Chapter 142: Judging Others with Prejudice

Fusheng Precision Machinery Equipment Co., Ltd., located in the ZX district of Songjiang City, specializes in the agency sales of advanced European equipment.

During his few days in Songjiang, Guoyang Zhao had already conducted a preliminary market survey on laser spot welding machines and ultimately chose this company.

According to what Zhao learned, since early last year, this company has been the exclusive agent for German-imported laser spot welding machines, making it the earliest domestic company specializing in the agency of precision machinery imported from Germany.

The reasons for selecting this company to purchase the laser spot welding machine were not only the reliability of their supply but also the company’s background.

One of the shareholders is a Chinese expatriate from Germany, which allows the company to communicate directly with technical staff from several German machinery firms.

Moreover, their cooperative relationships with many well-known domestic laser welding machine manufacturers give them a far deeper understanding of the applications and practical experiences of laser spot welding machines in both foreign and domestic mechanical manufacturing enterprises than other machinery companies.

Having not made an appointment beforehand, Guoyang Zhao and Jian Ma waited nearly half an hour in the reception room of Fusheng Precision Machinery Equipment before being greeted by the deputy head of the sales department.

“Gentlemen, you must be tired from your journey! I’m Hao Li from the sales department of Fusheng Precision Machinery Equipment,” said the middle-aged man with thinning hair, shaking hands with Zhao and Ma before asking somewhat dismissively, “You two are from Ninghai City, right? Which factory exactly? What kind of machinery are you looking to purchase from us?”

Zhao’s expression darkened upon hearing this. Before entering the company, he had clearly introduced both himself and Factory Director Ma, even handing over Ma’s business card. Yet this balding man hadn’t even glanced at the card or consulted with his colleagues before coming out to greet them.

This indicated that the man did not regard them seriously at all, likely expecting no significant business and hoping to dismiss them quickly.

Unlike Zhao, Jian Ma, who had long been involved in sales and procurement, was accustomed to encountering people like this balding man and saw nothing unusual. He smiled politely and responded.

“Section Chief Li, we are from Hongda Machinery Factory in Ninghai City. We’re here today to purchase a German-imported laser spot welding machine…”

Upon hearing this, the balding man sneered slightly, clearly skeptical.

It wasn’t surprising that he looked down on them. In the early 1990s, companies like Fusheng Precision Machinery Equipment, specializing in advanced foreign equipment, never had trouble selling their products.

Often, the equipment they represented was in short supply, making procurement companies eager to curry favor with them.

Laser spot welding machines, with their high technical content, could be domestically produced, but these often suffered from various minor defects.

Imported equipment, though considerably more expensive, far surpassed domestic products in quality and lifespan.

When factoring in maintenance costs and the defect rates of welded products, purchasing imported machines was actually more economical in the long run.

Therefore, procurement companies naturally preferred imported products.

German equipment was undoubtedly the pinnacle among imports, attracting considerable demand.

The balding man’s disdainful gaze at Ma stemmed from the fact that German laser spot welding machines were exorbitantly priced, far beyond what small mechanical factories could afford.

Currently, the market price for one such German laser spot welder hovered around 120,000 RMB, a sum most small factories simply could not afford.

Having worked for years, the balding man had seen many procurement personnel from small factories inquire about prices only to leave dejectedly, which had prejudiced him in judging people.

From his perspective, Ma, with his unremarkable appearance and worn Zhongshan suit, bore no resemblance to a deputy factory director, let alone a senior leader of a large enterprise, and by extension, he dismissed Hongda Machinery Factory as insignificant.

Seeing that the balding section chief remained silent, Ma sensed the contempt and felt somewhat unsettled.

However, he understood that in big cities and large companies, many people behaved this way, so he could only grumble silently without confronting them directly.

Just as Ma prepared to respond with a conciliatory smile and continue inquiring about the price and possible discounts, Zhao could no longer hold back and grasped his arm.

“Section Chief Li, didn’t we make ourselves perfectly clear just now? Why won’t you answer our questions and instead adopt such a cold, dismissive attitude?”

Before the balding man could react, Zhao continued sternly, “If you’re not sufficiently knowledgeable about your company’s products, we can request another sales consultant.”

“If that’s not the case, then it’s your work attitude that’s the problem. May I ask, is this how Fusheng Precision Machinery Equipment treats its customers?”

The balding man was unaccustomed to being confronted like this, his face flushing with embarrassment and anger.

Yet Zhao’s words were well-founded, and the man had no valid rebuttal; his earlier conduct had indeed been rude.

Zhao’s voice was loud enough to carry beyond the reception room.

Hearing the dispute, a middle-aged man with thick eyebrows and sharp eyes, his hair slicked back neatly and exuding authority, came over from the neighboring sales department.

Upon arrival, he saw the balding man red-faced and silent, then furrowed his brow and asked, “Old Li, what’s going on here?”

Relieved to have backup, the balding man quickly pointed at Zhao and said, “Manager Miao, you’ve arrived just in time. These two claim they want to buy a German-imported laser spot welding machine, but I’ve never heard of this Hongda Machinery Factory from Ninghai City.”

“I suspect they’re just here to gather information on prices, not genuinely interested in purchasing…”

After finishing, he shot a provocative glance at Zhao, implying clearly: You’re bold, but you’re not qualified to buy our equipment!

Having vented, the balding man awaited a response, but the middle-aged man did not immediately comment.

He carefully appraised Ma and Zhao before clearing his throat and asking, “Gentlemen, what do you have to say in response to Section Chief Li’s remarks?”