediately found someone to take the elder to place the order.
Six months in advance? In six months, how much money could the ship earn at sea? The foreign businessmen who were still waiting decided they couldn't wait any longer, and they all spoke up to secure their spots, "Xia, if the ship can be delivered by next June, I want to order too! I'll take two! Can I get the opening bonus discount, $50,000 off per ship?"
"Xia, I want to order an oil rig. Can it also be delivered six months early? Is there a discount?"
"Xia, I also want to order a ship. I'll take one."
"Xia, I'll take three..."
...
Maen was a businessman, and to a businessman, every second counted as money.
Why didn't he order ships from M Guo this time? It was because the shipyards in M Guo had too many orders, and it would take a year and a half to deliver the ships.
Now, by ordering here, the ships would be delivered by next June, a whole year earlier than in M Guo.
Currently, the monthly rent for his chartered ships was not a small amount.
Time was money. In a year, he could not only save a large sum in rent but also earn enough from the eight ships to cover the cost of one ship.
He immediately spoke up, "Xia, I was the first one to discuss the ship order with you, and I'm your first customer. I want to order eight ships, and you have to deliver them by June next year with a $50,000 discount."
Jiang Xia nodded, "I understand. Mr. Maen was indeed the first to want to order ships, and you're Jill's friend. I'll definitely give you a $50,000 discount."
"Xia, we all came with Jill, and we're ordering ships too. Can we get the same $50,000 discount?"
"Xia, I want to order a drill tower. Are there any discounts for that?"
Jill and John chimed in, "Xia, we're all Jill's friends. Can the ships we ordered be delivered together, with the same discount? We're practically the first customers here, right?"
"Xia, don't you have a saying in Huo Guo, 'Favoritism'? You can't play favorites!"
Everyone was eager to speak.
Jiang Xia signaled for everyone to quiet down and take turns speaking. "I understand. I'll try to convince the factory director to give everyone a $50,000 discount, but only 15 ships can be delivered six months in advance. The others are uncertain, but I'll do my best to get them delivered early. You have to trust the speed of Huo Guo! The efficiency of Huo Guo people has always been astonishing! You may not know this, but our country's first 10,000-ton bulk carrier was built in less than two months. That was over twenty years ago..."
Jiang Xia knew that the shipyard had prepared the equipment in advance and was well-prepared for the Huizhui Conference, so definitely more than 15 ships could be delivered six months early.
However, these foreign businessmen together probably wouldn't order more than fifteen bulk carriers.
An hour later, Jiang Xia signed a $3.55 million order with the shipyard, making it the fastest exhibitor to secure a million-dollar order at the Huizhui Conference!
Jiang Xia also received a $35,500 commission.
The shipyard's other translator, who earned a daily wage of $100, also heard about Jiang Xia's decision to work on commission instead of a salary.
Initially, she thought it was unreliable because ships weren't that easy to sell.
Now, she silently calculated in her mind and felt a twinge of jealousy.
If she had known, she wouldn't have asked for a salary either; she would have opted for a commission.
Factory Director Zhou did some quick calculations and said to Jiang Xia, "No wonder you don't want a salary, you little rascal!"
Jiang Xia laughed, "Is Factory Director Zhou being stingy?"
Director Zhou glared, "How could I be! If you signed a billion-dollar order, I'd be generous too!"
Factory Director Zhou was extremely generous with Jiang Xia's commission!
$35,500 was a lot!
But each ship Jiang Xia sold was $50,000 more expensive than their original asking price! In other words, not only did they not lose out on the commission, but they also made a substantial profit.
How could he be stingy?
Jiang Xia walked over, returned the watch to Jill, and thanked her. Then she handed the watch to Zhou Chenglei.
Jill and her group, having placed their ship order, were about to visit other booths. Jill invited Jiang Xia to dinner that evening.
Jiang Xia smiled and agreed.
The elderly man who had just placed a ship order also invited Jiang Xia to dinner, thanking her and her husband for their help at the railway station the other day.
Jiang Xia had already agreed to go with Jill and her group, so she scheduled dinner with the elderly man for the following night.
The translator, seeing how familiar Jiang Xia and Jill were, no longer felt jealous. She realized that having regular customers was the reason Jiang Xia was willing to work on commission instead of a salary.
That made sense! Ships weren't easy to sell, after all.
Apologies, I need to take a break. Today's update (October 26, Saturday) will be a bit late; it might not be posted until the evening as I'm rewriting it because I'm not satisfied with the initial draft.
(End of Chapter)
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