Chapter 439 Poaching Clients
The information was more extensive than I expected. It even got me suspecting that Nicholas got it from an insider. No matter how influential the man is, I don’t think he’s capable of getting his hands on this much information.
Nicholas refused to answer me when I asked him, so I stopped pestering him about it. After all, my goal was to destroy Michael’s company; that was all that mattered then.
After handpicking several clients near the end of their contracts with Michael, I decided to visit them personally because I was confident that I could poach them.
Still, I knew I had to put in extra effort since I learned how careful of a businessman Michael was after the Red Star incident.
Then, I started going through the documents, and before I knew it, it was already past midnight. I was so exhausted by the end of it that my shoulders ached.
When I stayed with the Shaw family, I did not even have to lift a finger to get whatever I wanted. However, compared to that, my present life was much more meaningful.
After quickly fixing up something simple to fill my belly, I went back to bed. My mind was filled with so many ideas that I could barely wait for the next morning to arrive. I was more than ready to approach Michael’s clients.
When the following day finally arrived, I quickly jumped out of bed to get dressed. Time was of the essence, and I could not afford to waste even a minute.
After breakfast, I decided to start with a home appliance company that had only worked with Michael for two years. Besides the fact that they were not a long-term client of his, their contract with his company was coming to an end soon, so I thought they would make an easier target.
It did not take long for me to find the client’s phone number from the information on hand. After introducing myself to the manager and stating my intention over the phone, I was relieved when he agreed to meet me. Since the manager has decided to see me, it must mean that he’s willing to give me a chance.
It was a weekend, so most people were taking the time to relax after a week of grinding.
I arranged to meet the manager at a high-end café because I wanted him to know how sincere I was in talking business. The particular establishment was quite popular in Avenport, so it was not easy to get seats there. I initially intended to meet with Chris of Red Star at the same venue, but I never expected he would outright turn me down. Fortunately, I was able to make good use of the sought-after seats I reserved at the café.
However, after waiting for quite a while, I began to worry if the manager had decided to stand me up. He promised over the phone to see me. Has he changed his mind?
Just when I was about to give the manager a call, I saw a man in a suit enter the café. Immediately, I had a feeling that the man was the one I was waiting for, and sure enough, he started walking in my direction.
The manager then sat himself right across from me, so I had a good look at his face. He seemed to be in his thirties and had a polite demeanor.
“I apologize for being late, Ms. Garcia. The traffic was just terrible,” calmly explained the manager, Robert Downer.
“It’s fine. I’m more than grateful that you’re willing to meet me on a weekend. Waiting for an hour is no big deal, really.”
Robert seemed like an amicable person, and I appreciated that. Hopefully, the rest of our conversation will be just as effortless.
“I’m quite surprised to see someone as diligent and beautiful as you working on a weekend. I respect that,” praised Robert while looking sincerely at me.
“You’re too kind, Mr. Downer. Since you came here to talk business with me, I’d say that you’re quite diligent yourself. If you didn’t want to work today, you probably would’ve asked to meet on Monday.”
I could tell that Robert was dependable since he was willing to meet me for business on his day off. That alone was enough for the man to earn my respect.
“You sure know how to make a man blush, Ms. Garcia. Now, shall we talk business?” Smiling politely at me, Robert was ready to get to the nitty-gritty.
“Mr. Downer, I’ve brought with me a copy of the budget for your company. I know you’re working with Joyful Success right now, and I also know just how good they are at what they do. But I believe our company is as capable as they are, if not better. In fact, we came up with an even smaller budget,” I explained to Robert as he went through the documents that I handed him.
Since Joyful Success was well-renowned, I had to work on cutting the budget in order to pique his interest. Michael’s company brought Robert’s huge profits, so all I had to do was help the home appliance company cut costs to gain even more profits.
Still, I knew some companies would insist on hiring Joyful Success because of their reputation. Therefore, I would have to figure out a different way to approach them. Once our company gains traction, I’m sure it’ll be easier for me to poach their clients. There are many ways to go about this, and I’m going to prove that Michael isn’t infallible.
Robert frowned slightly as he continued to flip through my documents. Not knowing what was going through the man’s mind kept me on the edge of my seat.
“So, what do you think, Mr. Downer? Even though our company just started the local operation, we’re well established overseas. You can rest assured that we’ll get the job done right.” Seeing how Robert had remained silent for quite a while, I decided to say something to further convince him.
“Ms. Garcia, your company does seem like the right fit for us, but I’ll have to see what you have planned for us in the later stages,” stated Robert calmly after setting down the papers in his hands.
I immediately jumped for joy on the inside when I heard the man because my intuition told me it was very likely that things were going to work out for me.
“Does that mean you’ll hire our company, Mr. Downer?” I tried to sound as composed as possible, even though I was filled with excitement.
“Yes. I’m interested in working with your company, but it won’t be long term, not at the moment anyway. After all, I still have yet to see your company’s performance. If I’m satisfied with our business relationship after a year, I’ll consider renewing our contract.”
