The Secret of the Yoga Club: The Women's Identity is Not Simple

Lu Jianguo put down the laser pointer and sat down again.

Instead of immediately flipping through the folder in front of him, he picked up the water bottle on the table, unscrewed the cap, and took a sip.

"Mr. Lin," he put the water bottle back on the table, his tone a little slower than before, "our equipment quote isn't just for the bare machine. You might need to take a closer look at the notes in Appendix Three of the contract regarding the included components."

He flipped to the corresponding page and pointed to a line of small print: "The assembly line installation and commissioning will be handled by our engineering center. The entire commissioning cycle will take about three to four months. The labor, materials, and process parameter adjustments during this period are all included in the quotation. During the production line ramp-up phase, we will send engineers to the site until the yield rate stabilizes at over 95%. In addition, we will cover the training of operators and maintenance engineers in three batches, with forty people in each batch."

He pushed the folder back half an inch, looked up at Lin Feng, and said, "This kind of equipment isn't something just any equipment vendor can provide. Vendors on the market can sell you the machines, but they don't care how to adjust the process, how to run the production line, or how to train the staff. The price we quoted includes the equipment, service, and quality assurance all bundled together."

Lin Feng listened quietly without immediately refuting.

He knew that what Lu Jianguo said was true; the equipment itself was only one part, and what was truly valuable was the subsequent technology integration and mass production experience.

However, at the negotiating table, acknowledging that the other party's argument makes sense and accepting their offer are two different things.

Lin Feng leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms on the table, and changed his angle.

"Minister Lu, I agree with you. BYD's technical support and engineering services are indeed irreplaceable by external equipment suppliers. That's why we're sitting here instead of going directly to secondhand equipment intermediaries."

This statement was neither too soft nor too hard; it acknowledged the other party's value without explicitly accepting the offer.

He paused, then continued, "But the basis for cooperation between the two parties is mutual benefit. We can accept raising the unit price of the equipment as a reasonable premium for technical support. The issue lies in the extent of the premium and how to handle the subsequent related costs."

He opened the folder and pointed to a page: "Regarding the technical service fee, you charge 8% of the total equipment price. If you could reduce that percentage to around 5%, the overall financial model would look much better. Also, for the annual maintenance fee, you quoted 3% of the original equipment price, but I've looked at the market rates for similar maintenance contracts, and they're generally between 1.5% and 2%."

Lin Feng closed the folder and shifted the conversation from numbers to a broader perspective.

"Shuke and Tianlong's channels and policy resources within the province are helpful for BYD's local market layout. These intangible resources should also be included in the overall value of the cooperation. My idea is that if we simply define the cooperation as me buying your technology and equipment, the price can only be negotiated according to a buyer-seller relationship. But if we define it as a deeper strategic cooperation, then the price should reflect the overall value of this cooperation."

After he finished speaking, Lu Jianguo's fingers paused on the table for a moment.

After a brief silence of three to five seconds, his gaze shifted from the price list in front of him to Lin Feng's face, and then to the silver-gray factory buildings outside the window.

Then he nodded.

"Mr. Lin, we can discuss the percentage of technical service fees and maintenance costs internally." His tone was more relaxed than before, no longer sounding like he was discussing a simple equipment sale. "As for the premium, I suggest we each go back and calculate a new financial model, exchange the data tomorrow or the day after, and then discuss it on that basis."

After saying that, he stood up and gestured towards the door: "It's still early, Mr. Lin! Why don't we go take a look at the production line first? Some things will be clearer if we see the actual production line first."

Lin Feng also stood up and gestured to Vice President Zhang and the technical staff. Vice President Zhang closed the notebook on the table, and the technical staff put away the quotation sheet that was heavily marked.

Several people followed Lu Jianguo out of the negotiation room, their footsteps echoing softly in the empty hallway. Lin Feng walked half a step behind Lu Jianguo, quickly calculating the results of the previous round of negotiations in his mind. The technology licensing fee was basically locked in, the high premium for the equipment price had been pointed out, and there was room for negotiation on service and maintenance fees. The pace of the negotiation had not been lost.

Lu Jianguo led the way, his expression returning to its usual calm and polite demeanor, showing no indication of how much the earlier exchange had affected him.

But as he was going down the stairs, he suddenly turned his head and said casually, "Mr. Lin, which specific areas do the local channel resources you mentioned cover?"

"Mainly in the Southwest and South China," Lin Feng replied, "We also have a network of long-term cooperative distributors in several provinces in the Central region."

Lu Jianguo didn't ask any more questions, he just nodded.

There are some things that can't be said clearly at the negotiating table today, but at least everyone's attitudes are laid out. And the questions that inadvertently arise afterward are often what the other party is really concerned about.

The group followed Lu Jianguo out of the office building.

The bright morning sun shone on the factory roads, and the air carried a faint smell of cutting fluid mixed with the earthy odor of freshly watered plants in the green belts.

Lu Jianguo didn't call a sightseeing bus; instead, he led them on foot to the final assembly workshop. The workshop wasn't far from the office building, about a five- or six-minute walk.

He walked slowly, turning to talk to Lin Feng as he went, his tone much more relaxed than in the conference room.

"Mr. Lin, I had my assistant write down the service and maintenance fees you mentioned earlier." He nodded towards the young man with glasses behind him, who immediately nodded in understanding and quickly typed a few lines on the tablet. "Let's look at the production line today. We'll come up with a new plan with the specific figures and try to send it to you next week."

Lin Feng nodded: "Okay, let's look at the items first."

The entrance to the final assembly workshop is a double industrial gate. There are safety notices and a visitor registration desk at the entrance, and the daily production schedule and the number of workers in each section are posted on the wall.

Lu Jianguo signed his name at the registration desk, took several white safety helmets and protective goggles from the shelf next to him, and handed them to Lin Feng and the others one by one.

"Mr. Lin, once we enter the workshop, please use the green channel and do not cross the yellow line. If you want to take photos, please let me know in advance, as some of them involve confidentiality agreements."