Chapter 287 Bargaining
Skyview shot Kaelen a sharp look. "Don't be an idiot, stay out of this!"
Kaelen's face turned red as he glared back, trying to keep his cool. Skyview was a bit rough, but Kaelen prided himself on his refinement. He didn't want to make a scene in front of everyone; that would be too humiliating.
Turning back to the screen, Skyview said, "Erin, you think my price is too high? Fine, make me an offer. Let's see what you're willing to pay."
He knew Erin wasn't dumb enough to go for a ten-billion-dollar deal right off the bat. Negotiation was all about the back-and-forth!
"Three billion!" Erin shot back, slashing the price significantly. She was no pushover.
"Erin, come on." Skyview shook his head. "$3 billion is way too low. The Twin Group has poured more than $3 billion into this recently!" Skyview was definitely exaggerating. In reality, Lakeview Express had only invested $300 million to get a foothold in the market.
Customizing containers, installing QR code locks, and securing rental or purchase agreements for locations didn't need a massive upfront investment. Plus, payments were made after orders were placed, not upon delivery. Pumping up the costs was just a tactic to hike the price.
Skyview was clearly trying to pull a fast one on Erin. But Erin wasn't easily fooled. Costs over $3 billion? Erin didn't buy it for a second. Still, she didn't call him out. During negotiations, everyone played a role; no need to expose it.
Erin knew $3 billion wouldn't cut it for Lakeview Express. Even if Skyview agreed, Kaelen wouldn't. Kaelen was now the second-largest shareholder of the Twin Group and had a stake in Lakeview Express. A bad deal would hurt him too.
Kaelen might come from money, but he wasn't about to throw it away. Losing cash on this deal and ending up in a mess with Skyview would be dumb. Kaelen just wanted to sell Lakeview Express to crush Skyview's dreams and teach him a lesson.
"Ten billion is out of the question," Erin said firmly. "You need to rethink this. Let's wrap this up in this video chat. Otherwise, we're just wasting time, and that's bad for both of us." Time was money. Dragging this out would slow down both companies' market plans.
"Three billion is also a no-go," Skyview shot back. "Erin, you're a big player. Why are we haggling like this? How about I drop it to nine billion?"
Skyview knocked off a billion, but he didn't care. Erin wasn't going to pay ten billion anyway, so nine billion was still way more than he expected. He'd be happy with that.
But Erin wasn't having it. Nine billion was still too steep. The markup was ridiculous. "Nine billion is crazy," Erin said, pausing to think. "I can go up to four billion, but that's my final offer." She upped her bid by a billion, looking serious. Erin needed a fair deal. Otherwise, her backers would question her judgment and undermine her authority.
"We still wouldn't make a profit with four billion. Erin, you gotta give us something!" Skyview pretended to be distressed. "We're a small company. It's tough for small businesses! Erin, you've always supported small companies like ours, right?"
"Erin, you're a legend in this industry, a true leader. Out of my respect for you, I'm willing to drop it to eight billion." Skyview shaved off another billion. The ten-billion-dollar offer was like a sponge full of water. His job was to squeeze out the water until Erin was willing to bite. If he squeezed too much, he wouldn't make money. But if some water remained, he'd hit the jackpot.
Erin fell silent, weighing her options. Everyone watched Erin's face on the screen, trying to read her mind, but it was tough.
Erin was a savvy businesswoman, never giving anything away. She was a pro at hiding her thoughts. While she couldn't always keep a poker face, during negotiations, it was nearly impossible to guess what she was thinking.
After a moment, Erin said, "Five hundred million more! I'll add another five hundred million, making it four point five billion. This offer is already very generous!"
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
