69novels Chapter 74: What makes you think you can cooperate with us?
Chapter 74: What makes you think you can cooperate with us?
Night falls.
The temperature in Tokyo is even colder at night; the temperature here is like that of Hong Kong in winter.
Li Jiagang stood in front of the hotel's floor-to-ceiling window, holding a glass of red wine, gazing at the distant Tokyo Tower, its lights cascading like a galaxy, constantly rotating and illuminating every corner of the city.
Boom boom boom! ! !
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
He gently put down the hotel room and went to open the door.
"Uncle, you're still awake?"
"No, I just received a call from Sato," Li Yongsen replied, sitting down on the sofa. "We're meeting at Takashimaya headquarters tomorrow. Your uncle is here to give you some advice. That old Sato is the decisive type. You need to be careful during the negotiations, don't fall into his traps, and don't follow his pace. You must firmly grasp the initiative."
"Okay, Uncle."
"Furthermore," Li Yongsen said seriously, "as far as I know, many senior executives at Takashimaya oppose cooperating with your company, believing that your company's products do not meet the standards for being sold in Takashimaya department stores."
"Therefore, in tomorrow's negotiations, you should first showcase the advantages of your product and use its leading technology and features to impress the other party."
"Once they approve, then we can discuss our planned solution, understand?"
Upon hearing this, Li Jiagang frowned slightly.
"Uncle," Li Jiagang said with dissatisfaction, "Do we really have to cooperate with Takashimaya?" Faced with such arrogance, he really didn't want to cooperate with them.
He didn't believe that he couldn't find any other business partners in Japan besides Takashimaya.
Of course, it cannot be denied that Takashimaya had a very strong sales channel in Japan at that time, so cooperating with them would be the best option.
But that doesn’t mean that Li Jiagang needs to agree with them on every occasion, or that he has to beg them to cooperate.
What does this make him look like?
If that's the case, then it's better not to cooperate. He'd rather take the more difficult path to develop this market than lower himself to beg for help.
It seems they could see through Li Jiagang's thoughts.
Li Yongsen said gently, "Jiagang, that's how business is. There's no such thing as being constantly frustrated or having everything go smoothly." His tone then changed, becoming serious. "You have to be patient. If you can't handle the slightest difficulty, how can you achieve great things?"
Do you know what it was like when your father and I first started our business?
"I almost had to kneel down and beg for help."
"Don't be fooled by how arrogant Ichiro Sato is now. Ten years ago, when Takashimaya products were trying to enter Hong Kong, he faced setbacks everywhere, had to beg for help, and was just as humble as anyone else."
"So what your uncle wants to tell you is that if you want to be treated equally, you have to keep getting stronger. Once you're strong enough, who will dare to treat you with condescension and boss you around?"
These are the words of his uncle.
This was a wake-up call for Lijiagang.
This immediately jolted him awake from his impulsive and emotional state, which had been clouded by historical grievances and personal grudges.
Indeed, it's undeniable that his uncle's words made a lot of sense. No business is without its challenges and setbacks; how can things always go smoothly?
The only way to avoid being bullied is to become strong.
"Uncle, I understand."
Meanwhile, Li Jiagang was receiving instruction from his uncle.
On Sato Ichiro's side.
"Chairman, this is all the information about Legend Electric Company and Lijiagang."
Several documents and a pile of newspapers were placed in front of Ichiro Sato. He looked indifferent and casually picked up a newspaper to read.
"It's ridiculous that the fully automatic washing machine that Toshiba and Panasonic have been developing has been developed by an unknown company in Hong Kong. It's utterly laughable," Ichiro Sato muttered to himself, a sarcastic smile on his face.
"Chairman," his assistant began, "it's undeniable that this washing machine is excellent, but if we reach a cooperation agreement with them and put it on the market, we will definitely face dissatisfaction from Toshiba and Panasonic, which will affect future cooperation."
"Hmph! You think I'm afraid of them?" Sato Ichiro looked at his assistant with a sharp gaze.
"I'm sorry, President, that's not what I meant." The assistant apologized repeatedly, startled.
Ichiro Sato ignored his assistant.
He slowly stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. The Tokyo night was as dark as ink. He tapped the glass with his fingertips, his voice low but sharp as a drawn blade: "Toshiba, Panasonic? Heh! They bullied me back then. I knelt down for the sake of Takashimaya's century-old legacy, but now... maybe this kid can surprise me and settle accounts with them properly."
"President, what do you mean...?" The assistant looked shocked upon hearing this.
"According to Li Jun, this kid was able to develop a fully automatic washing machine in just a few months after taking over the company, which shows he has some ability."
In addition, during the conversation at noon, Li Jun mentioned, intentionally or unintentionally, that he seemed to be developing a product that was ahead of its time.
If his company truly has the capability to continuously develop excellent products, establishing a long-term partnership with him might bring unexpected benefits to our company.
"However... you need to demonstrate something tomorrow that will impress me and convince the other shareholders, otherwise it will all be just empty talk."
Li Jiagang was completely unaware of Sato Ichiro's thoughts.
At 10:00 AM the following day, in the conference room of the Takashimaya headquarters building.
When Li Jiagang arrived at the conference room with his uncle, secretary, and others, he saw that many of Takashimaya's management personnel were already seated inside.
"Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Li. Please have a seat." Sato Ichiro invited Li Jiagang and his companion to sit down.
"President Sato, you're too kind," Li Jiagang replied politely.
Privately, Sato and Lee Yongsen have a good relationship and address each other as "kun".
But now they are discussing official business, so both sides address each other by their professional titles.
After Li Jiagang and the others sat down.
Sato Ichiro's smile vanished, replaced by a serious expression: "Mr. Li, first of all, on behalf of Takashimaya, I am very grateful for your recognition, and at the same time, I welcome you to come and discuss cooperation."
Before discussing cooperation, are you familiar with Takashimaya Department Store's core business, positioning, and product entry standards?
"Of course," Li Jiagang replied calmly, "Since the early 70s, Takashimaya's core business has been to introduce all kinds of high-end brands and build itself into a high-end department store, specializing in boutiques."
Targeting mid-to-high-end customers, emphasizing service and quality, and highlighting the fusion of Japanese aesthetics and an international perspective, the mall aims to become an important venue for consumption and social interaction for the affluent class.
*Smack! Smack! Smack!*
After listening, Ichiro Sato clapped, and the other managers present also joined in.
"It seems Mr. Li is quite familiar with Takashimaya. In that case, let's move on to the formal discussion." Sato Ichiro said calmly.
He then asked, "Since Mr. Li understands that Takashimaya has always been a high-end brand, and Mr. Li's company has only been established for a few months, and the same products have only recently been developed and launched, and in terms of company background and brand awareness, you are far from meeting Takashimaya's cooperation requirements and entry standards, why would you choose to cooperate with us?"
It's worth noting that every year, many overseas mid-range electronics brands want to sell their products in Takashimaya Department Store, but without exception, they are all rejected.
"Mr. Li, what advantages and conditions do you believe your company's products possess, or what makes you think you can be sold at Takashimaya?"
Faced with Ichiro Sato's sharp and direct questioning, Li Jiagang remained completely calm.
He maintained a calm smile.
He gestured to his secretary to bring out a document, which consisted of patent certificates.
"Chairman Sato, please take a look."
"This is because our company's washing machines have obtained multiple technology patents in several countries."
"At the same time, this is our company's washing machine technical data and product sales information."
"Please watch as I explain."
"First: Our product is the world's first and currently the only fully automatic washing machine on the market."
"Secondly, it is equipped with our company's independently developed 'Legend No. 1' smart chip, which can monitor the weight, material, and degree of dirt of clothes in real time through sensors, and automatically adjust the water level, spin speed and washing mode to truly achieve 'one-button washing without manual intervention'."
"Thirdly: In addition, our washing machine has excellent noise control. The noise level during the washing process is not high, which means that it can run late at night without disturbing the rest of the family."
"I say this to prove that although our company's products are not yet international big brands, and our brand awareness is not high, you could even say it is non-existent."
"But... there's a Chinese saying that true gold fears no fire. Since our company has the capability to produce the world's most advanced washing machine, that's enough to prove everything. All that's missing is market recognition."
"Our company's products don't rely on brand recognition to drive sales; they rely on genuine technology."
"This aligns perfectly with your company's core business, Takashimaya Culture, which focuses on high-quality products."
"That's why I dared to seek cooperation with your company when my product had no brand recognition—because my product technology is excellent."
Li Jiagang's words moved everyone in the meeting room, who began to whisper among themselves, and some even nodded in agreement.
Throughout the process, Li Jiagang kept a close eye on Sato Ichiro's expression. Seeing that he was also slightly moved, he felt even more confident.