Chapter 527: The Genius of Marketing
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
After looking over the house, Li Du and Sophie thought it was fine to buy. They didn't have to ask the opinion of Big Quinn; Li Du could see his bright eyes through his glasses.
Of course, that was his point of view. He still had to ask.
Li Du took Big Quinn aside; he asked in a low voice, "What do you think about this house?"
"If I can buy this, it will be the best house I've ever lived in," Big Quinn replied.
After getting the answer from Big Quinn, Li Du knew what to do next.
He exchanged his contact information with the house owner. "I am definitely interested in this house. Speaking of the price, is there still room for negotiation?"
"I am sorry, sir," the owner said. "Because I am in a rush to get rid of it, I have already offered my lowest price. Unfortunately, there will be no more negotiations."
How could Li Du believe his words? Since he'd entered the storage auction business, he knew that Americans could bargain better than the housewives who shopped in the farmers' market back in China. But there's no need to say that aloud.
Li Du then proceeded, "My financial assistant will handle the subsequent processes. He will get in touch with you very soon."
As they were leaving, Big Quinn dawdled and glanced back as if he wanted to move in the house right away.
Li Du wondered, "What's so good about this house that you like it so much?"
"I've dreamt about having a home like this," Big Quinn answered. "My wife and kids will be happy here and they can each have their own room.
"The kitchen is big, so my wife can cook and bake in it. The living room is spacious, so the kids can have fun in there. We can also have a pet."
He was standing downstairs and talked a lot about it. Li Du could not properly comprehend Americans' feelings about their homes because they were so different from individual to individual.
Some of them had little, or even no concept, of a home. They roamed and blended into society and could settle down anywhere they traveled. Some didn't even bother with family, let alone a place called "home." Some people even secretly ran away from their home because they didn't want to be responsible for their children.
Li Du was not imagining this. It happened quite often. For instance, there were many American celebrities in professional sports leagues such as Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, and the National Football League. Quite a few of them had been raised by single mothers, and their fathers were simply question marks to them.
Some, on the other hand, were very dedicated to and almost obsessed with their home. These people had often been emotionally hurt by their family at young age. They might have been through a parental divorce or one of their parents left the family without taking responsibility and supporting it.
Big Quinn belonged to the latter. He had grown up in a terrible environment and had badly suffered from that. He'd also been unable to finish his education.
This not only hurt him but affected his ability to get a good job. His face and size were both very scary and it would have been easier for him to find a good job if he had gone to college. He had worked as a janitor or porter.
After saying all this, he continued, "Boss, you have no clue. In fact, I worked as a logger on a mountain in Montana. It was because I couldn't find a job anywhere."
"I know, buddy. This house belongs to you. I promise this house will belong to you after Big Fox negotiates with them." Li Du patted his shoulder.
Leaving the community, the four of them drove to the cabin.
Li Du decided to get a pickup for the company. With more people working, there were not enough vehicles with just the Hellcat and Iron Knight.
Arriving at the cabin, he waved Hans over. "Big Fox, come here. I need to talk to you."
"Buddy, you're back?" smiled Hans. "I want to talk to you too. It's important."
Li Du asked immediately, "Important? Is it about the guns and military equipment?"
"No. The people from the Department of Homeland Security aren't coming here yet, so don't bother with them first. I'm talking about the siege tower. Someone has offered a price—our old friends." Hans shrugged.
Li Du was puzzled. "Old friends? What old friends of ours are interested in that?"
He couldn't figure it out. While he could definitely find somebody who loved to collect rare and precious items such as this, nobody he knew liked to collect this type of huge structure.
"C'mon, it's easy—the Hopi Tribe," answered Hans. "They want to buy the siege tower."
"Them?" Li Du asked in surprise. "They got the news that fast?"
Hans shrugged again. "Someone told them. You don't have to guess this time—it was me."
This siege tower had originally belonged to the Native Americans, and it would be in good hands if it were bought by them. Also, the Native Americans were wealthy, so they could offer a good price.
Hans had certainly asked for a reasonable amount for the tower: half a million dollars, excluding the transportation fees. This was quite a lot, but the Hopi accepted it. When Mr. Martin had estimated a price for him, he had mentioned that 400,000 dollars was already high.
Because of that, he asked Hans why the Hopi could accept such a high price. "I told them that the Navajo were also interested in the tower," Hans replied. "And they accepted my price."
"That's it?"
"Of course not—I said a lot more. Like how the Navajo wanted to buy the siege tower for tourism. That they would tell tourists this was the weapon their ancestors used to conquer the other tribes around."
Looking at his sly smile, Li Du had to give him a big thumbs up.
He was insanely smart. The Hopi were the arch-enemy of the Navajo. They could not stop their quarreling and disputes. In recent years, the Navajo had done very well in the tourism industry; there were many tourists visiting their reservation. This was something the Hopi didn't want to see.
They also didn't want to see the Navajo damaging their reputation by promoting bad things about them to tourists.
Thus, they couldn't let the Navajo buy the siege tower.
"Thanks for your compliment." Hans smirked triumphantly. "I am indeed a marketing genius."
His words were not exaggerated. However, Li Du didn't want him stuck on his high horse. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm not praising you. I'm praising myself. See, I'm a good judge of character, and it was smart of me to put you in charge of marketing."
"You're still praising me," replied Hans. "I'm a genius of marketing."
Li Du looked stunned for a moment, then he nodded his head immediately. "Yes, yes, yes. You are a genius of marketing and also the king of bargaining."
"Sh*t, what do you want?" Listening to his praise, Hans immediately put his guard up.
"What do I want?" Li Du pretended to not understand what he meant.
"You praised me," said a wary Hans. "You must want something me, and it can't be something good."
"It is something good," Li Du said with a grin. "Help Big Quinn, do him a favor. He saw a house he really likes and he needs you to negotiate the price down. You are the marketing genius after all."
Hans rolled his eyes. "D*mn it, I knew you'd create trouble for me."
But it was a smart move to ask him. Hans was a genius at negotiating. He visited the owner later in the afternoon and managed to slash 30,000 dollars off the price. The final price became 620,000 dollars.