American TV series: Starting with exploiting young Sheldon

Before James could explain, Page had already given the answer. She then thoughtfully added, "It's best to add as little sugar and milk as possible to Kopi Luwak so you can taste its original flavor."

"Cat poop... original flavor..." Upon learning about the process of obtaining the ingredients for civet coffee, little George showed a horrified expression, his resistance to this coffee written all over his face.

Just then, the secretary returned to the office with a cup of hot coffee.

"Manager, here's your coffee. Is there anything else I can help you with?" The secretary asked considerately as she handed the coffee to the manager.

"This is none of your business. You can leave now," Manager James replied with a dark expression.

After hearing Peggy's explanation, the civet coffee that he used to find so delicious was now something that Manager James simply couldn't bring himself to drink.

Carefully push the cat poop coffee aside...

Relieved, Manager James got down to business: "Mr. Mike, you can leave everything regarding your poster collaboration to us. You don't need to worry about anything... You just need to wait until your posters are plastered all over Texas, and you'll be a household name..."

As expected of the department manager, James spent the next few minutes analyzing various issues related to the poster distribution. While subtly complaining and showcasing his abilities, he also made sure to offer Mike rosy promises.

Looking at Mike's youthful face and his "cheap" clothes, Manager James felt a strange sense of confidence.

Yes, from the moment he met Mike and his group, Manager James used his sense of superiority to deliberately put pressure on them in order to gain sufficient benefits in the subsequent contract negotiations.

This is a common psychological warfare tactic used in business negotiations.

This time, however, James' strategy seems to have failed.

As soon as he finished his boastful talk, Mike calmly cut to the chase: "So, you still haven't said what percentage of the profits I'll get in this collaboration. Also, how much are you going to pay me for the image rights of that newspaper issue that featured my picture?"

Upon hearing Mike's incisive question, Manager James sensed how difficult he was to deal with.

After thinking for a while, James said in a seemingly cheerful tone, "How about half a percent? You don't have to do anything, just take a few photos and you can get half a percent of the net profit from the poster's release."

"Of course, don't complain about the small profit margin... Let me do the math for you. With the newspaper's distribution capacity, we can sell at least 100,000 posters. Even if we only make one dollar per poster, you can still get a reward of no less than five thousand dollars."

"You get five thousand US dollars for free without doing anything, you've hit the jackpot."

After discussing the poster revenue sharing issue, Manager James changed his tone, adopting a low voice, and continued, "As for newspaper image fees... unfortunately, we've never had that expense. Even if we did, we'd probably have to pay Frank from the Houston team first."

James started off in a serious tone, then cracked a little joke at the end of the conversation, before reverting to his usual fake smile.

Pulling and stepping – this is probably another new negotiation technique.

The Frank mentioned by James is the quarterback of the Houston Football Team, the league champions last year.

Frank, with his tall and imposing physique, plays an aggressive style and possesses excellent skills, making him a true "star player" on the championship team.

Since the start of the Spring Invitational Tournament, apart from Mike grabbing the state newspaper's headline last week, the top spot has almost always been occupied by this championship team's "star player."

This Frank player, like a chosen one, is seen by many Texans as the future star of Texas.

Of course, despite his many accolades, he also has his own shortcomings, namely, his less-than-ideal appearance.

Therefore, the multiple issues of the newspaper that used James's pictures as a selling point did not see repeat purchases from consumers.

Chapter 249 Negotiation

"Half a percent profit is too low."

Upon hearing James's proposed profit-sharing ratio, Mike shook his head and turned his gaze to Sheldon Jr., who was standing to the side.

The folder the other person is holding now contains newspaper materials that have been reorganized by incorporating the opinions of three people, including Mike and Peggy.

It records the newspaper's financial situation in recent years, as well as various information such as the newspaper's budget costs for publishing newspapers.

Seeing Mike's gaze, Sheldon knew it was time to shine.

He straightened his bow tie, stood up, and walked to the manager's desk, speaking with the air of a little adult: "First, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Sheldon Lee Cooper, and I am speaking on behalf of my client, Mike, to make the following statement..."

At this point, Sheldon glanced at James behind his desk before opening the folder in his hand and continuing, "According to the data we've collected, the newspaper's expenses, including material costs and labor costs, amount to less than 20 percent of the newspaper's profits."

"Below are the specific figures for the newspaper's profits in recent years..."

Manager James, who initially thought it was just kids playing around, grew increasingly serious as he listened to Sheldon recounting the statistics.

It's worth noting that, as a department manager at the newspaper, he probably knew less about the newspaper's total finances than Sheldon Jr.

Similarly, even with his professional expertise, he had to admit that the information collected by Mike and his team was very comprehensive and accurate.

This situation is tantamount to someone having figured out the newspaper's hand.

Young Sheldon, sitting at his desk, is also thoroughly enjoying this feeling of being in control.

After analyzing the newspaper's profit data, he seemed to have completed a major task, and a smug expression unconsciously appeared on his face. He concluded, "Therefore, based on the newspaper's profitability, we can see that the poster distribution also generates 80% of the net profit. Based on this, I think it's fairest for Mike and the newspaper to each take 40% of the profits."

The production cost of the poster is not high; the most important thing is the distribution channel.

The newspaper happened to have this advantage.

"No, no, no... You've underestimated labor costs..." Manager James, his embarrassment at being exposed, looked at the composed Mike and said, "One-tenth of the net profit is the biggest concession I can make. You don't have to do anything, and you'll have nearly ten thousand US dollars in revenue..."

The process seemed to have suddenly moved into the negotiation stage. Knowing he wasn't good at this, Sheldon closed his folder and quietly sat back down on the sofa.

Ten thousand US dollars is not a small amount for any high school student.

Clearly, Manager James was in a hurry and was trying to lull Mike into a false sense of security by offering a large sum of money.

However, his idea was clearly going to fail.

Mike, who had made a few small profits in the stock market, was no ordinary high school student. Ten thousand US dollars, while not a small sum for him, was not surprising enough.

“A 10% profit is still too little. I can earn more money by distributing my own posters.” Things are different now. Mike, who has gained some fame from newspaper distribution, can make money from this fame.

The difference might be that the process is a little more complicated.

Therefore, Mike, having a way out, appeared very confident during the negotiations.

Don't forget, the newspaper stole the poster business from Jack; at worst, Mike can always go back and work with them again.

This situation is entirely a seller's market.

Manager James, who thought he had the newspaper distribution channel as a powerful tool, realized that he had shot himself in the foot when he saw Mike's calm expression.

The "star-making project" has essentially benefited others.

"A profit margin of 20% is the maximum."

Poster distribution was an opportunity for the newspaper to earn extra money, and in order not to lose this opportunity, Manager James had no choice but to reluctantly give up some more profit.

A 20% profit margin is equivalent to 20,000 US dollars.

The Cooper family, who had just entered the middle class, showed surprise and delight upon hearing about the profit margin.

They were happy that Mike had made money.

"Twenty percent? Still not enough~" Faced with the manager's pained expression, Mike calmly shook his head again.

A 20% profit margin clearly did not meet his expectations.

The marketplace is like a battlefield...

Seeing that Mike was still not satisfied, Manager James's small eyes flashed with a fierce light, as if he wanted to devour someone.

However, considering his overweight physique and inability to control Mike and his group, the manager forcibly regained his composure.

Then, after pondering for a long time, he said through gritted teeth, "Two-fifths of the revenue share, that's the newspaper's bottom line. Of course, to get that share, Melford's next opponent must be Houston High School, ranked number one in Texas."

As a businessman, James was quick-witted; he thought of making the pie bigger.

Right after the Super Bowl, in order to boost ratings, the Sunday TV station will broadcast every invitational game of the league's top team.

In this scenario, if Melford could play a televised invitational match against Houston high school, regardless of the outcome, Mike's fame would be further amplified.

In this way, the market for poster distribution will also expand.

"Houston High School?" As the head coach of the Melford football team, George naturally wanted to go and compete against the number one ranked team in the state.

Upon hearing the manager's request, he couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"Yes, if we can reach an agreement, the newspaper will also do its part to help make your game against Houston High School a reality..." Manager James tempted.

He seemed to have noticed George's love for football, and therefore wanted to use that as a starting point to regain the initiative.

"This..." Coach George was indeed very interested, and he looked at Mike with great interest.

Ultimately, whether this collaboration can be reached depends mainly on Mike's decision.

It's just a game against Houston high school, how could that be so easy to achieve?

As far as Mike knows, the opponents in the Houston High School Invitational are usually the number one ranked teams from other states.

The top team in a state often prefers to work with strong teams in other states, as this gives them a better chance to expand their influence to other states.

Facing Coach George's expectant gaze, Mike shook his head slightly. Then he looked at Manager James and said, "Regarding the invitational tournament spot with Houston high schools, I can only say we will do our best to apply. As for the portrait fee for the newspaper, I can overlook that. However, I want 30% of the profits from the poster's distribution."

"This is my final opinion. If the newspaper does not agree, then there is no point in discussing this cooperation."

Just as Manager James said, for a department like a newspaper to function, it requires navigating interpersonal relationships and social niceties.

Each step of the process will consume a significant amount of additional funds.

Under these circumstances, it's simply unrealistic for Mike to want to split the poster distribution profits equally with the newspaper.

However, the cost of labor is an internal matter for the newspaper, so although Mike was willing to make concessions on this, a 30% profit margin was his bottom line.

This put the problem back in the hands of the newspaper.

If Mike gets a larger share, the people at the newspaper will get a smaller share.

Unfortunately, the revenue sharing offered by Mike was quite delicate; the newspaper still managed to gain some advantage, but not much.

Seeing Mike's stance of wanting to end things completely, Manager James reluctantly backed down, saying, "Your demands are too harsh, but if you're willing to continue entrusting the newspaper with the poster distribution for the second half of the year, I'm not entirely unable to agree to your request..."

Negotiation is a process of mutual compromise.

Like reporter Jack, James' manager chose to bet on Mike's future.

It is foreseeable that after Houston high school star Frank graduates in the second half of the year, Texas's next rising star will likely be Mike.

At that time, with all the accolades bestowed upon him, the profits he could generate would only be even higher.

James, the manager who already knew he couldn't control Mike, was essentially making a good relationship with him in advance.

As expected, someone who can rise to the position of newspaper manager must be no mediocre person.

However, Mike didn't lose out by cooperating with a newspaper, which has a huge distribution network.

He then looked at Manager James, smiled, and said, "Well then, I wish us a pleasant cooperation!"

At this point, the cooperation plan between the two parties can be considered to have been basically achieved.

Chapter 250 Building momentum

Next, Manager James called in his secretary, Lisa, and printed out a brand new contract according to the previously agreed terms.

"Alright, Mr. Mike, you can go take your poster photos now. There's a professional team waiting for you outside..." After the contract was signed, James indicated that he wanted to see him out.

Now, when he sees Mike's face, he feels like a lot of money has left him.

In addition, Lisa's occasional peeking at him made the already greasy manager James feel a tightness in his chest.

"Well then, goodbye, Manager James." Mike, having achieved his goal, didn't care about James's little tantrum.

He smiled and waved to the other party, then left the manager's office with Connie's grandmother and her entourage who had come to help.

"Whoo~"

After Mike disappeared, Manager James, as if he had collapsed from exhaustion, lay down on the leather chair and let out a long sigh of relief.

With a pale face and beads of sweat on his forehead, he looked more tired than if he had run three kilometers.

It must be said that negotiating interests can sometimes be physically demanding.

Then, feeling parched, he grabbed the coffee cup on the table, wanting to get some water.

But as the coffee was brought to his lips, James seemed to remember something.

Elegant? Civet coffee? ...Go to hell!

This cat poop coffee is for anyone who wants to drink it.

"Lisa, make me another cup of coffee, the most basic kind..." After placing the civet coffee back on the table with a grim expression, Manager James ordered his secretary.

"Are you sure you want regular coffee?" The secretary, who was organizing documents, glanced at James with surprise and asked to confirm.

It's worth noting that James, the manager who considers himself important, has always only drunk high-end coffee.