The Story of a Westin Pen

The ballpoint pen (ISO-12757-1-2017.pdf) on the table is a sample from a batch of goods shipped over a decade ago. Seeing it brings back vivid memories.
In 2008, the global economic crisis hit, and the market slumped.
At the time, the UAE didn’t seem to be greatly affected (The real economic crisis in the Middle East didn’t officially erupt until 2009). That December, while I was working in Foshan, the Westin Hotel client I was responsible for contacting inquired about ordering 50,000 ballpoint pens. To fulfill this order, I contacted a factory in Zhejiang. Initial communication went smoothly; the quotation and sampling proceeded as planned,  and the client approved the design promptly. Payment was made promptly.
I informed the factory owner beforehand that we would sign a formal contract immediately upon receiving payment from the client.
I thought everything would go smoothly; however, at this crucial moment, something unexpected happened. The factory owner told me firmly, “We’ve been in this business for over twenty years, and we’ve always operated on a cash-on-delivery basis. We’ve never signed a contract.” At that moment, I was completely stunned. In my entire career, I’ve never encountered anything like this: without a contract, all risks related to order fulfillment, quality assurance, and liability allocation are uncontrollable. But changing suppliers at the last minute is equally risky—first, time is of the essence; second, I’m unsure if I can quickly find a reliable alternative. Countless thoughts swirled in my mind, my heart pounding with anxiety and torment, but one belief remained steadfast: I absolutely cannot let the factory control me; compromise will only make things more difficult. It was Friday afternoon, and I only said one sentence to the factory owner on the phone: “I’m flying to Ningbo tomorrow.” Then I hung up. At that moment, although I wasn’t certain, I was sure I could find his competitor.
The next day, around noon, I arrived at Ningbo Airport.
Checking my phone, I saw several messages from the factory owner. I deliberately didn’t reply and went straight to the factory. On the way, he kept texting, his tone gradually softening from its initial harshness to a slightly probing tone. Two hours later, I finally arrived at the factory. Before I even arrived, he had already conceded and agreed to sign the contract.
I took this opportunity to carefully tour the factory’s workshops and production processes.
The workshops were well-organized, and the workers were highly skilled, clearly possessing extensive processing experience, which explained why they hadn’t signed a contract before. That afternoon, we successfully signed the contract, and subsequent order execution went exceptionally smoothly without any problems.
Winter in Zhejiang is exceptionally cold, with biting winds, but that evening, the factory owner warmly welcomed me.
It was my first time drinking Shaoxing Nu’er Hong (a type of Shaoxing rice wine Nü Er Hong: How a rice winemaker created a legendary Chinese brand – The China Project. The warm rice wine, simmered with brown sugar and old ginger, emitted a unique aroma when it was served. The warm liquid slid down my throat, a warming sensation spreading throughout my body, making every pore feel refreshed. That night, I slept exceptionally well.

My story with John J. Iskierka III-customers and me