Chapter Ninety-Eight: Encountering a Client

After Zhang Wei and Fang Wenjun verified the complete phone number of their mutual client, they finally confirmed that they were indeed dealing with the same person. Since both had posted on different websites, the client must have seen their posts online and hadn’t noticed that they were from the same company.

Faced with this situation, both Fang Wenjun and Zhang Wei couldn’t help but let out a bitter smile. It was hard enough to have a client proactively approach them, only to end up having to share the client with someone else. No matter how one looked at it, it felt awkward.

Xu Ming sat in the last row of the shop, having witnessed everything that had just happened. Such incidents—salespeople running into each other's clients—were not uncommon. While not a major issue, if communication wasn’t timely, it could easily lead to conflict between the parties involved.

Moreover, Zhang Wei and Fang Wenjun belonged to two separate teams, which were currently in competition with each other. This could easily escalate what was a minor matter, increasing tension between the teams and leading to a direct confrontation.

Though Xu Ming wanted to outshine Su Ning, he did not favor internal strife as a method. Instead, he preferred to win through capability and performance. Therefore, he did not want the situation to spiral out of control. Besides, the position of regional manager was not just a contest between him and Su Ning; there were other store managers in the running as well.

If their teams’ agents created too much trouble, their superiors might reprimand both, concluding that neither had the ability to manage their teams. This would only benefit the other store managers.

"Heh, you two really have a connection. Yesterday, Fang Wenjun mistook Zhang Wei for a client, and today you both have the same client coming in. Who knows, maybe this partnership will continue to develop," Xu Ming joked, trying to ease the tension and awkward atmosphere in the store.

"Manager Xu, even though you’re our boss, you can’t bully people. I don’t even have a boyfriend yet," Fang Wenjun replied, blushing and feigning annoyance.

"Oh, isn’t that just perfect? Zhang Wei is single, too. What a great match!" Li Lin, the older sisterly figure of the group, was always eager to stir up trouble, adding a mischievous twist to the conversation that could make anyone fume.

Fang Wenjun’s original intent was to clarify that she was single, worried that Xu Ming’s teasing might lead others to believe she had something going on with Zhang Wei, potentially jeopardizing her real chance at romance. She hadn’t expected Li Lin to completely misinterpret her words.

Fang Wenjun’s face turned scarlet, and she was about to argue further when Su Ning emerged from the office, clearly having been alerted by the commotion. With a slight smile, she said, "Wenjun, Zhang Wei, since you’re both handling this client, you should work together."

With Su Ning’s words, the tone for the situation was set. Xu Ming had intended the same, so he didn’t object. However, seeing Su Ning exit what had once been his own office, his previously smiling face suddenly stiffened.

"I have no objections," Zhang Wei replied, sounding gracious.

"Of course you don’t. Our Wenjun is so pretty—what male agent wouldn’t want to work with her?" Liu Ziqi shot Zhang Wei a sarcastic glance.

"Ziqi, stop with the nonsense," Fang Wenjun glared at Liu Ziqi and tugged at her arm before turning to Zhang Wei. "I don’t mind, but how will we coordinate our work? How will we split the commission?"

"Let’s split the commission evenly. You handle finding the apartment, I’ll take care of scheduling with the client. How does that sound?" Zhang Wei proposed.

The reason Zhang Wei wanted Fang Wenjun to find the apartment was that he guessed Su Ning’s group had more three-bedroom listings. While he couldn’t directly ask them for the listings, it would be a different matter with Fang Wenjun involved.

"Alright, let’s do it that way," Fang Wenjun agreed after considering that Zhang Wei’s suggestion seemed fair.

Having settled how to handle the client together, Zhang Wei and Fang Wenjun got to work. Fang Wenjun searched for three-bedroom listings—a task requiring effort—while Zhang Wei focused on contacting the client, which demanded more mental energy. Though it seemed easier, it actually involved more considerations.

Renting out a three-bedroom apartment would yield a monthly brokerage fee of only about 7,000 yuan, with 20% attributed to the property listing performance and 80% to client performance. If Zhang Wei and Fang Wenjun split the client performance, Zhang Wei would get only 40%.

That meant Zhang Wei would receive only 40% of the 7,000 yuan commission, amounting to 2,800 yuan. With a 10% commission rate, Zhang Wei would earn just 280 yuan—a sum he hardly considered significant.

Still, even the smallest opportunity was worth pursuing. If he gave up the client just because the commission was too low, that would be a problem with his work attitude. Not only would Xu Ming disapprove, but his colleagues would see him as arrogant, which definitely wasn’t wise.

Of course, while he wouldn’t abandon the client, Zhang Wei wouldn’t invest too much energy in them either. Once he finished his tasks for the day, and since it wasn’t his turn at the front desk, he decided to go out and do some community promotion.

Community promotion mainly took three forms: distributing flyers, setting up signs, and poaching clients. Zhang Wei planned to focus on the first and third today.

Often, distributing flyers and poaching clients went hand-in-hand. When out handing out flyers, if he spotted another agent with a client, he’d discreetly watch them. Once the agent and client parted ways, he’d naturally approach the client with a flyer.

While giving the flyer, he’d casually ask if they were looking to rent or buy a home. If he managed to strike up a conversation, he might get the client’s contact information, effectively gaining a new client.

However, some clients had close relationships with their agents and wouldn’t pay any attention to unfamiliar agents, often rejecting them outright. In such cases, handing out flyers provided cover, so it wouldn’t be too awkward.

After leaving the Zhongtong store, Zhang Wei went to a nearby busy intersection, standing at a corner to hand out flyers to passersby. This job required thick skin; anyone concerned with saving face would never manage it.

At first, Zhang Wei felt uncomfortable handing out flyers or setting up signs, worried that others would laugh at him. He was even embarrassed to lift his head. But over time, he gradually adapted.

As he handed out flyers, Zhang Wei kept his ears open and his eyes scanning, watching for agents with clients and preparing to poach them at any moment. Yet after searching for ages, he didn’t see a single agent with a client; instead, he spotted the person he least wanted to encounter.